Local Reasoning about Programs that Alter Data Structures

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Local Reasoning about Programs that Alter Data Structures (2001)

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by Peter O'Hearn , John Reynolds , Hongseok Yang

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324 - 28 self

BibTeX

@MISC{O'Hearn01localreasoning,
    author = {Peter O'Hearn and John Reynolds and Hongseok Yang},
    title = {Local Reasoning about Programs that Alter Data Structures},
    year = {2001}
}

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Abstract

We describe an extension of Hoare's logic for reasoning about programs that alter data structures. We consider a low-level storage model based on a heap with associated lookup, update, allocation and deallocation operations, and unrestricted address arithmetic. The assertion language is based on a possible worlds model of the logic of bunched implications, and includes spatial conjunction and implication connectives alongside those of classical logic. Heap operations are axiomatized using what we call the "small axioms", each of which mentions only those cells accessed by a particular command. Through these and a number of examples we show that the formalism supports local reasoning: A speci- cation and proof can concentrate on only those cells in memory that a program accesses. This paper builds on earlier work by Burstall, Reynolds, Ishtiaq and O'Hearn on reasoning about data structures.

Keyphrases

alter data structure data structure implication connective local reasoning particular command small axiom speci cation unrestricted address spatial conjunction heap operation low-level storage model possible world model classical logic associated lookup assertion language deallocation operation bunched implication

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