RAC Support on Eclipse platform
Java Modeling Language is one of the most popular behavorial interface specification language. It is used essentially to document java modules. Its wide spectrum of tool support spans from Runtime Assertion Checker (RAC), Extended Static Checker (ESC) to Full Static Program Verifier (FSPV). However, due to lack of support for the latest features of Java esp. introduction of generics coupled with lack of maintenance of the code, performance degradation and various other issues, the JML community has decided to re-build JML on top of a well-maintained code base (preferably by a third-party).
Essentially JML is an extension of Java. Thus, we require atleast at the minimum a java compiler. We have chosen to integrate JML into the Eclipse framework: Eclipse being an open-source project, its code base is free and well-maintained by third-party developers.
Our contribution towards re-building JML tools is to integrate the RAC support to the Eclipse framework. The new version of the RAC tool incorporates these new features:
1. AST-Merging Technique.
2. Support for generics and advanced features of Java (1.5 and above).
3. Better performance than JML2.0
4. Integrate with Eclipse.