Combining Reflection and Finite State Diagrams for Design Enforcement

This article presents a method for design enforcement, based on a combination of reflection and State Machine Diagrams. The method is supported by RECOS, a REflective system in a Concurrent Object-oriented environment that uses Finite State Diagrams. The reflection methodology is now a developing branch in computer science for controlling and modifying systems, particularly Object-Oriented systems. RECOS is a “base-system” under which other systems can be built. Combining concepts of Concurrent Object-Oriented design, Finite State Diagrams, and reflection leads to an increase in the reliability of the systems, by insuring that objects function according to their design. RECOS also presents a safe way for handling modifications of the systems. We attempt to provide the developer of a system under RECOS with an environment that balances between easing implementation effort and guarding against unsafe implementations. We address here the issue of reflection, present the structure of RECOS, using as a running example a heating system, and briefly discuss implementation details and future work. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.