Abstract

In the context of object-oriented programming languages we propose an extension of the Smalltalk environment which provides for the possibility of constructing software by applying the Design by Contract methodology, introduced by Meyer as a way of developing reliable software. In this sense, both correctness and robustness are increased by using the mechanisms incorporated to Smalltalk as a consequence of the proposed extension. Thus, assertions are used to guarantee the preconditions and postconditions of methods and the stability of the state of the objects, while a mechanism is provided in order to handle the exceptional situations.

Citations