An XML-based language for specification and composition of aspectual concerns

Separation of concerns refers to the ability of identifying, encapsulating and manipulating parts of software that are crucial to a particular purpose (Dijkstra, 1976). Traditional software development methods were developed with this principle in mind. However, certain broadly-scoped properties are difficult to modularize and keep separated during the lifecycle, producing tangled representations that are difficult to understand and to evolve. Aspect-oriented software development aims at addressing those crosscutting concerns, known as aspects, by providing means for their systematic identification, separation, representation and composition. This paper focuses on the representation and composition activities, by proposing an XML-based language to specify and compose concerns at the requirements level. An illustration of the proposed approach to an example supported by a tool is presented.