Plato: A Compiler for Interactive Web Forms

Abstract

Abstract. Modern web forms interact with the user in real-time by detecting errors and filling-in implied values, which in terms of automated reasoning amounts to SAT solving and theorem proving. This paper presents PLATO, a compiler that automatically generates web forms that detect errors and fill-in implied values from declarative web form descriptions. Instead of writing HTML and JavaScript directly, web developers write an ontology in classical logic that describes the relationships between web form fields, and PLATO automatically generates HTML to display the form and browser scripts to implement the requisite SAT solving and theorem proving. We discuss PLATO's design and implementation and evaluate PLATO's performance both analytically and empirically.

WAVES: Automatic Synthesis of Client-Side Validation Code for Web Applications

“…The server-side analysis is implemented in Java and Lisp and builds upon our prior work WAPTEC [3] as well as the state-of-the-art SMT solver Kaluza [6]. The client-side code generation is implemented in LISP and Java and builds on Plato [8] (a web form generator), php.js [9] (a library of PHP functions implemented in JavaScript), and the jQuery validation module [10]. The server-side code generation is implemented in Java and builds on Pixy [11] (a tool for PHP dependency analysis).…”

Paraconsistent Inference from Data Using Existential Omega-Entailment

“…Existential Ω-entailment was first used in logical spreadsheets to show the consequences of the data even when it was inconsistent with the spreadsheet formulae [1]. It has also been used to propagate values in Web forms that allow form values to be inconsistent with validation constraints [2], and to query databases in which the data is inconsistent with the integrity constraints [3]. In the case of Web forms and spreadsheets, temporary inconsistencies are occasionally required to move from one consistent state to another, as only one value may be changed at a time.…”