Automatically Detecting Inconsistencies in Program Specifications

A verification system relies on a programmer writing mathematically precise descriptions of code. A specification that describes the behavior of an operation and a loop invariant for iterative code are examples of such mathematical formalizations. Due to human errors, logical defects may be introduced into these mathematical constructs. Techniques to detect certain logical errors in program specifications, loop invariants, and loop variants are described. Additionally, to make program specifications more concise and to make it easier to create them, RESOLVE has parameter modes: each formal parameter is annotated with a mode that is related to the intended roles of the incoming and outgoing values of that parameter. Methods to check whether the programmer has chosen a plausibly correct mode for each parameter are also explained. The techniques described are lightweight and are applied at an early stage in the verification process.