Graphical Views of Process-Oriented Specifications

by DW Bustard, AC Winstanley, MT Norris, RA Orr and S Patel
in KJ Turner (editor) Formal Description Techniques (Proceedings of the First International Conference on Formal Description Techniques, Stirling, Scotland, 6-9th September, 1988), 143-156, North-Holland, 1989.

ABSTRACT

Process-oriented specifications are used to define the intended behaviour of concurrent systems. Traditionally, such specifications have been represented in a purely textual form, where languages defined for this purpose include CCS, CSP and LOTOS. The main aim of this paper is to consider how graphics might be used to make the meaning of process-oriented specifications more apparaent by clarifying, in particular, the relationships among the various definitions which constitute a specification. The paper looks specifically at graphical representations for LOTOS specifications but the general approach taken is relevant to all process-oriented specification languages.