A Visual Syntax-directed Editor for the Descartes Specification Language

The front end of the software life cycle is an important phase in the development of quality software systems. Due to the interactive nature of the requirements specification phase, automated tools assist in capturing user concepts and conveying these concepts to the developers. This paper presents a syntax‐directed editor developed for the Descartes software specification language. The editor helps in constructing the specifications by detecting and preventing syntactic and static semantic errors. The editor uses the visual notation of Nassi–Shneiderman charts for the external representation of Descartes specifications. The specifications are edited in their visual form directly within the editor. Use of a syntax‐directed editor for the construction of Descartes specifications is expected to reduce specification errors, enhance constructibility, and in turn increase productivity. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.