A design methodology for functional programs

Abstract

An increasingly significant weakness of declarative programming is that it lacks a design methodology. In this paper, we attempt to provide one by showing how methodologies commonly used to develop object-oriented programs might also be used to develop functional ones. This involves mapping from a restricted subset of the diagrammatic notation used with these methodologies, the Unified Modeling Language (UML), to the standard lazy functional programming language, Haskell. As an example, we develop a small electronic mail system.