LISP and Symbolic Computation, 3(1)21-37
Relative Specification and Transformational Re-Use of Functional ProgramsColin Runciman, Department of Computer Science, University of York, York, YO1 5DD, UK
Nigel Jagger, Department of Computer Science, University of York, York, YO1 5DD, UK
|
Abstract: A relative specification is a collection of laws
relating the behaviour of a required new program to that of one or
more existing programs. A two stage method for transforming such
relative specifications into effective functional programs is
described and illustrated. The inversion stage re-arranges the
specifying laws to obtain a collection of partial definitions for each
unknown function, typically involving non-deterministic operators. The
subsequent fusion stage combines each set of partial definitions into
a single complete definition, thereby eliminating nondeterministic
operators.
Keywords: functional programming, equational specifications, program derivation |
[local copy]
![[picture of journal cover]](../LISP.JPG)