Visual Software Modelling with Extended Rule-based Model - A Knowledge-based Programming Solution for General Software Design

Rule-based programming paradigm is omnipresent in number of engineering domains. However, there are some fundamental semantical differences between it, and classic procedural, or object-oriented approaches. Even though, there has been a lot of effort to use rules to model business logic in classic software no generic solution has been provided so far. In this paper a new approach for generalized rule-based programming is given. It is based on a use of advanced rule representation, which includes an extended attribute-based language, a non-monotonic inference strategy, with explicit inference control on the rule level. The paper shows how some typical programming constructions, as well as classic programs can be modelled in this approach. The approach can largely improve both the design and the implementation of complex software.