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Writing Implementation Specifications
Introduction
The implementation specifications for a class lay out implementation plans
to aid the implementors of the class.
They are primarily concerned with specifying the data structures that will
be used and algorithm descriptions for methods.
They also specify and describe algorithms for private methods that used
internally.
Client Specifications
This section just gives links to sections of the client specifications.
You can complete this section by filling in the class name in each of the
HTML links.
Implementation Data Model
For standard data structure implementations, this can be a short section,
just mentioning the type of implementation.
For other kinds of classes, this section should briefly describe the data
structures and sketch the algorithms for public methods.
Private methods should also be described, and the algorithm sketches for
public methods should indicate where the private methods are used.
Instance Variables
This section should give a detailed description of instance variables used
in the class.
Each instance variable should be typed and should have a brief comment
describing its function.
Private Classes
If private classes are used by a class they should be described here.
These classes should be short, and they will often have public instance
variables and no methods except for constructors.
If there are no private classes then this section can be omitted.
Private Method Specifications
This section should contain precise specifications for each method that
is intended for internal use only.
Clarity, precision, and conciseness are important qualities to consider
here.
These quality factors are dependent on the design of the methods as well
as the words that you use to describe them.
Private Method Algorithms
This section should contain algorithm descriptions for each method that
is intended for internal use only.
It is convenient to mention parameter names and types at the beginning.
The algorithm description should use pseudocode rather than actual code.
Public Method Algorithms
This section should contain algorithm descriptions for each method that
is intended for use by a client.
It is convenient to mention parameter names and types at the beginning.
The algorithm description should use pseudocode rather than actual code.
Examples
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