A Methodology for Writing Class Contracts

Abstract

One of the principles of Design by Contract is that contracts for software components must be written in a declarative way, using a formal, mathematically founded notation. When we apply the Design by Contract methodology in a naive and straightforward way, we risk ending up with unwanted duplication. In this paper, we describe a methodology for writing class contracts that avoids specification duplication and that gives rise to uniform class specifications with a clear and fixed structure. Abstract. One of the principles of Design by Contract is that contracts for software components must be written in a declarative way, using a formal, mathematically founded notation. When we apply the Design by Contract methodology in a naive and straightforward way, we risk ending up with unwanted duplication. In this paper, we describe a methodology for writing class contracts that avoids specification duplication and that gives rise to uniform class specifications with a clear and fixed structure. A Methodology for Writing Class Contracts