Supporting Component-based Development by Enriching the Traditional API

Component-based software, particularly distributed componentbased software, makes heavy use of interfaces to de ne the interactions among components. Each of these interfaces is usally presented in the form of an API, as a speci cation of the capabilities of the relevant component. However, while the predominant API model captures the behavior of individual interface members, it neglects the interactions among those members. We propose an approach that incorporates such interactions into an interface speci cation, and provide an application of the approach.