P.3. Interfaces
DEFINITIONAn interface is a boundary across which two independent entities meet and interact or communicate with each other. |
If you've been reading the sidebars, you've already encountered the term interface several times. This term is widely used when describing software elements and can mean many different things to different people. The term is so important when documenting software architecture that we have devoted Chapter 7 to the subject.
It is both possible and likely that an entity will have more than one interface through which it interacts or communicates. An interface is more than a list of its available services. Ideally, an interface specification should provide enough information to avoid unexpected interactions that can occur because of assumptions an entity makes about either the environment in which it is to be placed or the entities with which it interacts.
Software Architectures and Documentation
- P.1. The Role of Architecture
- P.2. Uses of Architecture Documentation
- P.3. Interfaces
- P.4. Views
- P.5. Viewtypes and Styles
- P.6. Seven Rules for Sound Documentation
- P.7. Summary Checklist
- P.8. Discussion Questions
- P.9. For Further Reading
Part I. Software Architecture Viewtypes and Styles
The Module Viewtype
- Overview
- Elements, Relations, and Properties of the Module Viewtype
- What the Module Viewtype Is For and What Its Not For
- Notations for the Module Viewtype
- Relation to Other Viewtypes
- Summary Checklist
- Discussion Questions
- For Further Reading
Styles of the Module Viewtype
- Styles of the Module Viewtype
- Decomposition Style
- Uses Style
- Generalization Style
- Layered Style
- Summary Checklist
- Discussion Questions
- For Further Reading
The Component-and-Connector Viewtype
- Overview
- Elements, Relations, and Properties of the C&C Viewtype
- What the C&C Viewtype Is For and What Its Not For
- Relation to Other Viewtypes
- Summary Checklist
- Discussion Questions
- For Further Reading
Styles of the Component-and-Connector Viewtype
- Styles of the Component-and-Connector Viewtype
- The Pipe-and-Filter Style
- Shared-Data Style
- Publish-Subscribe Style
- Client-Server Style
- Peer-to-Peer Style
- Communicating-Processes Style
- Notations for C&C Styles
- Summary Checklist
- Discussion Questions
- For Further Reading
The Allocation Viewtype and Styles
- Overview
- Elements, Relations, and Properties of the Allocation Viewtype
- Deployment Style
- Implementation Style
- Work Assignment Style
- Summary Checklist
- Discussion Questions
- For Further Reading
Part II. Software Architecture Documentation in Practice
- Part II. Software Architecture Documentation in Practice
- ECS Architecture Documentation Roadmap
- ECS System Overview
- ECS Software Architecture View Template
- Mapping Between Views
- Directory
- Architecture Glossary and Acronym List
- Module Decomposition View
- Module Uses View
- Module Generalization View
- Module Layered View
- C&C Pipe-and-Filter View
- C&C Shared-Data View
- C&C Communicating-Processes View
- Allocation Deployment View
- Allocation Implementation View
- Allocation Work Assignment View
Advanced Concepts
- Advanced Concepts
- Chunking Information: View Packets, Refinement, and Descriptive Completeness
- Using Context Diagrams
- Combined Views
- Documenting Variability and Dynamism
- Creating and Documenting a New Style
- Summary Checklist
- Discussion Questions
- For Further Reading
Documenting Software Interfaces
- Overview
- Interface Specifications
- A Standard Organization for Interface Documentation
- Stakeholders of Interface Documentation
- Notation for Interface Documentation
- Examples of Interface Documentation
- Summary Checklist
- Discussion Questions
- For Further Reading
Documenting Behavior
- Beyond Structure
- Where to Document Behavior
- Why to Document Behavior
- What to Document
- How to Document Behavior: Notations and Languages
- Summary Checklist
- Discussion Questions
- For Further Reading
Choosing the Views
- Choosing the Views
- Stakeholders and Their Documentation Needs
- Making the Choice
- Two Examples
- Summary Checklist
- Discussion Questions
- For Further Reading
Building the Documentation Package
- Building the Documentation Package
- One Document or Several?
- Documenting a View
- Documentation Beyond Views
- Validating Software Architecture Documentation
- Summary Checklist
- Discussion Questions
- For Further Reading
Other Views and Beyond
- Other Views and Beyond
- Overview
- Rational Unified Process/Kruchten 4+1
- UML
- Siemens Four Views
- C4ISR Architecture Framework
- ANSI/IEEE-1471-2000
- Data Flow and Control Flow
- RM-ODP
- Where Architecture Documentation Ends
- A Final Word
- For Further Reading
- Appendix A. Excerpts from a Software Architecture Documentation Package
- Volume I ECS Software Architecture Documentation Beyond Views
Rationale, Background, and Design Constraints
References
EAN: 2147483647
Pages: 152
