Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Unifying classes and processes

  • Regular Paper
  • Published:
Software & Systems Modeling Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Previously, we presented Circus, an integration of Z, CSP, and Morgan’s refinement calculus, with a semantics based on the unifying theories of programming. Circus provides a basis for development of state-rich concurrent systems; it has a formal semantics, a refinement theory, and a development strategy. The design of Circus is our solution to combining data and behavioural specifications. Here, we further explore this issue in the context of object-oriented features. Concretely, we present an object-oriented extension of Circus called OhCircus. We present its syntax, describe its semantics, explain the formalisation of method calls, and discuss our approach to refinement.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Abrial J-R (1996) The B-Book: Assigning Progams to Meanings. Cambridge University Press

  2. Back RJR (1987) Procedural Abstraction in the Refinement Calculus. Technical report, Department of Computer Science, Åbo, Finland. Ser. A No. 55.

  3. Bolognesi T (2003) On State-oriented versus Object-oriented Thinking in Formal Behavioural Specifications. Technical Report 2003-TR-20, ISTI – Istituto di Scienza e Tecnologie della Informazione Alessandro Faedo

  4. Borba PHM, Sampaio ACA, Cavalcanti ALC, Cornélio ML (2004) Algebraic Reasoning for Object-Oriented Programming. Science of Computer Programming 52:53–100

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  5. Borba PHM, Sampaio ACA, Cornélio ML (2003) A Refinement Algebra for Object-oriented Programming. In: European Conference on Object-oriented Programming 2003 – ECOOP 2003. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 2743. Springer-Verlag, pp 457–482

  6. Cavalcanti ALC, Naumann DA (2000) A Weakest Precondition Semantics for Refinement of Object-oriented Programs. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering 26(8):713–728

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Cavalcanti ALC, Naumann DA (2002) Forward simulation for data refinement of classes. In: Eriksson L, Lindsay PA (eds) FME 2002: Formal Methods – Getting IT Right, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 2391. Springer-Verlag, pp 471–490

  8. Cavalcanti ALC, Sampaio ACA, Woodcock JCP (2002) Refinement of Actions in Circus. In: Proceedings of REFINE’2002, Eletronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science. Invited paper

  9. Cavalcanti ALC, Sampaio ACA, Woodcock JCP (2003) A Refinement Strategy for Circus. Formal Aspects of Computing 15(2–3):146–181

  10. Derrick J, Boiten E (2001) Refinement in Z and Object-Z. Springer

  11. Dijkstra EW (1976) A Discipline of Programming. Prentice-Hall

  12. Fischer C (1997) CSP-OZ: A combination of Object-Z and CSP. In: Bowman H, Derrick J (eds) Formal Methods for Open Object-Based Distributed Systems (FMOODS’97), vol 2. Chapman & Hall, pp 423–438

  13. Fischer C (1998) How to Combine Z with a Process Algebra. In: Bowen J, Fett A, Hinchey M (eds) ZUM’98: The Z Formal Specification Notation. Springer-Verlag

  14. Fischer C (2000) Combination and Implementation of Processes and Data: from CSP-OZ to Java. PhD thesis, Fachbereich Informatik Universität Oldenburg

    Google Scholar 

  15. Fisher C, Wehrheim H (2000) Behavioural Subtyping Relations for Object-oriented Formalisms. In: Rus T (ed) AMAST 2000: International Conference on Algebraic Methodology and Software Technology, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1816

  16. Formal Systems (Europe) Ltd (1999) FDR: User Manual and Tutorial, version 2.28

  17. Fowler M (1999) Refactoring. Addison-Wesley

  18. Gosling J, Joy B, Steele G (1996) The Java Language Specification. Addison-Wesley

  19. Hoare CAR, He J (1998) Unifying Theories of Programming. Prentice-Hall

  20. Ichbiah J (1979) Rationale for the Design of the Ada Programming Language. ACM SIGPLAN Notices 14(6B (special issue))

  21. Jones G (1988) Programming in occam 2. Prentice-Hall

  22. Mahony B, Dong JS (2000) Timed Communicating Object Z. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering 26(2):150–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Morgan CC (1994) Programming from Specifications. Prentice-Hall, 2nd edition

  24. Morris JM, Bunkenburg A (1998) Partiality and Nondeterminacy in Program Proofs. Formal Aspects of Computer Science 10:76–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Mota AC, Sampaio ACA (2001) Model-checking CSP-Z: strategy, tool support and industrial application. Science of Computer Programming 40:59–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Oliveira MVM, Cavalcanti ALC (2004) From Circus to JCSP. In: Davies J et al. (eds) Sixth International Conference on Formal Engineering Methods. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 3308. Springer-Verlag, pp 320–340, November 2004

  27. Roscoe AW (1998) The Theory and Practice of Concurrency. Prentice-Hall Series in Computer Science. Prentice-Hall

  28. Sampaio ACA, Mota AC, Ramos RT (2003) Class and Capsule Refinement in UML for Real Time. In: Cavalcanti ALC, Machado PDL (eds) WMF 2003: 6th Brazilian Workshop on Formal Methods. Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science, vol 95. Elsevier Science. Invited paper

  29. Sampaio ACA, Mota AC, Ramos RT (2004) Class and Capsule Refinement in UML for Real Time. In: Cavalcanti ALC, Machado P (eds) WMF 2003: 6th Brazilian Workshop on Formal Methods, Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science, vol 95. Elsevier

  30. Sampaio ACA, Woodcock JCP, Cavalcanti ALC (2002) Refinement in Circus. In: Eriksson L, Lindsay PA (eds) FME 2002: Formal Methods – Getting IT Right, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 2391. Springer-Verlag, pp 451–470

  31. Schneider S, Treharne H (2002) Communicating B Machines. In: Bert D, Bowen J, Henson M, Robinson K (eds) ZB’2002: Formal Specification and Development in Z and B, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 2272, pp 416–435

  32. Smith G (1999) The Object-Z Specification Language. Kluwer Academic Publishers

  33. Sweeney C, Bowen M (1998) D-1-C Handel-C Language Reference Manual. Embedded Solutions Ltd

  34. Wehrheim H (2000) Subtyping patterns for active objects. In: 8ter Workshop des GI Arbeitskreises GROOM (Grundlagen objektorientierter Modellierung)

  35. Welch PH, Aldous JR, Foster J (2002) CSP Networking for Java (JCSP.net). In: Global and Collaborative Computing Workshop Proceedings, ICCS 2002, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 2330. Springer-Verlag, pp 695–708

  36. Woodcock JCP, Cavalcanti ALC (2001) A Concurrent Language for Refinement. In: Butterfield A, Pahl C (eds) IWFM’01: 5th Irish Workshop in Formal Methods, BCS Electronic Workshops in Computing, Dublin, Ireland, July 2001

  37. Woodcock JCP, Cavalcanti ALC (2002) The Semantics of Circus. In: Bert D, Bowen JP, Henson MC, Robinson K (eds) ZB 2002: Formal Specification and Development in Z and B, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 2272. Springer-Verlag, pp 184–203

  38. Woodcock JCP, Davies J (1996) Using Z – Specification, Refinement, and Proof. Prentice-Hall

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Computing Laboratory, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NF, England

    Ana Cavalcanti & Jim Woodcock

  2. Centro de Informática, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 7851, 50740-540, Recife, PE, Brazil

    Augusto Sampaio

Authors
  1. Ana Cavalcanti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Augusto Sampaio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jim Woodcock
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cavalcanti, A., Sampaio, A. & Woodcock, J. Unifying classes and processes. Softw Syst Model 4, 277–296 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-005-0085-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-005-0085-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation