Generics: give source and target to FamixTConcretization

[NicolasAnquetil]

Considering that associations represent dependencies, what is the source and target of FamixTConcretization?

ex: List<String> variable;
Reminder:

• Between a typedEntity (eg. variable) and its type (List<String>) there is a FamixTEntityTyping association
• If the type is Parametric (List) it is a FamixTParametricAssociation (between variable and java.util.List)
• This FamixTParametricAssociation has an extra information: the FamixTConcretizations of the ParameterTypes (E of java.util.List<E>)
• These FamixTConcretizations are also associations: between a typeArgument (String) and a typeParameter (E)

so back to the initial question: what source and target for these FamixTConcretization ?

The target seems obvious: the typeArgument (String) because there is a dependency to it.
I propose that the source is the typed entity (variable) which is a bit strange because the source for FamixTConcretization would not be in this association but in its parent association.

This is strange, but from a dependency point of view, it makes sense...

[NicolasAnquetil]

Note that currently

• the target is the typeParameter (ie. E of java.util.list)
• the source is the typeArgument (ie. String)

It does not fit the dependency intuition (String does not depend on E or the inverse)

[ClotildeToullec]

I propose this solution:

• Make the concretization a dependency between the variable and the type argument.
  In your example: variable depends on String.
• Do not depend on the type parameter. It should only be a property, like #receiver for invocations.
• The parametric association (here the EntityTyping) and the concretization(s) would stay related.

How I see my solution (in red, the incorrect relations, in green the solution):

That would be for your example: