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Using Global Analysis, Partial Specifications, and an Extensible Assertion Language for Program Validation and Debugging

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The Logic Programming Paradigm

Part of the book series: Artificial Intelligence ((AI))

Summary

We present a framework for the application of abstract interpretation as an aid during program development, rather than in the more traditional application of program optimization. Program validation and detection of errors is first performed statically by comparing (partial) specifications written in terms of assertions against information obtained from static analysis of the program. The results of this process are expressed in the user assertion language. Assertions (or parts of assertions) which cannot be verified statically are translated into run-time tests. The framework allows the use of assertions to be optional. It also allows using very general properties in assertions, beyond the predefined set understandable by the static analyzer and including properties defined by means of user programs. We also report briefly on an implementation of the framework. The resulting tool generates and checks assertions for Prolog, CLP(R), and CHIP/CLP(fd) programs, and integrates compile-time and run-time checking in a uniform way. The tool allows using properties such as types, modes, non-failure, determinacy, and computational cost, and can treat modules separately, performing incremental analysis. In practice, this modularity allows detecting statically bugs in user programs even if they do not contain any assertions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, Technical University of Madrid (UPM), Spain

    Manuel Hermenegildo, Germán Puebla & Francisco Bueno

Authors
  1. Manuel Hermenegildo
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  2. Germán Puebla
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  3. Francisco Bueno
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica, Kruislaan 413, 1098, Amsterdam, SJ, The Netherlands

    Krzysztof R. Apt

  2. Department of Computer Science, University of Kentucky, 773 Anderson Hall, 40506-0046, Lexington, KY, USA

    Victor W. Marek  & Mirek Truszczynski  & 

  3. Computer Science Department, University at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, 11794-4400, NY, USA

    David S. Warren

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© 1999 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Hermenegildo, M., Puebla, G., Bueno, F. (1999). Using Global Analysis, Partial Specifications, and an Extensible Assertion Language for Program Validation and Debugging. In: Apt, K.R., Marek, V.W., Truszczynski, M., Warren, D.S. (eds) The Logic Programming Paradigm. Artificial Intelligence. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-60085-2_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-60085-2_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-64249-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-60085-2

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