Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

TimeLine Depiction: an approach to graphical notation for supporting temporal property specification

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Innovations in Systems and Software Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The finite-state verification techniques such as model checking allow for automated checking whether system model described with automata satisfy temporal properties, or not. The temporal properties should be typically specified in temporal logic formulae, which is a difficult task for programmers who aren’t verification experts. Therefore, there is a few of research to propose description languages with which non-experts can accurately express temporal requirements on system’s behaviors and the methods transforming them automatically into temporal property specification of particular model checker. We analyzed various researches aimed at the construction of property specifications, that is, machine translation from natural language to temporal logical formula, property specification pattern and graphical scenarios for specifying property, and so on. Based on the analysis, in this paper, we present a visual language called TimeLineDepic, which is a user-friendly graphical notation for temporal property description and whose expressive power is same as other languages. And we propose a method to transform TimeLineDepic to buchi automata (never claim) and insert it in promela-based model for model checker SPIN.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Adrian R (2013) A user-friendly tool for model checking healthcare workflows. (ICTH-2013) Procedia Computer Science, 21( 2013 ) 317 – 326pp

  2. Cavarra A (2005) Combining sequence diagrams and OCL for liveness. Electron Notes Theor Computer Sci 115:19–38

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Refsdal A, Runde RK, Ketil S (2015) Stepwise refinement of sequence diagrams with soft real-time constraints. J Comput Syst Sci 81:1221–1251

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  4. Florian K and Holger G (2007) Joint Structural and temporal property specification using timed story scenario diagrams. FASE 2007, LNCS 4422 185–199pp 2007, Springer –Verlag.

  5. Holzman GJ (2004) The model checker. Addison Wesley

    Google Scholar 

  6. John D. Backes et al (2016) On Implementing real-time specification patterns using observers. NASA formal methods 8th international symposium. NFM 2016 minneapolis, MN, USA, June 7–9, 2016 Proceedings, 19–33pp

  7. Autili M et al (2015) Aligning qualitative, real-time, and probabilistic property specification patterns using a structured english grammar. IEEE Trans Softw Eng 41:620–639

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Autili M, Inverardi P, Pelliccione P (2007) Graphical scenarios for specifying temporal properties: an automated approach. Autom Softw Eng 14:293–340

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Matthew B. Dwyer et al (1999) Patterns in property specifications for finite-state verification. In proceedings of the 21st International Conference on software engineering, 411–420pp

  10. Messaoudi N et al (2015) An operational semantics for UML2 sequence diagrams supported by model transformations. Proc Computer Sci 56:604–611

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. El Hichami O, Al Achhab M, Berrada I and El Mohajir B (2014) Graphical specification and automatic verification of business process. The International Conference on Networked systems (NETYS 2014), LNCS 8593, 341–346pp, Springer.

  12. Prabhu SK, Vishnu KK (2015) Deriving the behavioral property from UML designs as LTL for model checking. 978–1–4799–1823–2/15/ ©2015 IEEE

  13. Salamah Salamah et al (2007) Using patterns and composite propositions to automate the generation of LTL specifications. ATVA 2007 LNCS 4762,533–542pp

  14. Sergio B, Gustavo C, Juliano I et al (2016) Model checking Requirements. SBMF 2016 LNCS10090 217–234pp DOI:https://doi.org/10.0007/978-3-319-49815-7-13

  15. Shalini G et al (2016) ARSENAL: Automatic Requirements Specification Extraction from Natural Language. In: NASA Formal Methods 8th International Symposium, NFM 2016 Minneapolis, MN, USA, June 7–9, 2016 Proceedings, 41–48pp

  16. Liu S (2009) Integrating top-down and scenario-based methods for constructing software specifications. Inf Softw Technol 51:1565–1572

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Smith MH, Holzmann GJ, Etessami K (2001) Events and constraints: a graphical editor for capturing logic properties of programs. In 5th International Symposium on Requirements Engineering

  18. Patig S et al (2013) A pattern-based approach for the verification of business process descriptions. Inf Softw Technol 55:58–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Gervasi V, Zowghi D (2005) Reasoning about inconsistencies in natural language requirement. ACM Trans Softw Eng Methodol 14:277–330

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work is supported by KIM IL SUNG University. Authors would like to give thanks to editors and reviewers that made their efforts to improve this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Information Science, KIM IL SUNG University, Pyongyang, 999093, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

    Chun-Ok Sin & Yong-Sok Kim

Authors
  1. Chun-Ok Sin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yong-Sok Kim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chun-Ok Sin.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sin, CO., Kim, YS. TimeLine Depiction: an approach to graphical notation for supporting temporal property specification. Innovations Syst Softw Eng 19, 319–335 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11334-022-00501-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11334-022-00501-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation