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Framework Document

This paper proposes a framework to systematically reuse enterprise software components. It identifies impediments to software reuse like a lack of documentation. The framework uses a desktop application to generate XML descriptors for reusable source code components, documenting features. Descriptors are saved with source code on a file server for other developers to access. When piloted on projects, it increased code reuse among teams as developers searched descriptors for possible reuse multiple times. However, the paper did not fully explain how components are searched or documented in descriptors. It also did not address how developers would find time for documentation given tight timelines.

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Hamid Ch
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23 views2 pages

Framework Document

This paper proposes a framework to systematically reuse enterprise software components. It identifies impediments to software reuse like a lack of documentation. The framework uses a desktop application to generate XML descriptors for reusable source code components, documenting features. Descriptors are saved with source code on a file server for other developers to access. When piloted on projects, it increased code reuse among teams as developers searched descriptors for possible reuse multiple times. However, the paper did not fully explain how components are searched or documented in descriptors. It also did not address how developers would find time for documentation given tight timelines.

Uploaded by

Hamid Ch
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Naila Saad 16L-5061

Sana Maqbool 16L-5063

A Framework for Enhancing Readability and Opportunistic Reuse of


Enterprise Software

Review
This paper by Syed Awais Amjad and Shoab A. Khan, is about the systematic reuse of different
components of Enterprise Software. This is the utmost need of hour because many of the components
are such that they are required in other systems as well such as date converter and currency
comparator. By this, we can shrink the project timelines by reusing the components we already have
and developing the rest of the components for a particular project

For this purpose, authors have proposed a framework for enhancing the readability and opportunistic
reuse of enterprise software code. But before discussing that, they have also quoted some technical
impediments as well as organizational, economic, administrative, political and psychological
impediments that cause the failure of software reuse.

1. Due to absence of some component model standards, it was difficult to have a sustainable reuse
of software artifacts.
2. Most of the developers’ time is consumed in development phase so they find no time to
document that code.
3. Comments are most ineffective approach, as they require the reader to dig in the code to
understand the flow of that code
4. Instead of documenting the source code through comments, it should be documented
separately so that it does not require exhaustive research in case of reuse
5. If there are multiple teams in the industry, developers find it difficult to locate suitable reusable
assets outside their immediate workgroup.

Considering the above stated problems, this framework proposes an approach for the developers to
document all the source code they have written. For this, a set of important component features have
been identified based on analysis and development of custom web based automation application. User
has to fill that according to the component/code. This is done by using a utility program that is a desktop
application developed in Java with no databases dependencies. This utility program records all the
details of reusable components including its developers’ name and contact as well so that it can be used
when needed.

The utility program then generates an XML descriptor file that is saved along with source code file. It
also worth mentioning that they have mentioned naming conventions as well for name the source code
file as well as the descriptor XML File.

After the descriptor file has been created, the source code and descriptor file are saved on a file server
and descriptor file is accessible to everyone so that it can be used by anyone who requires any
implemented component. Whenever any developer needs to check if a component is already
implemented or not, he/she can compare it with the descriptor file to check if some software has
already implemented such component. If it matches, developer can ask for access to the source code of
that component. This will reduce the upcoming projects’ timeline as well as cost.
For the proof of this concept, it was tested on some pilot projects. And it was observed that reuse of
software among development teams was increased. This was judged by tracking the application access
logs and observed that all the developers accessed the application multiple times and looked up the
code descriptors for possible reuse.

Critique
In this paper, they have not explained in detail how to record the code information in the descriptor file
and how it can be searched so easily that everyone can go through all the descriptors while searching for
a single component. Searching mechanism must also be devised so that one can search easily, may be
using some other utility, that current descriptors have something that is related to him/her.

Secondly, in the start they have stated a problem they came across while implementing systematic
reuse, that developers don’t find time to document the source code as project timelines are so tight, so
now how they can find as much time to document each code not only reusable components?

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