Towards a formalization of UML class structures in Z

There is much interest in developing a firm semantic base for object-oriented modeling concepts. By providing precise characterizations of object-oriented (OO) modeling concepts one gains the ability to build a precise OO model of behavior and structure that can be rigorously analyzed. We present the current results of our ongoing formalization of the Unified Modeling Language (UML). UML is a proposed common OO modeling language, thus it is important that it has a formally defined semantic base. The focus of this paper is the formalization of the primary UML constructs used to build class structures. We use the Z notation to precisely express the meaning of UML class structures.

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