A model-driven approach to formal refactoring

Applying refactorings to object-oriented systems usually affects source code and its associated models, involving complex maintenance efforts to keep those artifacts up to date. Most projects abandon design information in the form of models early in the life cycle, as their sustentation becomes extremely expensive. We propose a formal approach to consistently refactor systems in a model-driven manner. The refactoring applied to the model is linked to a sequence of behavior-preserving transformations that automatically refactor the underlying source code, based on structural properties from the model that must be implemented by the program. As a consequence, sound program refactoring can be accomplished without developer intervention, based only on the applied model transformations. Also, the refactored source code is consistent with the refactored model. Model information can be additionally used to improve refactoring automation, as more powerful transformations can be mechanized.