Date of Award
12-1994
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
First Advisor
Paul Bailor, PhD
Abstract
This research describes the feasibility of developing object-oriented LARCH specifications, part of a dual approach for formally extending object-oriented analysis models using LARCH and Z. The first phase consisted of two steps establishing a set of transformation heuristics for algebraically representing object models and implementing a robust LARCH parser. The LARCH parser produced abstract syntax trees ASTs of objects forming the basis for analyzing the similarities and differences between Z-based and LARCH-based object representations. The second phase used the analysis of LARCH and Z to identify fundamental core constructs in the languages and abstract syntax trees. These core constructs consisted of similar syntactic and semantic notions of signatures and axioms for describing a problem domain, thereby forming a canonical framework for formal object representations. This canonical framework provides a front-end for producing design refinement artifacts such as interface languages theorem proving sentences, and synthesis diagrams. The final phase demonstrated the feasibility of interface language generation by establishing an executable framework. This executable framework mapped LARCH into the SOFTWARE REFINERY™ Programming Environment to rapidly prototype object-oriented LARCH specifications.
AFIT Designator
AFIT-GSC-ENG-94D-15
DTIC Accession Number
ADA289235
Recommended Citation
Lin, Catherine J., "Unification of LARCH and Z-Based Object Models to Support Algebraically-based Design Refinement: The LARCH Perspective" (1994). Theses and Dissertations. 6371.
https://scholar.afit.edu/etd/6371
Comments
See also: Related concurrent research of K. M. Wabiszewski at AFIT-GCS-ENG-94D-24 (Z perspective)