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SELECT—a formal system for testing and debugging programs by symbolic execution

Authors:

Robert S. Boyer,

Bernard Elspas, and

Karl N. LevittAuthors Info & Claims

ACM SIGPLAN Notices, Volume 10, Issue 6

Pages 234 - 245

https://doi.org/10.1145/390016.808445

Published: 01 April 1975 Publication History

Abstract

SELECT is an experimental system for assisting in the formal systematic debugging of programs. It is intended to be a compromise between an automated program proving system and the current ad hoc debugging practice, and is similar to a system being developed by King et al. of IBM. SELECT systematically handles the paths of programs written in a LISP subset that includes arrays. For each execution path SELECT returns simplified conditions on input variables that cause the path to be executed, and simplified symbolic values for program variables at the path output. For conditions which form a system of linear equalities and inequalities SELECT will return input variable values that can serve as sample test data. The user can insert constraint conditions, at any point in the program including the output, in the form of symbolically executable assertions. These conditions can induce the system to select test data in user-specified regions. SELECT can also determine if the path is correct with respect to an output assertion. We present four examples demonstrating the various modes of system operation and their effectiveness in finding bugs. In some examples, SELECT was successful in automatically finding useful test data. In others, user interaction was required in the form of output assertions. SELECT appears to be a useful tool for rapidly revealing program errors, but for the future there is a need to expand its expressive and deductive power.

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SELECT—a formal system for testing and debugging programs by symbolic execution

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Published In

cover image ACM SIGPLAN Notices

ACM SIGPLAN Notices Volume 10, Issue 6

International Conference on Reliable Software

June 1975

563 pages

ISSN:0362-1340

EISSN:1558-1160

DOI:10.1145/390016

Issue’s Table of Contents

Proceedings of the international conference on Reliable software
April 1975
567 pages
ISBN:9781450373852
DOI:10.1145/800027
Chairmen:
Martin L. Shooman,
Raymond T. Yeh

Copyright © 1975 Authors.

Publisher

Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 01 April 1975

Published in SIGPLAN Volume 10, Issue 6

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