Aspectual Dependencies: Towards Pure Black-Box Aspect-Oriented Composition in Aspect-Component Models

In this paper we present the DyMAC aspect-component model that supports the specification of aspectual dependencies: these are explicit dependencies between advised and advising components involved in an aspect-oriented composition. DyMAC advocates a pure black-box approach to aspect-oriented composition and aspectual dependencies further extend this approach. The component model avoids explicit dependencies of aspects on the implementation of a component: syntactically as well as semantically. We validate the concept in the context of one of the major application domains of aspect-component models: AO-middleware. Aspectual dependencies can express required middleware services as explicit dependencies in the component specification. They untangle the composition of the component with the middleware. Middleware services can be well-modularized in reusable advising components with explicit interfaces that specify the aspectual behaviour.