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3.6.1 Interface Versus Component Behaviour

Behaviour in an interface is a specification. It is an agreement between components providing and requiring this interface about the messages and protocol exchanged. Both components must adhere to this specification. Interface conformance is an imprtant check in the verifier. The code generator does not generate any code based on the behaviour specification of an interface.

Behaviour in a component is a definition. It defines the actual behaviour expressed by the object modeled. Whereas an interface might still allow some freedom, sometimes multiple messages are allowed, inside a component the behaviour must be fully deterministic. The code generator uses this component behaviour specification to generate target code.