Complete Object-Oriented Z and its supporting environment COOZ-Tools

The paper introduces the design of COOZ, which stands for “Complete Object-Oriented Z”, and the system architecture, functions, characteristics and key techniques of its supporting environment COOZ-Tools. Compared with current Z object-oriented extensions COOZ clarifies some object-oriented notions, such as distinction between active object and passive object. It also provides a more clear form of specifications. For example, the authors separate pre-conditions of schema from its post-conditions explicitly, and give subtypes of an object type as well as its supertypes. COOZ is more powerful than other object-oriented Z notations when specifying real-time and concurrent systems by using duration calculus to describe real-time and history constraints of objects. It is also adapted to larger and complex software systems benefiting from is module mechanism. They have developed the integrated toolbox environment COOZ-Tools supporting COOZ language in a SGI workstation. COOZ-Tools is composed of the following five tools: specification editor and viewers, syntax and semantics checking tool. Refinement aided tool, on-line help system and project management tool