Advanced object-oriented language mechanisms for variability management [Elektronische Ressource] / vorgelegt von Vaidas Gasiūnas

Advanced Object-Oriented LanguageMechanisms for Variability ManagementVom Fachbereich Informatik der Technischen Universit at Darmstadt genehmigteDissertationzur Erlangung des akademischen Grades einesDoktor-Ingenieurs (Dr.-Ing.)vorgelegt vonMagister der Informatik Vaidas Gasiunasgeboren in Paneve_zys, LitauenReferent: Prof. Dr. Mira MeziniKorreferent: Prof. Dr. Sophia DrossopoulouDatum der Einreichung: 25.11.2009 der mundlic hen Prufung: 16.12.2009Erscheinungsjahr 2010Darmstadt D17iiAbstractDecomposition of software into components is usually not su cient to achieve a high-degree of reusability, because a component seldom completely ts to the needs of aparticular use, and needs to be adapted to speci c requirements and the technical contextof that use. Thus, in order to increase reusability of components, they must be madecon gurable and adaptable, or in other words they must support a certain degree ofvariation.Object-oriented techniques, in particular inheritance and subtype polymorphism, facili-tate modular variability management. Subtype polymorphism can be used to hide vari-ations of an object behind stable inherfaces and bind them dynamically. Inheritance canmodularize unanticipated variations and variations a ecting interfaces of objects. Themodularized variations can be combined using some form of multiple inheritance. Multi-dispatch of methods enables modularization and dynamic binding of multi-dimensionalvariation.