Three reverse levels

Introduction to reversal levels

The Objecteering Java Developer Reverse tool provides three reverse levels, each of which corresponds to a specific result in the produced project.

Simple-Structural reverse

This reverse level is used to reverse only the packages and classes of the application.

This level makes it possible to use the reversed classes so as to:

· define attribute types

· define association types

· create specialization, implementation or use links from the classes to be reversed to the classes used.

This level is the fastest.

Complete-Structural reverse

This level makes it possible to reverse not only the same elements as the "Simple-Structural" level, but also all the attributes, operations and associations of the reversed classes. However, operation contents and initializations (and code) are not reversed.

Reversed classes provide the same possibilities as with the "Simple-Structural" level, but in this level, it is also possible to:

· visualize the reversed classes' operations

· visualize attributes and associations

· overload the operations reversed into the project

Complete-Reverse

Using this level of reverse makes it possible to reverse the application completely, including operation source code and attribute initialization.

This level makes it possible to create a project from an application developed outside Objecteering Java Developer and to continue with its development within Objecteering Modeler (possibly plugged to Eclipse), thereby taking advantage of the Objecteering Java Developer generation function.

For the three levels, comments describing the application's elements are reversed when these exist.

For example, a Javadoc comment in a class will be reversed into the project from "SimpleStructural" level upwards, whereas operation comments will only be reversed from the "Complete-Structural" level.

The following table details the elements reversed into the project at each level.

	Simple-Structural	Complete-Structural	Complete-Reverse
Packages	X	X	X
Classes	X	X	X
Comments	X	X	X
Attributes		X	X
Attribute comments		X	X
Attribute initializations			X
Associations		X	X
Association comments		X	X
Association initializations			X
Operations		X	X
Operation comments		X	X
Operation code			X

Note: "X" indicates that the element is retrieved during the reverse operation.

Note on the use of compiled files

Using the Java Reverse function from compiled files will result in the reverse of only classes' structure along with their attributes, associations and operations.

Attributes and associations are reversed without their initialization code.

Operations are reversed without their code.

Furthermore, operation parameters are named "p" followed by the number of their location in the parameter declaration. The first operation parameter will, therefore, be called p0.