Representation of factual information by equations and their evaluation

Abstract

This paper describes a methodology for application software development, the objective being the reduction of volume of code and ease of maintenance. It is shown that constants as well as rules and regulations typically found in business applications should be factored out and stored separately from the application programs in a data base. Definitional equations are proposed as a method for specifying such rules and regulations. The equations can be used as parameters to various types of interpreters to be used by application programs. As an illustration of the methodology, one such Interpreter has been implemented. This paper shows Its application to a screen handling program; other uses are discussed. The interpreter and Its implementation are outlined.