Transforming Functional Signatures of Algebraic Specifications into Object-Oriented Class Signatures

A combination of algebraic and object-oriented specification techniques may take advantage of both approaches for system development. This paper presents a formal method how to transform the signature of an algebraic specification into a collection of object-oriented class signatures in a systematic way. We explore the possible design decisions and manifest them in design functions. The transformation of the signature forms the syntactic basis for relating algebraic specifications with object-oriented modeling in a profound way. The approach bridges the gap between functional specification concepts and object-oriented modeling techniques. An important area of application comprises the top-down development of information storing components. All transformation procedures including the mechanization of the design choices have been implemented in a transformation tool.