Elements of style: analyzing a software design feature with a counterexample detector

We illustrate the application of Nitpick, a specification checker, to the design of a style mechanism for a word processor. The design is cast, along with some expected properties, in a subset of Z. Nitpick checks a property by enumerating all possible cases within some finite bounds, displaying as a counterexample the first case for which the property fails to hold. Unlike animation or execution tools, Nitpick does not require state transitions to be expressed constructively, and unlike theorem provers, operates completely automatically without user intervention. Using a variety of reduction mechanisms, it can cover an enormous number of cases in a reasonable time, so that subtle flaws can be rapidly detected.

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