Programing interface for metadata retrieval on object-oriented language elements

Abstract

Nowadays, metadata-based frameworks are very important for the industry, since they allow a low coupling and a reduced development time comparing with other types of framework. A recent study developed a reference architecture that captured the main solutions used in this kind of framework. However, the usage of such model on several frameworks revealed that there is still a code repetition and difficulties in implement metadata reading, due to a deficient programing interface. Considering this context, the main goal of this research project is to define a programming interface to retrieve metadata, based on common needs of such frameworks. Initially, it will be conducted an analysis in existing frameworks to identify needs for this interface, followed by an iterative process to develop the programming interface and a reference implementation, which will be available as free software. The developed solution will be evaluated by the development of new frameworks and the refactoring of existing ones to incorporate the proposed solution. Additionally, a controlled experiment will be conducted aiming to monitor the construction of frameworks with and without the proposed solution, comparing metrics that assess the software structure and the development dynamics. As a consequence, it is expected that by the development of a suitable programming interface that simplifies the adoption ob metadata reading best practices, making the usage of this technique more accessible to less experienced programmers. (AU)