Towards visual reflexion models

Abstract

Source code and models of a software system, like architectural views, tend to evolve separately and drift apart over time. Previous research has shown that it is possible to effectively relate them through a reflex ion model, defined as a summarization of a software system from the viewpoint of a particular high-level model'. While effective, the process of constructing and analyzing reflex ion models was supported by text-based tools with limited visual representation. With the original approach, it was relatively hard to understand which parts of the system were represented, and which parts of the system contributed to specific relations in the reflex ion model. We present our vision on augmenting the construction and analysis of reflex ion models with visual support, effectively providing the basis for visual reflex ion models. We describe our approach, implemented as a web-based application, and two promising case studies involving two open-source projects.