Intent-Oriented Design Pattern Formalization Using SPQR

Abstract

This chapter introduces the system for pattern query and recognition, a collection of formalisms, definitions, and concepts that provides a means for formally describing Design patterns from the viewpoint of design intent. These descriptions enable efficient and effective searching for instances of Design patterns in source code, for purposes of discovery, documentation, validation, or refactoring. SPQR is composed of ?-calculus, a formal denotation semantics for defining relationships between programmatic entities, elemental Design patterns, a collection of binary relationships that define the basis for software design principles, and isotopes, a flexible approach to combining formal design definitions so that they retain their conceptual integrity. It is our intent that the reader be better equipped to contemplate the hierarchical nature of the concepts of programming, and to come away from this discussion with a clearer view of how software is designed, from the small to the large.