[Modeling] Modeling an Agent Class- register your opinion

[sehl mellouli]

I see a role as a set of tasks grouped according to a certain semantic. 
Semantic means that the different tasks forming a role fits together. So 
I think roles are at a higher abstract level than classes. Can they be 
represented by classes in the development? I think in that case, we need 
to  find a definition of a task, and relate it with the definition of a 
function. Sorry, but I have no formal definition of a task.

best regards,

James Odell wrote:
> Then, what is the difference between class and role?  We know that a class
> has (at least) structure and behaviour -- but, so does a role.  Furthermore,
> instances of classes can change over time and can be members of multiple
> classes at the same time (multiple and dynamic classification) -- and the
> same is true of roles.  It is time that a working definition of "role"
> emerges.  My current working definition is that roles are classes that are
> used for interactions.
> 
> -Jim
> 
> On 6/19/03 1:56 PM, "Joaquin Peña" indited:
> 
> 
>>I think that the main problem is that object orientation does not
>>fit well with system where behaviour is crucial.
>>
>>This issue can be easily solved using Role Modelling:
>>
>>A employee is not a class, it is a role that an object of the
>>class person can perform. Thus, if a department is destroyed, all
>>its employees lose this role becoming only persons (performing the
>>other roles they have, i.e. father, engineer, ...).
>>
>>There are a lot of papers on how to implement roles in the OO
>>paradigm, but we think most appropriate approach is such that use
>>Aspect-Oriented Programming where functionality and behaviour are
>>orthogonal in the implementation.
> 
> 
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-- 
Mellouli Sehl
Computer Science Engineer
Information Systems Administration MBA
Computer Science Phd Student
Université Laval, Québec, P.Q, Canada
Tél: bur (418) 656-2131 (4704)
Home page: http://www.ift.ulaval.ca/~mellouli