Specification, implementation, and verification of Domain Specific Languages: A logic programming-based approach

Abstract

Domain Specific Languages (DSLs) are high level languages designed for solving problems in a particular domain, and have been suggested as means for developing reliable software systems. We present a (constraint) logic programming-based framework for specification, efficient implementation, and automatic verification of domain specific languages (DSLs). Our framework is based on using Horn logic (or pure Prolog), and eventually constraints, to specify denotational semantics of domain specific languages. Both the syntax as well as the semantic specification of the DSL in question are directly executable in our framework: the specification itself serves as an interpreter for the DSL. More efficient implementations of this DSL-a compiler-can be automatically derived via partial evaluation. Additionally, the executable specification can be used for automatic or semi-automatic verification of programs written in the DSL as well as for automatically obtaining traditional debuggers and profilers. The ability to verify DSL programs is a distinct advantage of our approach. In this paper we give a general outline of our approach, and illustrate it with practical examples. © 2002 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.