K: A wide spectrum language for modeling, programming and analysis

Abstract

The formal methods community has over the years proposed various formally founded specification languages based on predicate logic and set theory, typically with textual notations. At the same time the model-based engineering community has proposed often less formally founded languages such as UML and SysML, typically with graphical notations. Although the graphical notations have become highly popular in industry, we argue that textual notations can be attractive in many situations. We report on an effort to provide a textual notation for SysML, realized in a language named K. K supports classes, multiple inheritance, predicate logic and set theory. K contains programming constructs, and can thus be considered as a wide-spectrum modeling and programming language. We further explain the translation of a subset of this language to the input language of the SMT-LIB standard, and the application of Z3 for analysis of the generated SMT-LIB formulas. The entire effort is part of a larger effort to develop a general purpose SysML development framework for designing systems, in support of NASA's proposed 2022 mission to Jupiter's moon Europa.