We describe a framework for viewpoint specification using formal specification languages. In order to establish consistency and to further develop specifications, specifications need to be integrated (”unified”). This integration is not defined in terms of their semantics, but more abstractly in terms of, so-called, development relations, which represent acceptable “developments” (e.g. refineme...

We describe an approach to integrating the Z specification notation into Cleanroom-style specification and verification. In a previous attempt, a group at IBM used formal refinement of the Z in their development. They concluded that this was not cost-effective in a commercial environment, and the attempt was not judged successful. The current approach avoids formal refinement, and instead begin...

An example of an object model is given in full in three languages: Alloy, a new notation; Z, a formal specification language; and UML, a modelling notation popular in industry. Basic features of Alloy are explained informally, and briefly justified by comparison of the Alloy version to the UML and Z versions.

This paper considers the problem of automatically generating tests from Z specifications based on userdefined testing criteria. Automation is facilitated by formally specifying heuristics for generating tests that can be applied to a specification using general purpose theorem proving tools. The formal specification of the heuristics also allows desirable properties to be checked and comparativ...

Object-Z is an object-oriented specification language which extends the Z language with classes, objects, inheritance and polymorphism that can be used to represent the specification of a complex system as collections of objects. There are a number of existing works that mapped Object-Z to C++ and Java programming languages. Since Python and Object-Z share many similarities, both are object-ori...

It is shown how to combine the Z formal specification notation [18] with a predicative notation [11], so as to be able to specify and reason about real-time, concurrency, and communication. The integration is carried out so as to alleviate some of the deficiencies noted with these approaches [5], such as the inability to use Z proof rules and tools. We demonstrate how to carry out refinement in...

It is shown how to combine the Z formal specification notation [18] with a predicative notation [11], so as to be able to specify and reason about real-time, concurrency, and communication. The integration is carried out so as to alleviate some of the deficiencies noted with these approaches [5], such as the inability to use Z proof rules and tools. We demonstrate how to carry out refinement in...

This paper specifies the formal semantics of XSLT. Using Object-Z specification language to describe each constructs of the language as objects, the stylesheet itself was specified by underlying objects. This work will contribute to the implementation of XSLT.

This paper presents a method of formally specifying, refining and verifying concurrent systems which uses the object-oriented state-based specification language Object-Z together with the process algebra CSP. ObjectZ provides a convenient way of modelling complex data structures needed to define the component processes of such systems, and CSP enables the concise specification of process intera...

In the context of large scale industrial installations, model checking often fails to tap its full potential because of a missing link between a system’s specification and its functional and non-functional requirements, like safety. Our work bridges this gap by providing a translation from the formal specification language Object-Z to the SMV model checker input language to combine their advant...