A Transformational Process-Based Formal Approach to Object-Oriented Design

This paper presents a formal transformational process-based approach to object-oriented design. This approach uses a process language that allows us to represent the changes of the object models through the design process and, in particular, the changes induced by the application of design patterns. The approach is illustrated through a small example dealing with expression trees that is designed based on three design patterns: the bridge, the abstract factory, and the adapter. In this case, we provide an implementation in Prolog that allows us to obtain the object model design of the example by the application of some transformations in a structured semi-automated manner. The processes of this language can be formally defined as schema transformations of theory presentations associated with the object models represented in a particular object calculus. We believe the method scales up to larger systems as it allows architectural object-oriented transformations to be also defined