[aosd-discuss] Metrics for Aspect-orientd Modelling

[Andrew Carton]

I am in a similar situation and need to compare an AO vs. an OO  
model. From my brief introduction to this topic, I think this is an  
interesting and very challenging exercise for a number of reasons.

First, I believe the level of abstraction is important. If modelling  
at a high level of abstraction, the models are not going to be  
computationally complete, so the comparison is only valid if they are  
only equally as detailed as each other. Generally, the metrics out  
there give guidelines on what the numbers mean - are these numbers  
still applicable when working at a different level of abstraction  
than code? I think not!

Second, I think the next challenge is deciding how to map these  
metrics from code to metamodel artefacts. If using the UML, I think  
an activity diagram is very good for something like mccabes  
cyclomatic complexity because it is similar to a control-flow graph.  
Other metrics aren't so easy, like lines of code, Halstead complexity  
metrics or those that depend on counting code level artefacts need to  
be redefined and reinterpreted, for that specific metamodel.

Third, add AO and its slew of metrics into the mix further  
exacerbates these problems. The new metrics need to mapped to your  
chosen AOM and how that is represented (metamodel or Profile right?).  
Most automated metric tools out there run over aspectj. You also have  
to assume there is a correlation between these metrics and your AOM  
(maybe your AOM supports different types/levels symmetry?), and then  
from these to the OO metrics.

In the end, I think you just have to state the assumptions, be  
consistent in applying the metrics and derive an argument from the  
observation of the results? Easiest approach if using a low-level  
abstraction is just to transform to code and use the tools to do the  
dirty work. I think metrics are pretty silly anyways...

This works on an OO UML model and may be useful to be adapted.
http://www.eclipse.org/m2m/atl/usecases/ModelsMeasurement/

There is also a workshop for MoDELS "Model Size Metrics" that has  
some interesting stuff!

Regards,
andrew.



Déardaoin, 23 Lúnasa 2007 13:57, scríobh Jaroslav Svacina,

> Hello,
> Are you aware of any metrics for aspect-oriented modelling. My purpose
> is to compare one design of an application using object-oriented  
> models
> with another design of that application with aspect-oriented models. I
> would be grateful if you could point me to works in that area.
>
> Best regards,
>    Jaroslav Svacina
>
> -- 
> Dipl.-Inf. Jaroslav Svacina
> Tel.: +49 (0)30 6392 1908
> E-Mail: Jaroslav.Svacina at first.fraunhofer.de
>
> Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Rechnerarchitektur und Softwaretechnik, FIRST
> Kekulestraße 7
> D - 12489 Berlin
> Germany
> http://www.first.fraunhofer.de
>
>
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