On the Notion of Functional Aspects in Aspect-Oriented Refactoring

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the notion of functional aspects in context of aspect-oriented refactoring. Treating aspects as functions reduces the potential interactions between aspects significantly. We propose a simple mathematical model that incorporates fundamental properties of aspects and their interactions. Using this model, we show that with regard to refactoring functional aspects are as flexible as traditional aspects, but with reduced program complexity.