ConcernMorph: metrics-based detection of crosscutting patterns

Crosscutting concerns can hinder maintainability of a design because they do not adhere to a system's underlying modular structure. Developers, therefore, may wish to refactor designs to improve modularisation or to implement crosscutting concerns as aspects. However, few tools currently exist that assist developers in detecting and classifying crosscutting concerns in their code. Classification is important because, as recent studies have shown, crosscutting concerns are not always harmful. This paper describes a tool, ConcernMorph, for identifying crosscutting concerns and classifying them into one of a number of predefined crosscutting patterns.