An approach to precisely specifying the problem domain of design patterns

The problem domain of a design pattern describes the problem context in which the pattern can be applied. In general, determining the applicability of a pattern to a particular problem heavily relies on the knowledge and experience the developer has with the pattern. This significantly limits the use of patterns. To address this issue, we propose an approach for rigorously specifying the problem domain of patterns. This approach systematically guides one to develop rigorous specifications of a pattern's problem domain using a precise notation. The resulting specifications can be used to develop tool support for automatic evaluation of pattern applicability. We describe the approach using the Visitor pattern, and show how the resulting specification can be used to evaluate pattern applicability for a particular problem model. We also demonstrate tool support for the approach.