Application frameworks are a popular way of implementing product line architectures. The Fred project was launched in 1997 to tackle the complexity of using frameworks by experimenting with the possibilities of programming tool support. During the years a novel method of task-based programming was developed and demonstrated by a tool prototype. The tool was able to assist the programmer in applying architectural coventions and design patterns by giving detailed context-sensitive programming instructions. Since the original Fred project, the tool has also been adapted to various unanticipated domains such as software maintenance and documentation. This thesis presents a chronological walkthrough of the project and its results in the form of six publications.

Keywords: Software frameworks, design patterns, programming tools