The Marseille Constraint based Configuration Group

The web resource of the Configuration Team, member of the InCA Team, from the LSIS Laboratory, Marseille, France

Constraint Based Configuration and OO Models

Modelling

Configuration bears close relationships with Object Oriented Modelling. We advocate the use of a subset of the Z language as a means of describing "Constrained Object Models", a formalism independent of tools and algorithms.

People

Laurent Henocque (Associate Pr.)

Nicolas Prcovic (Assistant Pr.)

Mathieu Estratat (Post doc.)

Mathias Kleiner (Doctor)

and formerly

Stephane Grandcolas (Assistant Pr.)

Constrained Object Models

Configuring requires the statement of a "generic product", best specified as an object model.

Class Diagrams

UML provides rich class diagram constructs for modelling object oriented cognitive information. We use a subset of UML class diagras as a visual language.

Metamodel Semantics

We attach unambiguous semantics to the visual notation by using set theoretic expressions for the Z specification language.

Model Constraints

We use the Z language to offer the richest possible freedom of stating constraints applying to object models.

Why not OCL

OCL does not offer the expressive power of relational languages. For instance, it lacks a cross product operator. The "dotted" syntax made popular by object languages and used in OCL can be implemented in Z thanks to its extensibility.

Download

The Latex Z archive

This archive contains the elements needed to use Z in Latex documents.

The fuzz type checker

A cygwin port of the fuzz type checker for windows

The Z prelude

We have developped a Z prelude file with specific definitions matching our use of Z in constrained object models.