Re: How does one model behavior?

"David Cressey" wrote:
> "Dmitry A. Kazakov" wrote:
>> David Cressey wrote:
>>
>> > How does one model behavior?
>>
>> Behavior of what? Of the program, of a physical system?
>>
>> > It would seem to me that, since conveying behavior from one object to
>> > another rests on messages, and since messages are made of data, that
>> > one needs a data model for the messaging system before one begins to
>> > come up with a bhavior model for a system of collaborating objects.

<snip>

>> To your point about messages parameters.
>
> I didn't mention parameters. I don't know what you mean.

As I understand it, sending an object a message at the code level means invoking one of its methods. A method takes zero to many parameters, or arguments. When you say that messages are made up of data, my point of view translates that to meaning the arguments passed to methods, i.e. the arguments are the data. Perhaps that's the impression Dimitry got as well.

Further, when you say "that one needs a data model for the messaging system before one begins to come up with a behavior model for a system of collaborating objects," I translate that to mean that one should "model" the data passed between objects via their methods first before modeling how the objects respond/behave to messages (method invocations). Which is fine, I guess, but usually when designing a class I decide what it needs to do, and this goes hand in hand with what it needs to know in order to do it. To me it's like working with algorithms (or behavior) and data structures (or data). I can't say if one comes before the other.

Could be my head is stuck at the code level which is where I mainly live and I don't understand what it is you're asking. In which case, I welcome enlightenment/clarification. Received on Wed Apr 09 2008 - 16:23:32 CEST