Language support for feature mixing
Franz Achermann · Bern Open Repository and Information System (University of Bern)
Object oriented languages cannot express certain composition abstractions due to restricted abstraction power. A number of approaches, like SOP or AOP overcome this restriction, thus giving the programmer more possibilities to get a higher degree of separation of concern. We propose \emphforms, extensible mappings from labels to values, as vehicle to implement and reason about composition abstractions. Forms unify a variety of concepts such as interfaces, environments, and contexts. We are prototyping a composition language where forms are the only and ubiquitous first class value. Using forms, it is possible compose software artifacts focusing on a single concern and thus achieve a high degree of separation of concern. We believe that using forms it also possible to compare and reason about the different composition mechanisms proposed.