A domain-independent software reuse framework based on a hierarchical thesaurus

Software reuse is an effective way to improve software productivity and quality. Software libraries are getting bigger, while most of them, such as those for object-oriented languages, use simple but somewhat ineffective classification methods. These libraries typically provide search aids for novices, but not for experts. They are not flexible enough to adequately serve users with different abilities. In this paper, a Software Reuse Framework (SRF) for overcoming these drawbacks is proposed. Based on a built-in hierarchical thesaurus, the classification process can be made semiautomatic. SRF is a domain-independent framework that can be adapted to various libraries. SRF also provides four search levels to serve users with different skill levels. Two sample SRF systems* are implemented, one for Smalltalk-80 and the other for MFC 4.0 (Microsoft Foundation Class) libraries.  1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.