Specification of interfaces in real-time software applications by XML forms

Creation of rational and correct system of software interfaces belongs to a set of inportant design decisions for real-time system (RTS) architecture development. Many means for software interface specification of had been sugested to system developers during the history of software design technology — from variouse modifications of Petry nets to UML-diagramms. Such means are oriented basically for checking of logical correctness of software systems by the way of visual analysis versus of analysis, more or less supported by computer.
In the case of RTS not only logical, but also dynamical correctness of software application should be guaranteed. The system functions should be implemented in predifined time restrictions. The checking of dynamic correctness of program application models is carried out by two stages: the models suitable for visual apprehending are built in analitical forms; for automatic processing they are transformed into the code of universal programming language.
Authors have developed an approach for use of XML means due to build specifications for interfaces in real-time applications. The developed approach permits to unite both stages. Formal models of interfaces that will built by the means of XML, are equally suitable either for visual apprehending by specialists or for automatic processing; this automatic processing may perform, particulary, the feasibility analysis of real-time applications, which are adequate to analised XML models.
From the wide set of XML form types only two are used in the frame of presented approach: XML specification of application interfaces contains only entities of element contents or element attribute. The forms «element attribute» present a set of object parameters. Components “element contents” present a set of tasks makes up software application; a set of interface elements that implement intertask links; a sequence of code segments in each task; a set of sensors and effectors that link software application with external environment.
Such restricted set of component types permits processing of interface specification by comcact instumental tools that compile XML description into machineoriented form, that accomodate to automatic analysis of real-time software application features.