Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

International Conference on Formal Methods for Industrial Critical Systems

FMICS 2021: Formal Methods for Industrial Critical Systems pp 193–201Cite as

ProB2-UI: A Java-Based User Interface for ProB

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNPSE,volume 12863))

Abstract

ProB2-UI is a modern JavaFX-based user interface for the animator, constraint solver, and model checker ProB. We present the main features of the tool, especially compared to ProB’s previous user interfaces and other available tools for B, Event-B, and other formalisms. We also present some of ProB2-UI’s history as well as its uses in the industry since its release in 2019.

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

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    See Sect. 5 of [9]: “Atelier-B and ProB are the right choice for top-down development of mainly monolithic systems, with complementary verification capabilities”.

References

  1. Abrial, J.-R., Butler, M., Hallerstede, S., Hoang, T.S., Mehta, F., Voisin, L.: Rodin: an open toolset for modelling and reasoning in Event-B. Int. J. Softw. Tools Technol. Transf. 12(6), 447–466 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Bengtsson, J., Larsen, K., Larsson, F., Pettersson, P., Yi, W.: UPPAAL — a tool suite for automatic verification of real-time systems. In: Alur, R., Henzinger, T.A., Sontag, E.D. (eds.) HS 1995. LNCS, vol. 1066, pp. 232–243. Springer, Heidelberg (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0020949

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  3. Butler, M., et al.: The first twenty-five years of industrial use of the B-Method. In: ter Beek, M.H., Ničković, D. (eds.) FMICS 2020. LNCS, vol. 12327, pp. 189–209. Springer, Cham (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58298-2_8

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  4. Cimatti, A., et al.: NuSMV 2: an opensource tool for symbolic model checking. In: Brinksma, E., Larsen, K.G. (eds.) CAV 2002. LNCS, vol. 2404, pp. 359–364. Springer, Heidelberg (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-45657-0_29

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  5. ClearSy, A.B.: User and Reference Manuals. Aix-en-Provence, France (2016). http://www.atelierb.eu/

  6. Comptier, M., Leuschel, M., Mejia, L.-F., Perez, J.M., Mutz, M.: Property-based modelling and validation of a CBTC zone controller in Event-B. In: Collart-Dutilleul, S., Lecomte, T., Romanovsky, A. (eds.) RSSRail 2019. LNCS, vol. 11495, pp. 202–212. Springer, Cham (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18744-6_13

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  7. Falampin, J., Le-Dang, H., Leuschel, M., Mokrani, M., Plagge, D.: Improving railway data validation with ProB. In: Romanovsky, A., Thomas, M. (eds.) Industrial Deployment of System Engineering Methods, pp. 27–43. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-33170-1_4

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  8. Ferrari, A., Mazzanti, F., Basile, D.: Systematic evaluation and usability analysis of formal tools for system design. CoRR, abs/2101.11303 (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Ferrari, A., Mazzanti, F., Basile, D., ter Beek, M.H., Fantechi, A.: Comparing formal tools for system design: a judgment study. In: Rothermel, G., Bae, D. (eds.) ICSE 2020: 42nd International Conference on Software Engineering, Seoul, South Korea, 27 June–19 July, 2020, pp. 62–74. ACM (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Ferrari, A., et al.: Survey on formal methods and tools in railways: the ASTRail approach. In: Collart-Dutilleul, S., Lecomte, T., Romanovsky, A. (eds.) RSSRail 2019. LNCS, vol. 11495, pp. 226–241. Springer, Cham (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18744-6_15

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  11. Gibson-Robinson, T., Armstrong, P., Boulgakov, A., Roscoe, A.W.: FDR3 — a modern refinement checker for CSP. In: Ábrahám, E., Havelund, K. (eds.) TACAS 2014. LNCS, vol. 8413, pp. 187–201. Springer, Heidelberg (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54862-8_13

    Chapter  MATH  Google Scholar 

  12. Hansen, D., Bendisposto, J., Leuschel, M.: Integrating ProB into the TLA Toolbox. In: TLA Workshop (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Hansen, D., et al.: Validation and real-life demonstration of ETCS hybrid level 3 principles using a formal B model. Int. J. Softw. Tools Technol. Transf. 22(3), 315–332 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Hansen, D., et al.: Using a formal B model at runtime in a demonstration of the ETCS hybrid level 3 concept with real trains. Proceedings ABZ 2018, 292–306 (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Hansen, D., Schneider, D., Leuschel, M.: Using B and ProB for data validation projects. In: Butler, M., Schewe, K.-D., Mashkoor, A., Biro, M. (eds.) ABZ 2016. LNCS, vol. 9675, pp. 167–182. Springer, Cham (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33600-8_10

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  16. Holzmann, G.: The SPIN Model Checker: Primer and Reference Manual. Addison-Wesley Professional, 1st edition (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Jackson, D.: Alloy: a lightweight object modelling notation. ACM Trans. Softw. Eng. Methodol. 11, 256–290 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Jackson, D., Schechter, I., Shlyakhter., I.: Alcoa: the alloy constraint analyzer. In: Proceedings of the 2000 International Conference on Software Engineering. ICSE 2000 the New Millennium, pp. 730–733 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Kant, G., Laarman, A., Meijer, J., van de Pol, J., Blom, S., van Dijk, T.: LTSmin: high-performance language-independent model checking. In: Baier, C., Tinelli, C. (eds.) TACAS 2015. LNCS, vol. 9035, pp. 692–707. Springer, Heidelberg (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46681-0_61

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  20. Körner, P., Bendisposto, J., Dunkelau, J., Krings, S., Leuschel, M.: Embedding high-level formal specifications into applications. In: ter Beek, M.H., McIver, A., Oliveira, J.N. (eds.) FM 2019. LNCS, vol. 11800, pp. 519–535. Springer, Cham (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30942-8_31

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  21. Körner, P., Leuschel, M., Meijer, J.: State-of-the-Art model checking for B and Event-B using ProB and LTSmin. In: Furia, C.A., Winter, K. (eds.) IFM 2018. LNCS, vol. 11023, pp. 275–295. Springer, Cham (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98938-9_16

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  22. Krings, S.: Towards infinite-state symbolic model checking for B and Event-B. Ph.D. thesis, Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf, August 2017

    Google Scholar 

  23. Kuppe, M.A., Lamport, L., Ricketts, D.: The TLA\(^{+}\) toolbox. Electron. Proc. Theoret. Comput. Sci. 310, 50–62 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Kwiatkowska, M., Norman, G., Parker, D.: PRISM: probabilistic symbolic model checker. In: Field, T., Harrison, P.G., Bradley, J., Harder, U. (eds.) TOOLS 2002. LNCS, vol. 2324, pp. 200–204. Springer, Heidelberg (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-46029-2_13

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  25. Ladenberger, L., Leuschel, M.: Mastering the visualization of larger state spaces with projection diagrams. In: Butler, M., Conchon, S., Zaïdi, F. (eds.) ICFEM 2015. LNCS, vol. 9407, pp. 153–169. Springer, Cham (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25423-4_10

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  26. Larsen, P., Battle, N., Ferreira, M., Fitzgerald, J., Lausdahl, K., Verhoef, M.: The overture initiative: integrating tools for VDM. ACM SIGSOFT Softw. Eng. Not. 35, 1–6 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Lecomte, T., Burdy, L., Leuschel, M. :Formally checking large data sets in the railways. CoRR, abs/1210.6815. Proceedings of DS-Event-B 2012, Kyoto (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Leuschel, M., Butler, M.: ProB: a model checker for B. In: Araki, K., Gnesi, S., Mandrioli, D. (eds.) FME 2003. LNCS, vol. 2805. Springer, Heidelberg (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/b13229

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  29. Leuschel, M., Mutz, M., Werth, M.: Modelling and validating an automotive system in classical B and Event-B. In: Raschke, A., Méry, D., Houdek, F. (eds.) ABZ 2020. LNCS, vol. 12071, pp. 335–350. Springer, Cham (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48077-6_27

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  30. Métayer, C.: AnimB 0.1.1 (2010). http://wiki.event-b.org/index.php/AnimB

  31. Oladimeji, P., Masci, P., Curzon, P., Thimbleby, H.: PVSio-web: a tool for rapid prototyping device user interfaces in PVS. In: Proceedings FMIS, vol. 69 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Plagge, D., Leuschel, M.: Seven at a stroke: LTL model checking for high-level specifications in B, Z, CSP, and more. Int. J. Softw. Tools Technol. Trans. 12, 9–21 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Ruys, T.C.: Xspin/Project - integrated validation management for Xspin. In: Dams, D., Gerth, R., Leue, S., Massink, M. (eds.) SPIN 1999. LNCS, vol. 1680, pp. 108–119. Springer, Heidelberg (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-48234-2_8

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  34. Servat, T.: BRAMA: a new graphic animation tool for B models. In: Julliand, J., Kouchnarenko, O. (eds.) B 2007. LNCS, vol. 4355, pp. 274–276. Springer, Heidelberg (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/11955757_28

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  35. ter Beek, M.H., et al.: adopting formal methods in an industrial setting: the railways case. In: ter Beek, M.H., McIver, A., Oliveira, J.N. (eds.) FM 2019. LNCS, vol. 11800, pp. 762–772. Springer, Cham (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30942-8_46

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  36. Thule, C., Lausdahl, K., Gomes, C., Meisl, G., Larsen, P.G.: Maestro: the INTO-CPS co-simulation framework. Simul. Model. Pract. Theory 92, 45–61 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Vu, F.: Simulation and verification of reactive systems in Lustre with ProB. Master’s thesis, Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf, June 2020

    Google Scholar 

  38. Vu, F., Leuschel, M., Mashkoor, A.: Validation of formal models by timed probabilistic simulation. In: Raschke, A., Méry, D. (eds.) ABZ 2021. LNCS, vol. 12709, pp. 81–96. Springer, Cham (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77543-8_6

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  39. Werth, M., Leuschel, M.: VisB: a lightweight tool to visualize formal models with SVG graphics. In: Raschke, A., Méry, D., Houdek, F. (eds.) ABZ 2020. LNCS, vol. 12071, pp. 260–265. Springer, Cham (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48077-6_21

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  40. Winter, D.: Validating promela models with the ProB model chcker. Master’s thesis, Institut für Informatik, Universität Düsseldorf (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  41. Yang, F., Jacquot, J., Souquières, J.: JeB: safe simulation of Event-B models in JavaScript. In: Proceedings APSEC, vol. 1, pp. 571–576. IEEE (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  42. Yu, Y., Manolios, P., Lamport, L.: Model checking TLA\(^{+}\) specifications. In: Pierre, Laurence, Kropf, Thomas (eds.) CHARME 1999. LNCS, vol. 1703, pp. 54–66. Springer, Heidelberg (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-48153-2_6

Download references

Acknowledgements

We want to thank Christoph Heinzen who has elaborated the plugin mechanism in his Master’s thesis. Many more persons were involved in the implementation of ProB2-UI, notably Dominik Hansen, Jessica Petrasch, Daniel Plagge, and Sebastian Stock. Thanks also to Olga Iudina for the Russian translations and anonymous referees for their useful corrections and suggestions. ProB2-UI is currently being extended within the DFG funded project IVOIRE.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Informatik, Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Jens Bendisposto, David Geleßus, Yumiko Jansing, Michael Leuschel, Antonia Pütz, Fabian Vu & Michelle Werth

Authors
  1. Jens Bendisposto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David Geleßus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yumiko Jansing
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Michael Leuschel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Antonia Pütz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Fabian Vu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Michelle Werth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Jens Bendisposto , David Geleßus , Michael Leuschel or Fabian Vu .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark

    Alberto Lluch Lafuente

  2. KBR/NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA

    Anastasia Mavridou

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Bendisposto, J. et al. (2021). ProB2-UI: A Java-Based User Interface for ProB. In: Lluch Lafuente, A., Mavridou, A. (eds) Formal Methods for Industrial Critical Systems. FMICS 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12863. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85248-1_12

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85248-1_12

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-85247-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-85248-1

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation