DependencyConstraint

DCL is a language to define dependency constraints between software entities. It is intended to define and check architectural constraints.

It is inspired by: Valente, Terra, "A dependency constraint language to manage object-oriented software architectures", Software Practice and Experience, 39(12), 1073-1094, August 2009

Using

Create "Modules"

gui := DCLModule new
  name: 'gui' ;
  description: '.*\.gui'; "match entities with name ending in '.gui'"
  model: <a-moose-model> ;
  yourself.
draw := DCLModule new
  name: 'draw' ;
  description: '.*\.draw'; "match entities with name ending in '.draw'"
  model: <a-moose-model> ;
  yourself.

One can get the members of a module with the getter: memberEntities. This list is cached, in case of errors, the cache can be reseted (to force recomputing the member list) with resetCache.

Define constraints

constraint := gui canOnly depend: draw.

Check constraints

violations := constraint check.

This returns the list of dependencies that violate the constraint.

Dependency Constraint Language

Possible "modules" are:

• DCLModuleExplicit -- A DCLModule created with an explicit list of member entities (with setter: memberEntities:)
• DCLModuleOnName -- A DCLModule where member entities are computed from a regexp on their name (setter: description:)
• DCLModuleOnMooseName -- A DCLModuleOnName where member entities are computed from a regexp on their fully qualified name (aka mooseName)
• DCLModuleOnPackageName -- A DCLModuleOnName where member entities are computed from a regexp on the name of their parent packages

Possible constraints are:

• moduleA cannot <a-dependence> moduleB -- moduleA cannot depend on moduleB
• moduleA must <a-dependence> moduleB -- moduleA must have dependence(s) on moduleB
• moduleA canOnly <a-dependence> moduleB -- moduleA can only depend on moduleB (apart from self dependencies in moduleA)
• moduleA onlyCan <a-dependence> moduleB -- moduleA only, can depend on moduleB (apart from self dependencies in moduleB)

Possible dependencies are:

• dependence: -- looks for any dependency (FamixTAssociation) from a memberEntity in moduleA to a memberEntity in moduleB
• access: -- looks for accesses in moduleA to variables (attributes, parameters,...) of moduleB (FamixTAccesse)
• invoke: -- looks for invocations from moduleA methods to methods in moduleB (FamixTInvocation)
• reference: -- looks for references in moduleA to class name of moduleB (FamixTReference)
• inherit: -- looks for sub-classes in moduleA inheriting from super-classes in moduleB (FamixTInheritance)