Programming and symbolic computation in Maude

Abstract

Rewriting logic is both a flexible semantic framework within which widely different concurrent systems can be naturally specified and a logical framework in which widely different logics can be specified. Maude programs are exactly rewrite theories. Maude has also a formal environment of verification tools. Symbolic computation is a powerful technique for reasoning about the correctness of concurrent systems and for increasing the power of formal tools. We present several new symbolic features of Maude that enhance formal reasoning about Maude programs and the effectiveness of formal tools. They include: (i) very general unification modulo user-definable equational theories, and (ii) symbolic reachability analysis of concurrent systems using narrowing. The paper does not focus just on symbolic features: it also describes several other new Maude features, including: (iii) Maude's strategy language for controlling rewriting, and (iv) external objects that allow flexible interaction of Maude object-based concurrent systems with the external world. In particular, metainterpreters are external objects encapsulating Maude interpreters that can interact with many other objects. To make the paper self-contained and give a reasonably complete language overview, we also review the basic Maude features for equational rewriting and rewriting with rules, Maude programming of concurrent object systems, and reflection. Furthermore, we include many examples illustrating all the Maude notions and features described in the paper.

A Strategic Graph Rewriting Model of Rational Negligence in Financial Markets

“…The graph rewriting approach used in this paper is declarative: the program consists of graph transformation rules and a strategy. Languages like Stratego [6,36], Maude [10,27] and ELAN [5] support a term rewriting approach with user-defined strategies to control the application of rules. Rascal [32] (and its predecessor ASF+DSF [33]) are closely related, using algebraic specifications as a basis to define programs, with traversal functions to control the application of rules.…”

A semantic framework for PEGs

“…RL can be seen as a logic of change that can naturally deal with states and concurrent computations. The reader can find a detailed survey of RL in [18] and [7].…”

“…In the context of programming languages, it is worth mentioning the K Framework [27]. Symbolic techniques in rewriting are currently the focus of intensive research (see a survey in [7]). In fact, one of the inspirations of this work came from an example of CFGs reported in [1] (and also used in [7]).…”

“…Symbolic techniques in rewriting are currently the focus of intensive research (see a survey in [7]). In fact, one of the inspirations of this work came from an example of CFGs reported in [1] (and also used in [7]). Roughly, narrowing (rewriting with logical variables as in logic programming) was used to explore symbolically the state of programs and apply partial evaluation [5] (a program transformation) to improve the efficiency of Maude's specifications.…”

Analysis of the Runtime Resource Provisioning of BPMN Processes Using Maude

“…The approach relies on a formal specification in rewriting logic of BPMN processes. The specification is given in the rewriting-logic based language Maude [6,5,7] and serves as an executable semantics of the BPMN language under consideration. Since it is executable, it has the advantage of enabling the use of Maude's verification tools for computing a number of metrics of processes with a precise mathematical meaning.…”