Style-based reuse for software architectures

Although numerous mechanisms for promoting software reuse have been proposed and implemented over the years, most have focused on the reuse of implementation code. There is much conjecture and some empirical evidence, however, that the most effective forms of reuse are generally found at more abstract levels of software design. We discuss software reuse at the architectural level of design. Specifically, we argue that the concept of "architectural style" is useful for supporting the classification, storage, and retrieval of reusable architectural design elements. We briefly describe the Aesop system's Software Shelf (D. Garlan et al., 1994), a tool that assists designers in selecting appropriate design elements and patterns based on stylistic information and design constraints.