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On a formal definition and application of dimensional design
Author(s) -
BertranSalvans Miquel
Publication year - 1988
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/spe.4380181103
Subject(s) - computer science , programming language , generator (circuit theory) , readability , notation , syntax , algebraic number , software , rule based machine translation , formal grammar , formal language , simple (philosophy) , mathematical notation , theoretical computer science , power (physics) , artificial intelligence , mathematics , arithmetic , mathematical analysis , philosophy , physics , epistemology , quantum mechanics
Dimensional design (DD) is a simple, practical and systematic layout technique for the display of programs, specifications, expressions, etc. for application in the general area of software. Formalizations of DD are introduced, the main one being algebraic, and the usage of DD in real software projects is outlined; one of them corresponds to a software system for the telecontrol centre of a power network. The formal definitions of DD which are presented arise during the design of a syntax‐driven editor generator for languages whose ‘phrases’ are DDs. Grammars for the definition of such languages are introduced in the paper. The varied usage of DD within the generator design is examined: grammatical, functional and algebraic notations in particular are considered. The samples of these DD representations that are given illustrate the enhancement of readability achieved, and illustrate the suitability of DD for use in the specification area in general.