Language prototyping provides a means to generate language implementations automatically from high-level language definitions. This volume presents an algebraic specification approach to language prototyping, and is centered around the ASF+SDF formalism and Meta-Environment. The volume is an integrated collection of articles covering a number of case studies, and includes several chapters proposing new techniques for deriving advanced language implementations. The accompanying software is freely available.

Language prototyping provides a means to generate language implementations automatically from high-level language definitions. This volume presents an algebraic specification approach to language prototyping, and is centered around the ASF+SDF formalism and Meta-Environment. The volume is an integrated collection of articles covering a number of case studies, and includes several chapters proposing new techniques for deriving advanced language implementations. The accompanying software is freely available.

The intention of this book is to show how algebraic specification methods can be used for software development to support reliability, modifiability and reusability. These methods are introduced by parameterized and module specifications through practical examples and case studies using algebraic specification languages and tools developed at TU Berlin.

"I prefer to view formal methods as tools. the use of which might be helpful." E. W. Dijkstra Algebraic specifications are about to be accepted by industry. Many projects in which algebraic specifications have been used as a design tool have been carried out. What prevents algebraic specifications from breaking through is the absence of introductory descriptions and tools supporting the construction of algebraic specifications. On the one hand. interest from industry will stimulate people to make introductions and tools. whereas on the other hand the existence of introductions and tools will stimulate industry to use algebraic specifications. This book should be seen as a contribution towards creating this virtuous circle. The book will be of interest to software designers and programmers. It can also be used as material for an introductory course on algebraic specifications and software engineering at undergraduate or graduate level. Nowadays. there is general agreement that in large software projects appropriate specifications are a must in order to obtain quality software. Informal specifications alone are certainly not appropriate because they are incomplete. inconsistent. inaccurate and ambiguous and they rapidly become bulky and therefore useless. The only way to overcome this problem is to use formal specifications. An important remark here is that a specification formalism (language) alone is not sufficient. What is also needed is a design method to write specifications in that formalism.

CafeOBJ is an industrial strength modern algebraic specification language, a successor of the famous OBJ language, and directly incorporating new paradigms such as behavioural concurrent specification and rewriting logic. CafeOBJ is the core of an environment supporting the systems (mainly software but not only) development process at several levels, including prototyping, specification, and formal verification.This book presents not only the formal definition of the language and its semantics, but also methodologies for specification and verification in CafeOBJ, with emphasis on concurrent object composition and modularity.The presentation of the CafeOBJ concepts is supported by many examples, and an appendix illustrates the power of the language and its methodologies by a larger CASE study including specification, testing, and verification.The book may be used both by software engineers interested in algebraic methodologies, and by students and researchers in software engineering and/or theoretical computing science as a fast introduction to state-of-art algebraic specification.

The intention of this book is to show how algebraic specification methods can be used for software development to support reliability, modifiability and reusability. These methods are introduced by parameterized and module specifications through practical examples and case studies using algebraic specification languages and tools developed at TU Berlin.