Compilation of specifications

• Published in: Proceedings Eighth Asia-Pacific Software Engineering Conference pp. 355 - 362
• Main Author: Fidge, C.J.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE Comput. Soc 2001
• Subjects: Aerospace electronics; Computer languages; Control systems; High level languages; Pattern matching; Process control; Program processors; Programming profession; Software tools; Standards development
• ISBN: 0769514081; 9780769514086
• ISSN: 1530-1362; 2640-0715
• DOI: 10.1109/APSEC.2001.991502

Computer software now controls critical systems worldwide. International standards require such programs to be produced from mathematically-precise specifications, but the techniques and tools involved are highly complex and unfamiliar to most programmers. We present a formal basis for extending a tool already used by software developers, the program compiler, to undertake much of the task automatically. This is done by devising a code generation strategy, based on program refinement theory, capable of translating specification constructs embedded in programs into executable code, without the need for programmer intervention.