Towards CASE tools for prototyping Z specifications

A project that aims to develop an animation environment for a formal specification is described. Two CASE tools, one for constructing (i.e., inputing, editing and syntax checking) a formal specification, and the other for executing a formal specification, are described. A case study is used to illustrate the transformation process required to construct a prototype which can be executed to validate requirements and explore their consequences. The feasibility of translating and executing formal specifications is discussed and directions for future work are presented.