Abstract
A framework is a collection of coherent classes co-operating to solve a problem in a particular domain. It permits the reuse of the code in addition to the design and the acquired domain expertise. Object-oriented design notations, like in OMT and UML, offer several concepts that can be used in the design of a framework. However, other concepts relative to the variability of a framework have to be defined and emphasized. In addition, the design notation should guide a user in adapting a framework to a particular application in the framework domain. In this paper, we first overview currently proposed object-oriented notations for framework design and discuss their limits in terms of expressing the different components of a framework and in guiding a framework reuse. We then propose a UML-based notation that visually helps to distinguish among the fixed components and the adaptable components of a framework.