A debugging scheme for declarative equation based modeling languages

Abstract

This paper concerns the static analysis for debugging purposes of programs written in declarative equation based modeling languages. We first give an introduction to declarative equation based languages and the consequences equation based programming has for debugging. At the same time, we examine the particular debugging problems posed by Modelica, a declarative equation based modeling language. A brief overview of the Modelica language is also given. We also present our view of the issues and solutions based on a proposed framework for debugging declarative equation based languages. Program analysis solutions for program understanding and for static debugging of declarative equation based languages, based on bipartite graph decomposition, are presented in the paper. We also present an efficient way to annotate the underlying equations in order to help the implemented debugger to eliminate the heuristics involved in choosing the right error fixing solution. This also provides means to report the location of an error caught by the static analyzer or by the numeric solver, consistent with the user’s perception of the source code and simulation model.