Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The vienna development method (VDM)

Software specification & program synthesis

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Mathematical Studies of Information Processing

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 75))

Abstract

A capsule view is given of the VDM Specification Language and the associated Specification Techniques for defining software, respectively the Systematic Derivation Techniques for Synthesizing & Proving correct Program Realizations from such, abstract Software Architectures.

The paper exhibits examples illustrating abstract syntax specifications of both abstract and derived concrete syntactic- and semantic domains, and denotational & derived operational elaboration function definitions mapping syntactic domain objects into their semantic domain object denotations, respectively into operations on these. In deriving the concrete programs from the abstract definitions, and in proving correctness, extensive use is made of invariant (-preserving) static- and dynamic well-formedness predicates and retrieval (or: abstraction) functions bringing concrete, realization-oriented objects ‘back’ into their defining abstract objects. Such uses are likewise illustrated. Examples of proofs based on the idea of commuting diagrams follows. These make use of a number of data structure lemmas: properties of the abstract and concrete objects chosen to represent, respectively realize, the specified software concepts. We finally exemplify the beginnings of such a catalogue of auxiliary lemmas.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. D.Bjørner: "META-IV: A Formal Meta-Language for Abstract Software Specifications", Technical Report, No. ID670, Dept. of Comp.Sci., Techn.Univ.of Denmark, November 1976, 45 pages.

    Google Scholar 

  2. —: "Programming Languages: Formal Development of Interpreters and Compilers", European ACM International Computing Symposium, ICS/77, North-Holland Publ., Proceedings, pp. 1–21, April 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  3. — and C.B.Jones: "The Vienna Development Method: The Meta-language", Springer-Verlag, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol.61, May 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  4. —: "Programming in the Meta-language, A Tutorial", in: [Bjørner 78a], pp. 24–217.

    Google Scholar 

  5. —: "Software Abstraction Principles: Tutorial Examples of An Operating System Command Language Specification and a PL/I-like ON-Condition Language Definition", in: [Bjørner 78a], pp. 337–374.

    Google Scholar 

  6. R.M.Burstall and J.Darlington: "Some Transformations for Developing Recursive Programs", Proc. 1975 Int'l. Conf. on Reliable Software, Los Angeles, pp. 465–472, to appear in JACM.

    Google Scholar 

  7. J. Darlington and R.M. Burstall: "A System which Automatically Improves Programs", Acta Informatica, vol.6, pp. 41–60, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  8. S.Greibach: "Theory of Program Structures: Semantics, Schemes and Verification", Springer-Verlag, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol.36, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  9. C.A.R. Hoare: "Proof of Correctness of Data Representations", Acta Informatica, vol.1, pp. 271–281, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  10. C.B.Jones: "Program Specification and Formal Development", European ACM International Computing Symposium, ICS/77, North-Holland Publ., Proc., pp.537–553, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  11. C.B.Jones: "The Meta-Language: A Reference Manual", in Bjørner 78a, pp. 218–277, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  12. — and W.Henhapl: "A Formal Definition of ALGOL 60 as Described in the 1975 Modified Report", in: Bjørner 78a, pp. 305–336, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  13. —: Program Development using Data Abstraction", to appear in Acta Informatica, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  14. B. Liskov and S.N. Zilles: "Programming with Abstract Data Types", Proc.ACM Conf.on ‘Very High Level Languages', SIGPLAN Notices, vol.9,no.4,pp.50–59, 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  15. —: "Specification Techniques for Data Abstractions", IEEE Trans.on Software Eng., vol.SE-1,no.1, pp.7–19, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  16. P. Lucas and K. Walk: "On the Formal Definition of PL/I", Ann.Rev.in Automatic Programming, Pergamon Press, vol.6,pt.3, pp.105–152, 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  17. J. McCarthy and J. Painter: "The Correctness of a Compiler for Arithmetic Expressions", Proc.Amer.Math.Soc., ‘Math.Aspects of Comp.Sci.', Proc.Symp.Appl.Math., vol.19, pp.33–41, 1967.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Z.Manna: "Introduction to the Mathematical Theory of Computation", McGraw-Hill, 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  19. R. Milner: "A Formal Notion of Simulation Between Programs", Memo 14, Computers and Logic Research Group, Univ.College, Swansea, UK., 1970.

    Google Scholar 

  20. —: "Program Simulation: An Extended Formal Notion", Memo 15, ibid, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  21. —: "An Algebraic Definition of Simulation Between Programs", Stanford Comp.Sci.Dept. Rept.No. CS-205, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  22. — and R.Weyhrauch: "Compiler Correctness in a Mechanized Logic", in: ‘Machine Intelligence', Ed. D.Michie, Edinburgh Univ.Press, vol.7, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  23. F.L.Morris: "Advice on Structuring Compilers and Proving them Correct", Proc.ACM Symp.on ‘Principles of Programming Languages', Boston, Mass., Oct. 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  24. H.Bekić, D.Bjørner, W.Henhapl, C.B.Jones and P.Lucas: "A Formal Definition of a PL/I Subset", IBM Vienna Laboratory Techn.Rept., TR25.139, Dec.1974.

    Google Scholar 

  25. D. Bjørner: "Programming Languages: Linguistics and Semantics", European ACM International Computing Symposium, ICS/77, North-Holland Publ., Proceedings, pp. 511–526, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  26. —: "Experiments in Block-structured GOTO Language Modeling: EXITs versis CONTINUATIONs", Techn. Rept., Comp.Sci.Dept., ID716, Techn.Univ. of Denmark, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  27. —: "The Systematic Development of a Compiling Algorithm", Proceedings: 'state of the Art and Future Trends in Compilation', IRIA, Rocquencourt, France, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  28. —: "Data Structure Diagrams: A Semantic Analysis of Network Data Base Concepts", presented at the IFIP WG2.2 Kyoto, Aug.1978 meeting (Techn.Rept., Comp. Sci.Dept., ID782, Techn.Univ.of Denmark).

    Google Scholar 

  29. C.B.Jones: "Formal Definition in Compiler Development", IBM Vienna Lab. Techn.Rept. TR25.145, Feb. 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  30. —: "Formal Definition in Program Development", Springer-Verlag Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 23, pp. 387–443, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  31. —: "Denotational Semantics of GOTO: An Exit Formulation and its Relation to Continuations", in: [Bjørner 78a], pp. 278–304. 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  32. —: "The Vienna Development Method: Examples of of Compiler Development", Proceedings: 'state of the Art and Future Trends in Compilation', IRIA, Rocquencourt, France, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, Bldgs. 343–344, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800, Lyngby, Denmark

    Dines Bjørner

Authors
  1. Dines Bjørner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

E. K. Blum M. Paul S. Takasu

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1979 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Bjørner, D. (1979). The vienna development method (VDM). In: Blum, E.K., Paul, M., Takasu, S. (eds) Mathematical Studies of Information Processing. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 75. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-09541-1_33

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-09541-1_33

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-09541-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-35010-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation