Debugging Maude programs via runtime assertion checking and trace slicing

[EN] This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in . Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Logical and Algebraic Methods in Programming, [VOL 85, ISSUE 5, (2016)] DOI 10.1016/j.jlamp.2016.03.001.In this paper we propose a dynamic analysis methodology for improving the diagnosis of erroneous Maude programs. The key idea is to combine runtime checking and dynamic trace slicing for automatically catching errors at runtime while reducing the size and complexity of the erroneous traces to be analyzed (i.e., those leading to states failing to satisfy some of the assertions). First, we formalize a technique that is aimed at automatically detecting deviations of the program behavior (symptoms) with respect to two types of user-defined assertions: functional assertions and system assertions. The proposed dynamic checking is provably sound in the sense that all errors flagged are definitely violations of the specifications. Then, upon eventual assertion violations we generate accurate trace slices that help identify the cause of the error. Our methodology is based on (i) a logical notation for specifying assertions that are imposed on execution runs; (ii) a runtime checking technique that dynamically tests the assertions; and (iii) a mechanism based on (equational) least general generalization that automatically derives accurate criteria for slicing from falsified assertions. Finally, we report on an implementation of the proposed technique in the assertion-based, dynamic analyzer ABETS and show how the forward and backward tracking of asserted program properties leads to a thorough trace analysis algorithm that can be used for program diagnosis and debugging. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.This work has been partially supported by the EU (FEDER) and the Spanish MINECO under grants TIN2015-69175-C4-1-R and TIN2013-45732-C4-1-P, and by Generalitat Valenciana Ref. PROMETEOII/2015/013. F. Frechina was supported by FPU-ME grant AP2010-5681, and J. Sapiña was supported by FPI-UPV grant SP2013-0083 and mobility grant VIIT-3946.Alpuente Frasnedo, M.; Ballis, D.; Frechina, F.; Sapiña-Sanchis, J. (2016). Debugging Maude programs via runtime assertion checking and trace slicing. Journal of Logical and Algebraic Methods in Programming. 85(5):707-736. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlamp.2016.03.00170773685