Code generation design specification in software development

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a System for Code Translation (SCT) which is composed of Program Design Language for C (PDLC), Design Analyzer, and Code Generator. The input to the SCT is an abstract design specification, or a detailed design specification described by PDLC. the specification is analyzed by Design Analyzer, and if legal and correct, the C programming code that implements the specification is directly generated by Code Generator. Once the target code is generated, one need to use the conventional linkers and loaders to execute the object program code. The use of database plays a significant role in SCT since it allows a designer to replay the evolution of the system from design to implementation as many times as desired. The access to the hierarchically organized design information is also needed. Furthermore, a method, similar to the syntax-directed transition scheme in a compiler, is used to produce code from design specification. The availability of early implementations constitutes a definite advantage for error detection and precise specification. The main advantages of utilizing SCT in software development are as follows; (1) the human effort is mainly devoted to the design specification phase, (2) the automatically generated program code are equivalent to the specifications, (3) the early feedback from the user can be obtained by observing the behavior of the Analyzer.