An exception handling mechanism for developing dependable object-oriented software based on a meta-level approach

The current lack of effective error-handling techniques for developing dependable object-oriented software produces software components which are usually difficult to understand, to change and to maintain in the presence of faults. Ideally such components should incorporate their exceptional activity in a structured and transparent manner so that the abnormal code would not be amalgamated to the normal code. In this context, we propose the design and implementation of an objectoriented exception handling mechanism based on a metalevel approach. The goal of our work is twofold: (i) to define an exception handling model which supports a clear and transparent separation of the normal activity of a component from its exceptional activity, and (ii) to provide a meta-level architecture which implements such mechanism. This mechanism does not require any special language support and was implemented within the Java programming language without any changes to the language itself by means of a meta-object protocol.