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TableSpec: Free Format Specification Table and Source Code Generation
Author(s) -
Okuno H.,
Matsumoto H.,
Asai H.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
software: practice and experience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1097-024X
pISSN - 0038-0644
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-024x(199602)26:2<213::aid-spe10>3.0.co;2-z
Subject(s) - computer science , identifier , table (database) , cobol , programming language , source code , software , coding (social sciences) , software engineering , database , statistics , mathematics
Precise software specifications, free from error and misunderstanding related to the user's requirements, are essential to efficient development of effective software. Various methods and tools for software specification have been devised for this purpose, but they generally require a learning effort comparable to that of learning a new computer language. TableSpec was conceived and developed to eliminate this difficulty and improve the precision and accuracy of software specifications and source codes, based on the use of a free‐format table of the same form as those employed intuitively in business and everyday life to express and implement logical constructs and calculations. The free‐format table and related entries and conditions can be composed on a word processor, mainly by the user. The software engineer then adds identifiers to the table elements, thereby defining the logical structure of the table. From the content and identifiers, the TableSpec system automatically generates the subprogram source code, in Cobol or C. The result is improved ease and accuracy of specification entry and checking by the user, reduction of human error related to requirement, specification and coding, and complete correspondence among all three.