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Ott: Effective tool support for the working semanticist

Part of: JFP Research Articles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 January 2010

PETER SEWELL ,
FRANCESCO ZAPPA NARDELLI ,
SCOTT OWENS ,
GILLES PESKINE ,
THOMAS RIDGE ,
SUSMIT SARKAR  and
ROK STRNIŠA
PETER SEWELL
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge, Computer Laboratory, William Gates Building, 15 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FD, United Kingdom (e-mail: Peter.Sewell@cl.cam.ac.uk)
FRANCESCO ZAPPA NARDELLI
Affiliation:
INRIA Paris-Rocquencourt, B.P. 105, 78153 Le Chesnay Cedex, France
SCOTT OWENS
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge, Computer Laboratory, William Gates Building, 15 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FD, United Kingdom (e-mail: Peter.Sewell@cl.cam.ac.uk)
GILLES PESKINE
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge, Computer Laboratory, William Gates Building, 15 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FD, United Kingdom (e-mail: Peter.Sewell@cl.cam.ac.uk)
THOMAS RIDGE
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge, Computer Laboratory, William Gates Building, 15 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FD, United Kingdom (e-mail: Peter.Sewell@cl.cam.ac.uk)
SUSMIT SARKAR
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge, Computer Laboratory, William Gates Building, 15 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FD, United Kingdom (e-mail: Peter.Sewell@cl.cam.ac.uk)
ROK STRNIŠA
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge, Computer Laboratory, William Gates Building, 15 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0FD, United Kingdom (e-mail: Peter.Sewell@cl.cam.ac.uk)
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Abstract

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Semantic definitions of full-scale programming languages are rarely given, despite the many potential benefits. Partly this is because the available metalanguages for expressing semantics – usually either for informal mathematics or the formal mathematics of a proof assistant – make it much harder than necessary to work with large definitions. We present a metalanguage specifically designed for this problem, and a tool, Ott, that sanity-checks such definitions and compiles them into proof assistant code for Coq, HOL, and Isabelle/HOL, together with code for production-quality typesetting, and OCaml boilerplate. The main innovations are (1) metalanguage design to make definitions concise, and easy to read and edit; (2) an expressive but intuitive metalanguage for specifying binding structures; and (3) compilation to proof assistant code. This has been tested in substantial case studies, including modular specifications of calculi from the TAPL text, a Lightweight Java with Java JSR 277/294 module system proposals, and a large fragment of OCaml (OCamllight, 310 rules), with mechanised proofs of various soundness results. Our aim with this work is to enable a phase change: making it feasible to work routinely, without heroic effort, with rigorous semantic definitions of realistic languages.

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Functional Programming , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , January 2010 , pp. 71 - 122
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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