ITK/Release 4/Modularization

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Modularization

Goals

  • Organize the continuous growth of the Toolkit
    • Create system with a kernel base code and topic modules
      • Hierarchy of modules?
    • Kernel very rigorously supported and developed
    • Possibly two classes of modules: Core and Extra
    • Core modules also rigorously supported
    • Extra modules less so
  • Simplify usage for application developers
    • Package manager that allows user to choose exactly what functionality is desired
    • Modules exist along logical boundaries

Issues

  • Automatic code analysis and initial segmentation
    • Develop accurate graph of code dependencies
      • Use "#include" as edge in graph
      • Need to remove unnecessary includes (non-trivial problem)
    • Segment the code into a kernel and modules
      • Use graph clustering/segmentation methods
      • Develop good cost function for the segmentation
      • High cost for code in the kernel
      • High cost for weak modular dependencies
  • Manual segmentation improvement
    • Ensure that modules divided logically
    • Good granularity so that modules provide a benefit
      • Too many modules is too complex
      • Too few modules is pointless
      • Goal: ~20 modules
    • Only logical modular dependencies
      • "Advanced Registration" depends on "Registration" is OK
      • "Segmentation" depends on "Registration" because they share one non-kernel file is BAD

Tools

  • Source Navigator
    • http://sourcenav.berlios.de/
    • Static analysis tool
    • Builds detailed database of code elements and interactions
    • Programmable tcl API (also c++ but less well documents and/or out of date)