A Case Study to Evaluate the Suitability of Graph Transformation Tools For Program Refactoring

This article proposes a case study to evaluate the suitability of graph transformation tools for program refactoring. In order to qualify for this purpose, a graph transfor-mation system must be able to (i) import a graph-based representation of models of Java programs, (ii) allow these models to be transformed interactively with well-known program refactorings, and (iii) export the resulting models in the same graph-based format used as input. The case study aims to enable comparison of various features of graph transformation tools, such as their expressiveness and their ability to interact with the user. The model of Java programs is presented and some examples for translating Java source code into the model are provided. The refactorings selected for the case study are specified in detail