Formalizing and automating component reuse

Using existing components to construct software systems has significant potential to improving software productivity and quality. A key problem in software component reuse is the selection of appropriate components for satisfying a given requirement. In this paper we define a component interface generality relation that provides a foundation for component selection. This generality relation, represented in terms of formal specifications, precisely captures the semantic obligations for an existing component to satisfy the requirements of a target system. The formal specifications facilitate the (semi-) automatic determination of the generality relation. We show how this generality relation has been used to determine the reusability of software components in a software architecture-based reuse and integration environment.