Comprehending agent software

Software comprehension (understanding software structure and behavior) is essential for developing, maintaining, and improving software. This is particularly true of agent-based systems, in which the actions of autonomous agents are affected by numerous factors, such as events in a dynamic environment, local uncertain beliefs, and intentions of other agents. Existing comprehension tools are not suited to such large, concurrent software and do not leverage concepts of the agent-oriented paradigm to aid the user in understanding the software’s behavior. To address the software comprehension of agent-based systems, this research proposes a method and accompanying tool that automates some of the manual tasks performed by the human user during software comprehension, such as explanation generation and knowledge verification. Categories and Subject Descriptors D.2.5 [Testing and Debugging]: Debugging aids, diagnostics, monitors, testing tools, tracing. General Terms Documentation, Design,...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2005
• Where: ATAL
• Authors: Dung N. Lam, K. Suzanne Barber
• Keywords: Agent-based Systems, ATAL 2005, Keywords Software Comprehension, Software Comprehension