Safer context (de)activation: through the prompt-loyal strategy

Abstract

Context-oriented programming languages provide language abstractions for the dynamic activation and deactivation of behavioral adaptations, based on the system's context of execution. As contexts are freely activated and deactivated, their associated behavior adaptations are added and removed to and from the system, which may break its consistency with respect to other available adaptations. To manage consistency between adaptations this paper introduces a model for the safe activation and deactivation of contexts. The model consists of two approaches, prompt-loyal for a delayed context (de)activation, and prompt for an immediate context (de)activation.