Supporting End-User Tailoring of Component-Based Software - Checking Integrity of Compositions

Component-based software can be used to build highly tailorable and therefore flexible software systems. To support end-users while tailoring their applications themselves different approaches were discussed. This paper describes an interactive integrity checking concept as a support for end-user tailoring. It is based on the idea that developers can describe the ”right” use of their components as well as they can describe properties which belong to specific groups of applications. Those information can be used to check the application composed out of such components during tailoring time. Thus, this leads to higherquality tailoring and more stable and better fitting tailored applications. Furthermore, the learning of tailoring activities will improve as well as a better understanding for the resulting software can be achieved.