Action Language for Foundational UML Avatar
  1. OMG Specification

Action Language for Foundational UML — Open Issues

  • Acronym: ALF
  • Issues Count: 6
  • Description: Issues not resolved
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Issues not resolved

Issues Descriptions

Need to clarify how objects are compared by collection classes

  • Key: ALF12-2
  • Legacy Issue Number: 16598
  • Status: open  
  • Source: IBM ( Mattias Mohlin)
  • Summary:

    Several of the operations in the collection classes require that two general objects can be compared for equality (one example is Collection::includes).
    The standard should clarify how the equality comparison is done. Will the equality operator == always be used, or is it possible for the user to define the condition for how to compare objects of a user-defined class?
    If the equality operator == is used for all objects, this will limit the usefulness of the collection library. For some kinds of objects a comparison based on object identity is not appropriate.
    We propose that object identity comparisons is only the default for class objects, and that it can be customized by defining an equals operation in the class.

  • Reported: ALF 1.0b1 — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 04:00 GMT
  • Updated: Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:26 GMT

Why not include Model to Text for generating ALF for (a subset of) UML?

  • Key: ALF12-1
  • Legacy Issue Number: 15627
  • Status: open  
  • Source: Adaptive ( Mr. Pete Rivett)
  • Summary:

    Why not include Model to Text for generating ALF for (a subset of) UML?

  • Reported: ALF 1.0b1 — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 04:00 GMT
  • Updated: Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:26 GMT

Need a syntax for local names with composite semantics

  • Key: ALF12-3
  • Legacy Issue Number: 16601
  • Status: open  
  • Source: IBM ( Mattias Mohlin)
  • Summary:

    It would be very good if the ALF standard could support a syntax for defining local names with "composite semantics". That is, names for which the value will be automatically destroyed when leaving the current scope. As it is now, objects for local names need to be created explicitly with 'new' and then destroyed explicitly by calling a destructor on the object. It is a very common pattern that objects only should live while inside a particular scope, and then it is error-prone to have to destroy all such objects manually.
    Note that the proposed syntax must be within the minimum conformance subset of the language. Our proposal is to use a syntax similar to the following:

    auto<MyClass> var = new MyClass();

  • Reported: ALF 1.0b1 — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 04:00 GMT
  • Updated: Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:26 GMT

Traditional for-statement not supported by Alf?

  • Key: ALF12-6
  • Legacy Issue Number: 16605
  • Status: open  
  • Source: IBM ( Mattias Mohlin)
  • Summary:

    When we read chapter 9.12 we conclude that the traditional for-statement of languages such as C/C++ and Java, is not supported by Alf. Only for-statements that iterate based on collections are supported now.
    We think the traditional for-statement with loop variable initialization, termination condition and iteration step should be supported. For example
    for (Integer i = 0; i < x; i++)

    { ... }

  • Reported: ALF 1.0b1 — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 04:00 GMT
  • Updated: Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:26 GMT

Missing syntax for RaiseExceptionAction

  • Key: ALF12-4
  • Legacy Issue Number: 16602
  • Status: open  
  • Source: IBM ( Mattias Mohlin)
  • Summary:

    We are missing an Alf statement corresponding to the UML RaiseExceptionAction. Such a statement is needed in order to raise exceptions from Alf code. The syntax should be within the minimum conformance subset ("throw").

  • Reported: ALF 1.0b1 — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 04:00 GMT
  • Updated: Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:26 GMT

Missing syntax for defining exception handlers

  • Key: ALF12-5
  • Legacy Issue Number: 16604
  • Status: open  
  • Source: IBM ( Mattias Mohlin)
  • Summary:

    There should be an Alf statement that allows to define an exception handler for a block. The syntax should be within the minimum conformance subset (try - catch).

  • Reported: ALF 1.0b1 — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 04:00 GMT
  • Updated: Tue, 14 Jul 2020 19:26 GMT