Using a process algebra interface for verification and validation of UML statecharts

UML diagrams are the conventional methods for visual modeling systems. Among them, the Statechart diagrams are used to show the runtime behavior of a system, but the correctness of such diagrams is the primary concern of the designers because of concurrency issues like livelock, inaccessible states, and non-deterministic states. Process algebra methods have the capabilities that are suitable for verification and validation of Statecharts. To this end, in this paper, process algebra language LOTOS (Language Of Temporal Ordering Specification) is used as the target language, and a method is presented to map UML Statecharts to the LOTOS processes, called USLP. Then the correctness of the proposed mappings is proved by demonstrating the isomorphism relation between the Labeled Transition System (LTS) of a Statechart and the LTS of its transformed LOTOS specification. Next, tools CADP (Construction and Analysis of Distributed Processes) is used for verification and validation of the mapped LOTOS models, and the CSP process algebra and its tools, FDR are used to verify the properties could not be verified by the LOTOS and its toolset. The experimental results show our approach can: (1) verify some properties (the issues) that are not verified by other approaches and (2) reduce the space that should be searched to verify the properties. •Verification and validation of UML Statecharts are needed due to issues like livelock, inaccessible states, and non-deterministic states.•Process algebra methods have the abilty to verify and validate UML Statecharts.•The LOTOS process algebra is used to map and verify and validate the Statecharts.•Tools CADP is used to apply LOTOS models.•The proposed approach is evaluated using two case studies.