Bigraphical Logics for XML

Bigraphs have been recently proposed as a meta-model for global computing resources; they are built orthogonally on two structures: a hierarchical ‘place’ graph for locations and a ‘link’ (hyper-)graph for connections. XML is now the standard meta-language for the data exchange and storage on the web. In this paper we address the similarities between bigraphs and XML and we propose bigraphs as a rich model for XML (and XML contexts). Building on this idea we proceed by investigating how the recently proposed logic of BiLog can be instantiated to describe, query and reason about web data (and web contexts)

Spatial Logics for Bigraphs

Bigraphs are emerging as an interesting model for concurrent calculi, like CCS, pi-calculus, and Petri nets. Bigraphs are built orthogonally on two structures: a hierarchical place graph for locations and a link (hyper-)graph for connections. With the aim of describing bigraphical structures, we introduce a general framework for logics whose terms represent arrows in monoidal categories. We then instantiate the framework to bigraphical structures and obtain a logic that is a natural composition of a place graph logic and a link graph logic. We explore the concepts of separation and sharing in these logics and we prove that they generalise some known spatial logics for trees, graphs and tree contexts

Ensuring Query Compatibility with Evolving XML Schemas

During the life cycle of an XML application, both schemas and queries may change from one version to another. Schema evolutions may affect query results and potentially the validity of produced data. Nowadays, a challenge is to assess and accommodate the impact of theses changes in rapidly evolving XML applications. This article proposes a logical framework and tool for verifying forward/backward compatibility issues involving schemas and queries. First, it allows analyzing relations between schemas. Second, it allows XML designers to identify queries that must be reformulated in order to produce the expected results across successive schema versions. Third, it allows examining more precisely the impact of schema changes over queries, therefore facilitating their reformulation

Relevant Representations for the Inference of Rational Stochastic Tree Languages

International audienceRecently, an algorithm, DEES, was proposed for learning rational stochastic tree languages. Given an independantly and identically distributed sample of trees, drawn according to a rational stochastic language, DEES outputs a linear representation of a rational series which converges to the target. DEES can then be used to identify in the limit with probability one rational stochastic tree languages. However, when DEES deals with finite samples, it often outputs a rational tree series which does not define a stochastic language. Moreover, the linear representation can not be directly used as a generative model. In this paper, we show that any representation of a rational stochastic tree language can be transformed in a reduced normalised representation that can be used to generate trees from the underlying distribution. We also study some properties of consistency for rational stochastic tree languages and discuss their implication for the inference. We finally consider the applicability of DEES to trees built over an unranked alphabet

Alternating register automata on finite words and trees

We study alternating register automata on data words and data trees in relation to logics. A data word (resp. data tree) is a word (resp. tree) whose every position carries a label from a finite alphabet and a data value from an infinite domain. We investigate one-way automata with alternating control over data words or trees, with one register for storing data and comparing them for equality. This is a continuation of the study started by Demri, Lazic and Jurdzinski. From the standpoint of register automata models, this work aims at two objectives: (1) simplifying the existent decidability proofs for the emptiness problem for alternating register automata; and (2) exhibiting decidable extensions for these models. From the logical perspective, we show that (a) in the case of data words, satisfiability of LTL with one register and quantification over data values is decidable; and (b) the satisfiability problem for the so-called forward fragment of XPath on XML documents is decidable, even in the presence of DTDs and even of key constraints. The decidability is obtained through a reduction to the automata model introduced. This fragment contains the child, descendant, next-sibling and following-sibling axes, as well as data equality and inequality tests

First-Order and Temporal Logics for Nested Words

Nested words are a structured model of execution paths in procedural programs, reflecting their call and return nesting structure. Finite nested words also capture the structure of parse trees and other tree-structured data, such as XML. We provide new temporal logics for finite and infinite nested words, which are natural extensions of LTL, and prove that these logics are first-order expressively-complete. One of them is based on adding a "within" modality, evaluating a formula on a subword, to a logic CaRet previously studied in the context of verifying properties of recursive state machines (RSMs). The other logic, NWTL, is based on the notion of a summary path that uses both the linear and nesting structures. For NWTL we show that satisfiability is EXPTIME-complete, and that model-checking can be done in time polynomial in the size of the RSM model and exponential in the size of the NWTL formula (and is also EXPTIME-complete). Finally, we prove that first-order logic over nested words has the three-variable property, and we present a temporal logic for nested words which is complete for the two-variable fragment of first-order.Comment: revised and corrected version of Mar 03, 201

Programming errors in traversal programs over structured data

Traversal strategies \'a la Stratego (also \'a la Strafunski and 'Scrap Your Boilerplate') provide an exceptionally versatile and uniform means of querying and transforming deeply nested and heterogeneously structured data including terms in functional programming and rewriting, objects in OO programming, and XML documents in XML programming. However, the resulting traversal programs are prone to programming errors. We are specifically concerned with errors that go beyond conservative type errors; examples we examine include divergent traversals, prematurely terminated traversals, and traversals with dead code. Based on an inventory of possible programming errors we explore options of static typing and static analysis so that some categories of errors can be avoided. This exploration generates suggestions for improvements to strategy libraries as well as their underlying programming languages. Haskell is used for illustrations and specifications with sufficient explanations to make the presentation comprehensible to the non-specialist. The overall ideas are language-agnostic and they are summarized accordingly

XML Query-Update Independence Analysis Revisited

International audienceXML transformations can be resource-costly in particular when applied to very large XML documents and document sets. Those transformations usually involve lots of XPath queries and may not need to be entirely re-executed following an update of the input document. In this context, a given query is said to be independent of a given update if, for any XML document, the results of the query are not affected by the update. We revisit Benedikt and Cheney's framework for query-update independence analysis and show that performance can be drastically enhanced, contradicting his initial claims. The essence of our approach and results resides in the use of an appropriate logic, to which queries and updates are both succinctly translated. Compared to previous approaches, ours is more expressive from a theoretical point of view, equally accurate, and more efficient in practice. We illustrate this through practical experiments and comparative figures