1. Programming Language Semantics Mooly SagivEran Yahav msagiv@postmsagiv@postyahave@post Schrirber 317Open space 03-640-760603-640-5358 html://www.cs.tau.ac.il/~msagiv/courses/sem03.html Textbook:Winskel The Formal Semantics of Programming Languages CS 0368-4348-01@listserv.tau.ac.il

2. Outline Course requirements What is semantics Who needs semantics Forms of semantics Tentative Plan Introduction to operational semantics

3. Course Requirements Prerequisites –Compiler Course –Basic set theory and logic A theoretical course –Forms of induction –Domain theory –No algorithms Grade –Course Notes 10% –Assignments 60% Mostly theoretical with some programming –Home exam 30%

4. Modern Programming Languages Imperative –PL/1 –Pascal –C Object Oriented –C++ –Java –C# Functional –Scheme –ML Logic –Prolog

5. Programming Languages Syntax –Which string is a legal program? –Usually defined using context free grammar+ contextual constraints Semantics –What does a program mean? –What is the output of the program on a given run? –When does a runtime error occur? –A formal definition

6. Benefits of Formal Semantics Programming language design –hard- to-define= hard-to-implement=hard-to-use –Avoid design mistakes Programming language implementation –Compiler Correctness Correctness of program optimizations Design of Static Analysis Programming language understanding Program correctness Program equivalence Automatic generation of interpreter Techniques used in software engineering

7. Desired Features of PL Semantics Tractable –as simple as possible without losing the ability to express behavior accurately Abstract –uncluttered by irrelevant detail Computational –an accurate abstraction from runtime behavior Compositional –The meaning of compound language construct is defined using the meaning of subconstructs –Supports modular reasoning

8. Alternative Formal Semantics Operational Semantics [Plotkin] –The meaning of the program is described “operationally” –Structural Operational Semantics Denotational Semantics [Strachey, Scott] –The meaning of the program is an input/output relation Axiomatic Semantics [Floyd, Hoare] –The meaning of the program is observed properties –Proof rules to show that the program is correct Complement each other

9. Tentative Plan A simple programming language IMP –Structural operational Semantics of IMP –Denotational Semantics of IMP –[Axiomatic Semantics of IMP] –Non-Determinism and Parallelism Advanced programming languages –Java byte code

10. Chapter 2 Introduction to Operational Semantics

11. IMP: A Simple Imperative Language numbers N –Positive and negative numbers –n, m  N truth values T={true, false} locations Loc –X, Y  Loc arithmetic Aexp –a  Aexp boolean expressions Bexp –b  Bexp commands Com –c  Com

12. (3+5)  3 + 5 3 + 5  5+ 3 Abstract Syntax for IMP Aexp –a ::= n | X | a 0 + a 1 | a 0 – a 1 | a 0  a 1 Bexp –b ::= true | false | a 0 = a 1 | a 0  a 1 |  b | b 0  b 1 | b 0  b 1 Com –c ::= skip | X := a | c 0 ; c 1 | if b then c 0 else c 1 | while b do c 2+3  4-5 (2+(3  4))-5 ((2+3)  4))-5

13. Example Program Y := 1; while  (X=1) do Y := Y * X; X := X - 1

14. But what about semantics

15. Expression Evaluation States –Mapping locations to values –  - The set of states  : Loc  N  (X)=  X=value of X in   = [ X  5, Y  7] –The value of X is 5 –The value of Y is 7 –The value of Z is undefined – For a  Exp,   , n  N,  n –a is evaluated in  to n

16. Evaluating (a 0 + a 1 ) at  Evaluate a 0 to get a number n 0 at  Evaluate a 1 to get a number n 1 at  Add n 0 and n 1

17. Expression Evaluation Rules Numbers –  n Locations –   (X) Sums Subtractions Products Axioms

18. Derivations A rule instance –Instantiating meta variables with corresponding values

19. Derivation (Tree) Axioms in the leafs Rule instances at internal nodes

20. Computing a derivation We write  n when there exists a derivation tree whose root is  n Can be computed in a top-down manner At every node try all derivations “in parallel” 5 16 21

21. Recap Operational Semantics –The rules can be implemented easily –Define interpreter Structural Operational Semantics –Syntax directed Natural semantics

22. Equivalence of IMP expressions a0  a1a0  a1 iff

23. Boolean Expression Evaluation Rules  true  false

24. Boolean Expression Evaluation Rules(cont)

25. Equivalence of Boolean expressions b0 b1b0 b1 iff

26. Extensions Shortcut evaluation of Boolean expressions “Parallell” evaluation of Boolean expressions Other data types

27. The execution of commands   ’ –c terminates on  in a final state  ’ Initial state  0 –  0 (X)=0 for all X Handling assignments   ’   [5/X]

28. Rules for commands   Sequencing: Conditionals: Atomic

29. Rules for commands (while)

30. Example Program Y := 1; while  (X=1) do Y := Y * X; X := X - 1

31. Equivalence of commands c0 c1c0 c1 iff

32. Proposition 2.8 while b do c  if then (c; while b do c) else skip

33. Small Step Operational Semantics The natural semantics define evaluation in large steps –Abstracts “computation time” It is possible to define a small step operational semantics –  1 “one” step of executing a in a state  yields a’ in a state  ’

34. Small Step Semantics for Additions

35. Summary Operational semantics enables to naturally express program behavior Can handle –Non determinism –Concurrency –Procedures –Object oriented –Pointers and dynamically allocated structures But remains very closed to the implementation –Two programs which compute the same functions are not necessarily equivalent