Action-Based Concurrency and Synchronization for Objects

We extend the Action-Oberon language for executing action systems with type-bound actions. Type-bound actions combine the concepts of type-bound procedures (methods) and actions, bringing object orientation to action systems. Type-bound actions are created at runtime along with the objects of their bound types. They permit the encapsulation of data and code in objects. Allowing an action to have more than one participant gives us a mechanism for expressing n-ary communication between objects. By showing how type-bound actions can logically be reduced to plain actions, we give our extension a firm foundation in the Refinement Calculus.