doc-src/Logics/Sequents.tex
 author haftmann Wed Dec 27 19:10:06 2006 +0100 (2006-12-27) changeset 21915 4e63c55f4cb4 parent 7160 1135f3f8782c child 42637 381fdcab0f36 permissions -rw-r--r--
different handling of type variable names
     1 %% $Id$

     2 \chapter{Defining A Sequent-Based Logic}

     3 \label{chap:sequents}

     4

     5 \underscoreon %this file contains the @ character

     6

     7 The Isabelle theory \texttt{Sequents.thy} provides facilities for using

     8 sequent notation in users' object logics. This theory allows users to

     9 easily interface the surface syntax of sequences with an underlying

    10 representation suitable for higher-order unification.

    11

    12 \section{Concrete syntax of sequences}

    13

    14 Mathematicians and logicians have used sequences in an informal way

    15 much before proof systems such as Isabelle were created. It seems

    16 sensible to allow people using Isabelle to express sequents and

    17 perform proofs in this same informal way, and without requiring the

    18 theory developer to spend a lot of time in \ML{} programming.

    19

    20 By using {\tt Sequents.thy}

    21 appropriately, a logic developer can allow users to refer to sequences

    22 in several ways:

    23 %

    24 \begin{itemize}

    25 \item A sequence variable is any alphanumeric string with the first

    26  character being a \verb%$% sign.   27 So, consider the sequent \verb%$A |- B%, where \verb%$A%   28 is intended to match a sequence of zero or more items.   29   30 \item A sequence with unspecified sub-sequences and unspecified or   31 individual items is written as a comma-separated list of regular   32 variables (representing items), particular items, and   33 sequence variables, as in   34 \begin{ttbox}   35$A, B, C, $D(x) |- E   36 \end{ttbox}   37 Here both \verb%$A% and \verb%$D(x)%   38 are allowed to match any subsequences of items on either side of the   39 two items that match$B$and$C$. Moreover, the sequence matching   40 \verb%$D(x)% may contain occurrences of~$x$.

    41

    42 \item An empty sequence can be represented by a blank space, as in

    43 \verb? |- true?.

    44 \end{itemize}

    45

    46 These syntactic constructs need to be assimilated into the object

    47 theory being developed. The type that we use for these visible objects

    48 is given the name {\tt seq}.

    49 A {\tt seq} is created either by the empty space, a {\tt seqobj} or a

    50 {\tt seqobj} followed by a {\tt seq}, with a comma between them. A

    51 {\tt seqobj} is either an item or a variable representing a

    52 sequence. Thus, a theory designer can specify a function that takes

    53 two sequences and returns a meta-level proposition by giving it the

    54 Isabelle type \verb|[seq, seq] => prop|.

    55

    56 This is all part of the concrete syntax, but one may wish to

    57 exploit Isabelle's higher-order abstract syntax by actually having a

    58 different, more powerful {\em internal} syntax.

    59

    60

    61

    62 \section{ Basis}

    63

    64 One could opt to represent sequences as first-order objects (such as

    65 simple lists), but this would not allow us to use many facilities

    66 Isabelle provides for matching.  By using a slightly more complex

    67 representation, users of the logic can reap many benefits in

    68 facilities for proofs and ease of reading logical terms.

    69

    70 A sequence can be represented as a function --- a constructor for

    71 further sequences --- by defining a binary {\em abstract} function

    72 \verb|Seq0'| with type \verb|[o,seq']=>seq'|, and translating a

    73 sequence such as \verb|A, B, C| into

    74 \begin{ttbox}

    75 \%s. Seq0'(A, SeqO'(B, SeqO'(C, s)))

    76 \end{ttbox}

    77 This sequence can therefore be seen as a constructor

    78 for further sequences. The constructor \verb|Seq0'| is never given a

    79 value, and therefore it is not possible to evaluate this expression

    80 into a basic value.

    81

    82 Furthermore, if we want to represent the sequence \verb|A, $B, C|,   83 we note that \verb|$B| already represents a sequence, so we can use

    84 \verb|B| itself to refer to the function, and therefore the sequence

    85 can be mapped to the internal form:

    86 \verb|%s. SeqO'(A, B(SeqO'(C, s)))|.

    87

    88 So, while we wish to continue with the standard, well-liked {\em

    89 external} representation of sequences, we can represent them {\em

    90 internally} as functions of type \verb|seq'=>seq'|.

    91

    92

    93 \section{Object logics}

    94

    95 Recall that object logics are defined by mapping elements of

    96 particular types to the Isabelle type \verb|prop|, usually with a

    97 function called {\tt Trueprop}. So, an object

    98 logic proposition {\tt P} is matched to the Isabelle proposition

    99 {\tt Trueprop(P)}\@.  The name of the function is often hidden, so the

   100 user just sees {\tt P}\@. Isabelle is eager to make types match, so it

   101 inserts {\tt Trueprop} automatically when an object of type {\tt prop}

   102 is expected. This mechanism can be observed in most of the object

   103 logics which are direct descendants of {\tt Pure}.

   104

   105 In order to provide the desired syntactic facilities for sequent

   106 calculi, rather than use just one function that maps object-level

   107 propositions to meta-level propositions, we use two functions, and

   108 separate internal from the external representation.

   109

   110 These functions need to be given a type that is appropriate for the particular

   111 form of sequents required: single or multiple conclusions.  So

   112 multiple-conclusion sequents (used in the LK logic) can be

   113 specified by the following two definitions, which are lifted from the inbuilt

   114 {\tt Sequents/LK.thy}:

   115 \begin{ttbox}

   116  Trueprop       :: two_seqi

   117  "@Trueprop"    :: two_seqe   ("((_)/ |- (_))" [6,6] 5)

   118 \end{ttbox}

   119 %

   120 where the types used are defined in {\tt Sequents.thy} as

   121 abbreviations:

   122 \begin{ttbox}

   123  two_seqi = [seq'=>seq', seq'=>seq'] => prop

   124  two_seqe = [seq, seq] => prop

   125 \end{ttbox}

   126

   127 The next step is to actually create links into the low-level parsing

   128 and pretty-printing mechanisms, which map external and internal

   129 representations. These functions go below the user level and capture

   130 the underlying structure of Isabelle terms in \ML{}\@.  Fortunately the

   131 theory developer need not delve in this level; {\tt Sequents.thy}

   132 provides the necessary facilities. All the theory developer needs to

   133 add in the \ML{} section is a specification of the two translation

   134 functions:

   135 \begin{ttbox}

   136 ML

   137 val parse_translation = [("@Trueprop",Sequents.two_seq_tr "Trueprop")];

   138 val print_translation = [("Trueprop",Sequents.two_seq_tr' "@Trueprop")];

   139 \end{ttbox}

   140

   141 In summary: in the logic theory being developed, the developer needs

   142 to specify the types for the internal and external representation of

   143 the sequences, and use the appropriate parsing and pretty-printing

   144 functions.

   145

   146 \section{What's in \texttt{Sequents.thy}}

   147

   148 Theory \texttt{Sequents.thy} makes many declarations that you need to know

   149 about:

   150 \begin{enumerate}

   151 \item The Isabelle types given below, which can be used for the

   152 constants that map object-level sequents and meta-level propositions:

   153 %

   154 \begin{ttbox}

   155  single_seqe = [seq,seqobj] => prop

   156  single_seqi = [seq'=>seq',seq'=>seq'] => prop

   157  two_seqi    = [seq'=>seq', seq'=>seq'] => prop

   158  two_seqe    = [seq, seq] => prop

   159  three_seqi  = [seq'=>seq', seq'=>seq', seq'=>seq'] => prop

   160  three_seqe  = [seq, seq, seq] => prop

   161  four_seqi   = [seq'=>seq', seq'=>seq', seq'=>seq', seq'=>seq'] => prop

   162  four_seqe   = [seq, seq, seq, seq] => prop

   163 \end{ttbox}

   164

   165 The \verb|single_| and \verb|two_| sets of mappings for internal and

   166 external representations are the ones used for, say single and

   167 multiple conclusion sequents. The other functions are provided to

   168 allow rules that manipulate more than two functions, as can be seen in

   169 the inbuilt object logics.

   170

   171 \item An auxiliary syntactic constant has been

   172 defined that directly maps a sequence to its internal representation:

   173 \begin{ttbox}

   174 "@Side"  :: seq=>(seq'=>seq')     ("<<(_)>>")

   175 \end{ttbox}

   176 Whenever a sequence (such as \verb|<< A, $B,$C>>|) is entered using this

   177 syntax, it is translated into the appropriate internal representation.  This

   178 form can be used only where a sequence is expected.

   179

   180 \item The \ML{} functions \texttt{single\_tr}, \texttt{two\_seq\_tr},

   181   \texttt{three\_seq\_tr}, \texttt{four\_seq\_tr} for parsing, that is, the

   182   translation from external to internal form.  Analogously there are

   183   \texttt{single\_tr'}, \texttt{two\_seq\_tr'}, \texttt{three\_seq\_tr'},

   184   \texttt{four\_seq\_tr'} for pretty-printing, that is, the translation from

   185   internal to external form.  These functions can be used in the \ML{} section

   186   of a theory file to specify the translations to be used.  As an example of

   187   use, note that in {\tt LK.thy} we declare two identifiers:

   188 \begin{ttbox}

   189 val parse_translation =

   190     [("@Trueprop",Sequents.two_seq_tr "Trueprop")];

   191 val print_translation =

   192     [("Trueprop",Sequents.two_seq_tr' "@Trueprop")];

   193 \end{ttbox}

   194 The given parse translation will be applied whenever a \verb|@Trueprop|

   195 constant is found, translating using \verb|two_seq_tr| and inserting the

   196 constant \verb|Trueprop|.  The pretty-printing translation is applied

   197 analogously; a term that contains \verb|Trueprop| is printed as a

   198 \verb|@Trueprop|.

   199 \end{enumerate}

   200

   201