Abstract: The invention concerns model program analysis of software code using model checking. Initially, a transition system (22) and an extensible markup language (XML) (24) representation of the data is generated. Next, labels (26) for the transition system are generated by querying the XML representation of the data using (markup) query language. The labels and the structure of the transition system are then used as input to model checking techniques to analyse the software code (28). It is an advantage of the invention that the problem of labelling a transition system can be transformed into the XML domain so that detailed information about the software code can be extracted using queries in a format that can be run in the XML domain which are well known. At the same time the transformation to the XML domain does not prevent the use of efficient model checking technologies.

Abstract: This invention concerns inter-procedural analysis of computer programs. The need for inter-procedural analysis arises, for instance, where information is to be passed across the boundaries between functions; for example, by passing a pointer of variables to another function. The pointer needs to identify a valid memory location when used by a calling function. In one aspect the invention is a method and in another aspect the invention is a computer programmed to perform the method. The heart of the method involves the use of computational tree logic (CTL) model checking each sub-structure of the code to iteratively check alternately whether guarantees associated with the code are true, false or undetermined for each external assumption, and whether the internal assumptions are consistent with the guarantees of the caller sub-structures.

Abstract: This invention concerns inter-procedural analysis of computer programs. The need for inter-procedural analysis arises, for instance, where information is to be passed across the boundaries between functions; for example, by passing a pointer of variables to another function. The pointer needs to identify a valid memory location when used by a calling function. In one aspect the invention is a method and in another aspect the invention is a computer programmed to perform the method. The heart of the method involves the use of computational tree logic (CTL) model checking each sub-structure of the code to iteratively check alternately whether guarantees associated with the code are true, false or undetermined for each external assumption, and whether the internal assumptions are consistent with the guarantees of the caller sub-structures.

Abstract: The invention concerns model program analysis of software code using model checking. Initially, a transition system (22) and an extensible markup language (XML) (24) representation of the data is generated. Next, labels (26) for the transition system are generated by querying the XML representation of the data using (markup) query language. The labels and the structure of the transition system are then used as input to model checking techniques to analyse the software code (28). It is an advantage of the invention that the problem of labelling a transition system can be transformed into the XML domain so that detailed information about the software code can be extracted using queries in a format that can be run in the XML domain which are well known. At the same time the transformation to the XML domain does not prevent the use of efficient model checking technologies.