Active Guidance of Framework Development

An appropriate combination of object-oriented programming concepts allows the development not only of single reusable components but also of semifinished architectures (=frameworks). The paper discusses an adequate way to represent the know-how of software engineers in the realm of developing and adapting frameworks. Active cookbooks rely on a particular knowledge base. These electronic books form an integration basis of various tools adjusted to a domain-specific framework. Active cookbooks guide programmers and end users through typical framework adaptation steps. Examples taken from a prototype implementation of such a cookbook illustrate the concepts that allow active support of framework-centered software development.