Structural Embeddings: Mechanization with Method

The most powerful tools for analysis of formal speci cations are general-purpose theorem provers and model checkers, but these tools provide scant methodological support. Conversely, those approaches that do provide a well-developed method generally have less powerful automation. It is natural, therefore, to try to combine the better-developed methods with the more powerful general-purpose tools. An obstacle is that the methods and the tools often employ very di erent logics. We argue that methods are separable from their logics and are largely concerned with the structure and organization of speci cations. We propose a technique called structural embedding that allows the structural elements of a method to be supported by a general-purpose tool, while substituting the logic of the tool for that of the method. We have found this technique quite e ective and we provide some examples of its application. We also suggest how general-purpose systems could be restructured to support this activity better.