The Object Z Specification Language

Object-Z is an object-oriented extension of the formal specification language Z. It adds to Z notions of classes and objects, and inheritance and polymorphism. By extending Z's semantic basis, it enables the specification of systems as collections of independent objects in which self and mutual referencing are possible. The Object-Z Specification Language presents a comprehensive description of Object-Z including discussions of semantic issues, definitions of all language constructs, type rules and other rules of usage, specification guidelines, and a full concrete syntax. It will enable you to confidently construct Object-Z specifications and is intended as a reference manual to keep by your side as you use and learn to use Object-Z. The Object-Z Specification Language is suitable as a textbook or as a secondary text for a graduate-level course, and as a reference for researchers and practitioners in industry.

Object-Z is an object-oriented extension of the formal specification language Z. It adds to Z notions of classes and objects, and inheritance and polymorphism. By extending Z's semantic basis, it enables the specification of systems as collections of independent objects in which self and mutual referencing are possible. The Object-Z Specification Language presents a comprehensive description of Object-Z including discussions of semantic issues, definitions of all language constructs, type rules and other rules of usage, specification guidelines, and a full concrete syntax. It will enable you to confidently construct Object-Z specifications and is intended as a reference manual to keep by your side as you use and learn to use Object-Z. The Object-Z Specification Language is suitable as a textbook or as a secondary text for a graduate-level course, and as a reference for researchers and practitioners in industry.

This book contains enough mnaterial for three complete courses of study. It provides an introduction to the world of logic, sets and relations. It explains the use of the Znotation in the specification of realistic systems. It shows how Z specifications may be refined to produce executable code; this is demonstrated in a selection of case studies. The essentials of specification, refinement and proof are covered, revealing techniques never previously published. Exercises, Solutions and set of Tranparencies are available via http://www.comlab.ox.ac.uk/usingz.html

The Z notation is a language for expressing mathematical specifications of computing systems. By providing a formal semantics for Z, this book justifies the claim that Z is a precise specification language, and provides a standard framework for understanding Z specifications.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the First International Conference of B and Z Users, ZB 2000, held in York, UK in August/September 2000. The 25 revised full papers presented together with four invited contributions were carefully reviewed and selected for inclusion in the book. The book documents the recent advances for the Z formal specification notion and for the B method; the full scope, ranging from foundational and theoretical issues to advanced applications, tools, and case studies, is covered.

A self-contained tutorial on Z for working programmers discussing practical ways to apply formal methods in real projects, first published in 1997.