Casl : The Common Algebraic Specification Language 1

Casl is an expressive language for the formal specification of functional requirements and modular design of software. It has been designed by CoFI, the international Common Framework Initiative for algebraic specification and development. It is based on a critical selection of features that have already been explored in various contexts, including subsorts, partial functions, first-order logic, and structured and architectural specifications. Casl should facilitate interoperability of many existing algebraic prototyping and verification tools. This paper gives an overview of the Casl design. The major issues that had to be resolved in the design process are indicated, and all the main concepts and constructs of Casl are briefly explained and illustrated—the reader is referred to the Casl Language Summary for further details. Some familiarity with the fundamental concepts of algebraic specification would be advantageous. 1 This research was supported by the ESPRIT-funded CoFI Working Group 29432. 2 Corresponding Author: Bernd Krieg-Brückner Preprint submitted to Elsevier Preprint 27 August 2001