Multiple object representations
Gia Toan Nguyen, Dominique Rieu · 1992
In the object-oriented paradigm, objects are instances of the conceptual entities that describe their structure and behavior i.e, the classes. Recent applications of object-oriented programming languages and databases in areas like engineering design and genetics have demonstrated the limits of this assumption. Object instances cannot always conform to their class definitions. They may evolve during the application lifetime. Further, a class may be only one specific object representation among several others required by the users. This paper relaxes some constraints usually associated with instantiation mechanisms. An object instance is no longer considered as a perfect representative of a specific class. It can bear distorsions with its class definition. This is called here flexible instantiation. An instance can also belong simultaneously to different classes. These classes need not be related by any direct or indirect specialization relationship. This is called here multiple instant...