Support for maintaining object-oriented programs

It is explained how inheritance and dynamic binding make object-oriented programs difficult to maintain, and a concrete example of the problems that arise is given. It is shown that the difficulty lies in the fact that conventional tools are poorly suited for work with object-oriented languages, and it is argued that semantics-based tools are essential for effective maintenance of object-oriented programs. A system developed for working with C++ programs is described. It comprises a relational database system for information about programs and an interactive database interface integrated with a text editor. The authors describe the system architecture, detail the database relations, provide informal evidence on the system's effectiveness, and compare it to other research with similar goals.<>