Implementing Case-Based Reasoning Approach to Framework Documentation

Several approaches are currently used in documenting object-oriented application frameworks. Traditional documentation approaches include tutorials, reference manuals, design patterns, cookbooks, and minimalist. The main objective of a framework is to dramatically reduce the time and effort needed in developing complete applications within a family of applications domain. Proper documentation is required in order for a framework to be usable to users, especially to the new users of the framework. This paper discusses and implements the case-based reasoning (CBR) approach to documenting a framework. It is believed that the fastest way to learn is by retrieving previously recorded framework usage experiences or cases. Here, a case is a complete example of how to use a particular component or a set of components within a framework. In CBR, reasoning is based on remembering past cases. Genetic algorithm (GA) is used in implementing the CBR\´s "retrieve", "reuse", and "revise" steps. During the "revise" and "retain" steps of the CBR, Knuth-Morris-Pratt (KMP) pattern matching algorithm is applied.