Refactoring for Comprehension

Functional programming is well suited for equational reasoning on programs. In this paper, we are trying to use this capability for program comprehension purposes. Specifically, in a program understanding process, higher-order operators can work like abstract schemes in which we can fit formal specifications calculated from the source code. Such specifications are calculated by a transformational process which we call reverse program calculation that operates on both notations: pointwise and pointfree. Once a specification matches an abstract schema, a new refactoring phase leading to a clearer source code takes place. At the same time, an unambiguous behavioural understanding is reached because we give a mathematical description of the abstract schemes. To provide a more complete and realistic perspective of the approach, we use recursive operators that can handle side effects.