Specification of Tools with GTSL

Abstract

The definition of software development methods encompasses the definition of syntax and static semantics of specification languages. These languages determine documents to be produced during the application of a method. Developers demand language-based tools that provide document production support, check syntax and static semantics of documents and thus implement methods. A number of methods are used in the different tasks of software construction and a need arises for their integration. This method integration must determine inter-document consistency constraints between documents produced in the various tasks. The various tools that are used during the process must, therefore, be integrated in a way that they implement the required method integration. Unfortunately, the particular mix of methods that is used in one software process need not be appropriate for another. Method integration must, therefore, become part of process modelling and tool integration must be adjusted for each different process. The focus of this paper is on the specification of integrated tools. We outline the main concepts of a dedicated, object-oriented tool specification language, namely GTSL. The language was defined, implemented and evaluated in the GOODSTEP project. Part of the evaluation was the construction of a set of integrated tools for C++ class library maintenance for British Airways, an industrial project partner.