A pattern-based approach to structural design composition

Abstract

This paper describes an approach to component-based software engineering based on a formal description of design patterns. The architectural design information, captured by design patterns, is made explicit and represented in a declarative way, being packaged into tangible artifacts as building block design components in the development process. These design component descriptions can be instantiated, adapted, assembled, implemented, and maintained. Furthermore, we can use these representations to reason about properties related to the combination of design components. We illustrate the utility of our approach through a case study involving various design patterns.