Managing Features and Aspect Interactions in Software Product Lines

Our goal is to address the large number of variations arising in the context of software product lines, and to manage feature interactions and dependencies resulting from configuration through composition of such variations. To achieve this, we need: (1) to study and understand the various kinds of interferences between features and how they emerge; (2) to enhance the support for the management, detection of interactions, or interferences, between features; (3) to prevent or resolve undesirable interactions. This requires proper traceability and trade-off analysis mechanisms. We will use model-driven and aspect-oriented techniques to develop a framework, techniques and tools to attain our goal. Model-driven techniques may contribute positively since conformance to rules defining expected interaction dependencies may be automatically enforced. Aspect-orientation may help since it offers the possibility to modularize crosscutting concerns, allowing for construction of family members by composition and weaving.