A First Analysis of String APIs: the Case of Pharo

Damien Pollet (1) , Stéphane Ducasse (2)

1 RMOD - Analyses and Languages Constructs for Object-Oriented Application Evolution
2 RMOD - Analyses and Languages Constructs for Object-Oriented Application Evolution

Most programming languages natively provide an abstraction of character strings. However, it is difficult to assess the design or the API of a string library. There is no comprehensive analysis of the needed operations and their different variations. There are no real guidelines about the different forces in presence and how they structure the design space of string manipulation. In this article, we harvest and structure a set of criteria to describe a string API. We propose an analysis of the Pharo 4 String library as a first experience on the topic.

Mots clés: Strings; API; Library; Design; Style

Domaines: Génie logiciel [cs.SE]; Langage de programmation [cs.PL]

Damien Pollet, Stéphane Ducasse. A First Analysis of String APIs: the Case of Pharo. IWST '15 International Workshop On Smalltalk Technologies, Jun 2015, Brescia, Italy. ⟨10.1145/2811237.2811298⟩. ⟨hal-01244486⟩