Validated Designs for Object-Oriented Systems

Object-oriented Design Methods Are Commonplace In Computing Systems Development, But Are Often Dismissed As 'boxes & Arrows'. If Systems Developers Are To Gain Full Advantage From Such Methods, They Should Be Able To Achieve Designs That Are Not Merely The Subject Of Heated Argument, But Can Be Improved By Careful, Rigorous & Machine-supported Analysis. This Book Describes An Object-oriented Design Approach That Combines The Benefits Of Abstract Modelling With The Analytic Power Of Formal Methods, To Give Designs That Can Be Rigorously Validated & Assured With Automated Support. Aimed At Software Architects, Designers & Developers As Well As Computer Scientists, No Prior Knowledge Of Formal Methods Is Assumed. The Elements Of Functional Modelling Are Introduced Using Numerous Examples & Exercises, Industrial Case Studies & Experience Reports. Industry-strength Tools Support The Text. Go To Www.vdmbook.com To Download Free-of-charge Vdmtools Lite, Which Gives The Possibility To Try Out Examples From The Book Models And Software Development -- Building A Model In Vdm++: An Overview -- Vdm++ Tool Support -- Modelling Object-oriented Systems In Vdm++ -- Defining Data -- Defining Functionality -- Modelling Unordered Collections -- Modelling Ordered Collections -- Modelling Relationships -- Modelling In Practice: Three Case Studies -- Model Structuring: The Enigma Cipher -- Combining Views: The Cslam System -- Tradeone: From Enterprise Architecture To Business Application -- From Models To Code -- Concurrency In Vdm++ -- Model Quality -- Implementing In Java. By John Fitzgerald, Peter Gorm Larsen, Paul Mukherjee, Nico Plat, Marcel Verhoef. Object-oriented design methods are commonplace in computing systems development, but are often dismissed as little more than "boxes and arrows." If systems developers are to gain the full advantage from such methods, they should be able to achieve designs that are not merely the subject of heated argument, but can be improved by careful, rigorous, and machine-supported analysis.Validated Designs for Object-oriented Systems describes an object-oriented design approach that combines the benefits of abstract modelling with the analytic power of formal methods, to give designs that can be rigorously validated and assured with automated support. UML class models are augmented with consistent, complementary functional views in VDM++, with the engineer free to move between them. This allows developers to choose levels of abstraction and rigor appropriate to each given project.Aimed at software architects, designers, and developers as well as computer scientists, no prior knowledge of formal methods is assumed. The elements of functional modelling are introduced using numerous examples and exercises, industrial case studies, and experience reports. This book provides an introduction to practical formal modelling techniques in the context of object-oriented system design. It is aimed at both practising software engineers with some prior experience of object-oriented design/programming and at intermediate or advanced students studying object-oriented design or modelling in a short course. The following features make this book particularly attractive to potential instructors: § The relationship with UML and object-oriented programming makes it easy to integrate with the mainstream computing curriculum. Although the book is about formal methods, it does not have to be treated as a specialist topic. § The use of tools and an accessible modelling language improves student motivation. § The industry-based examples and case studies add to the credibility of the approach. § The light touch approach means that the material appeals to students with a wider range of abilities than is the case in a conventional formal methods text. § Support materials as listed above. Validated Designs for Object-oriented Systems displays how well-established modelling techniques based on UML can be enhanced with rigorous yet accessible specification features allowing the modelling of data & functionality in a formal language, VDM++, based on the ISO Standard Vienna Development MethodÆs Specification Language. Opening with a review of the basic concepts in object-orientation & UML, the book adds modelling & analytic power step by step, dealing with enhanced data types, recording logical constraints & specifying functionality. This builds to give a ôround-tripö approach in which architectural and design views are kept in synchronisation as models are developed, analysed and refined. Validated Designs for Object-oriented Systems introduces formal techniques with a light touch. An industrial tool set is used to support the concepts and techniques as they are introduced. The numerous supporting examples & case studies are based on real industrial applications of the technology. "Validated Designs for Object-oriented Systems describes an object-oriented design approach that combines the benefits of abstract modelling with the analytic power of formal methods, to give designs that can be rigorously validated and assured with automated support. UML class models are augmented with consistent, complementary functional views in VDM++, with the engineer free to move between them. This allows developers to choose levels of abstraction and rigor appropriate to each given project." "Aimed at software architects, designers, and developers as well as computer scientists, no prior knowledge of formal methods is assumed. The elements of functional modelling are introduced using numerous examples and exercises, industrial case studies, and experience reports. Industry-strength tools support the text, and further materials are available on the accompanying website."--Jacket