Compilation of Specifications

Computer software now controls critical systems worldwide. International standards require such programs to be produced from mathematically-precise specifications, but the techniques and tools involved are highly complex and unfamiliar to most programmers. We present a formal basis for extending a tool already used by software developers, the program compiler, to undertake much of the task automatically. This is done by devising a code generation strategy, based on program refinement theory, capable of translating specification constructs embedded in programs into executable code, without the need for programmer intervention. Keywords and phrases: Formal methods; Software engineering; Programming tools.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2001
• Where: APSEC
• Authors: Colin J. Fidge
• Keywords: APSEC 2001, Code Generation Strategy, Formal Basis, Program Refinement Theory, Software Engineering