Enhancing Design-by-Contract with Frame Specifications

Yoonsik Cheon, Benjamin Good

2025

Abstract

This paper introduces an annotation-based approach to extending Design by Contract (DbC) with support for specifying and enforcing frame properties at runtime. Frame specifications, also known as frame conditions or frame properties, define which parts of a program’s state may be modified during execution. Our approach models object states as abstract tuples, ensuring that runtime checks do not introduce unintended side effects. We implement a proof-of-concept prototype in Dart, utilizing compile-time instrumentation and runtime reflection to accommodate optional typing. By automating contract enforcement, this approach reduces the need for manual assertions, simplifies code maintenance, and enhances clarity by separating program logic from runtime checks. We evaluate its effectiveness in a cross-platform mobile application, comparing it to traditional assertion-based methods.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Cheon Y. and Good B. (2025). Enhancing Design-by-Contract with Frame Specifications. In Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Software Technologies - Volume 1: ICSOFT; ISBN 978-989-758-757-3, SciTePress, pages 378-385. DOI: 10.5220/0013578400003964

in Bibtex Style

@conference{icsoft25,
author={Yoonsik Cheon and Benjamin Good},
title={Enhancing Design-by-Contract with Frame Specifications},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Software Technologies - Volume 1: ICSOFT},
year={2025},
pages={378-385},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0013578400003964},
isbn={978-989-758-757-3},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Software Technologies - Volume 1: ICSOFT
TI - Enhancing Design-by-Contract with Frame Specifications
SN - 978-989-758-757-3
AU - Cheon Y.
AU - Good B.
PY - 2025
SP - 378
EP - 385
DO - 10.5220/0013578400003964
PB - SciTePress