Off-the-Shelf Connectors for Interdisciplinary Components

Introduction: Solutions based on software components, especially for heterogeneous constituents such as those pertaining to different disciplines suffer the interoperability burden. Adaptor technologies have been introduced before, as a potential remedy and utilized here through implementing them in component connectors. Objectives: The main objective of this research is to offer a consistent development environment that provides seamless development especially for the component heterogeneity cases. Method: A set of connectors are introduced to a component-based development environment where a variability model drives the configuration mechanisms in the flow of the application, components, and connectors. The offered set of connectors are the enabling technology incorporated through their selection and configuration. Conclusion: As demonstrated through an example in this article, academic experimentation revealed the practicality of the approach. Required adaptation can be achieved in connectors as the appropriate constituent, avoiding additional functional load on the domain components.