12 Search Results for "Pearce, David J."

Document
DOI: 10.4230/DagMan.11.1.19
Conversational Agents: A Framework for Evaluation (CAFE) (Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop 24352)

Authors: Christine Bauer, Li Chen, Nicola Ferro, Norbert Fuhr, Avishek Anand, Timo Breuer, Guglielmo Faggioli, Ophir Frieder, Hideo Joho, Jussi Karlgren, Johannes Kiesel, Bart P. Knijnenburg, Aldo Lipani, Lien Michiels, Andrea Papenmeier, Maria Soledad Pera, Mark Sanderson, Scott Sanner, Benno Stein, Johanne R. Trippas, Karin Verspoor, and Martijn C. Willemsen

Published in: Dagstuhl Manifestos, Volume 11, Issue 1 (2025)

Abstract
During the workshop, we deeply discussed what CONversational Information ACcess (CONIAC) is and its unique features, proposing a world model abstracting it, and defined the Conversational Agents Framework for Evaluation (CAFE) for the evaluation of CONIAC systems, consisting of six major components: 1) goals of the system’s stakeholders, 2) user tasks to be studied in the evaluation, 3) aspects of the users carrying out the tasks, 4) evaluation criteria to be considered, 5) evaluation methodology to be applied, and 6) measures for the quantitative criteria chosen.
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Christine Bauer, Li Chen, Nicola Ferro, Norbert Fuhr, Avishek Anand, Timo Breuer, Guglielmo Faggioli, Ophir Frieder, Hideo Joho, Jussi Karlgren, Johannes Kiesel, Bart P. Knijnenburg, Aldo Lipani, Lien Michiels, Andrea Papenmeier, Maria Soledad Pera, Mark Sanderson, Scott Sanner, Benno Stein, Johanne R. Trippas, Karin Verspoor, and Martijn C. Willemsen. Conversational Agents: A Framework for Evaluation (CAFE) (Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop 24352). In Dagstuhl Manifestos, Volume 11, Issue 1, pp. 19-67, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@Article{bauer_et_al:DagMan.11.1.19,
  author =	{Bauer, Christine and Chen, Li and Ferro, Nicola and Fuhr, Norbert and Anand, Avishek and Breuer, Timo and Faggioli, Guglielmo and Frieder, Ophir and Joho, Hideo and Karlgren, Jussi and Kiesel, Johannes and Knijnenburg, Bart P. and Lipani, Aldo and Michiels, Lien and Papenmeier, Andrea and Pera, Maria Soledad and Sanderson, Mark and Sanner, Scott and Stein, Benno and Trippas, Johanne R. and Verspoor, Karin and Willemsen, Martijn C.},
  title =	{{Conversational Agents: A Framework for Evaluation (CAFE) (Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop 24352)}},
  pages =	{19--67},
  journal =	{Dagstuhl Manifestos},
  ISSN =	{2193-2433},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{11},
  number =	{1},
  editor =	{Bauer, Christine and Chen, Li and Ferro, Nicola and Fuhr, Norbert and Anand, Avishek and Breuer, Timo and Faggioli, Guglielmo and Frieder, Ophir and Joho, Hideo and Karlgren, Jussi and Kiesel, Johannes and Knijnenburg, Bart P. and Lipani, Aldo and Michiels, Lien and Papenmeier, Andrea and Pera, Maria Soledad and Sanderson, Mark and Sanner, Scott and Stein, Benno and Trippas, Johanne R. and Verspoor, Karin and Willemsen, Martijn C.},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/DagMan.11.1.19},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-252722},
  doi =		{10.4230/DagMan.11.1.19},
  annote =	{Keywords: Conversational Agents, Evaluation, Information Access}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.GD.2025.37
Show Me Your Best Side: Characteristics of User-Preferred Perspectives for 3D Graph Drawings

Authors: Lucas Joos, Gavin J. Mooney, Maximilian T. Fischer, Daniel A. Keim, Falk Schreiber, Helen C. Purchase, and Karsten Klein

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 357, 33rd International Symposium on Graph Drawing and Network Visualization (GD 2025)

Abstract
The visual analysis of graphs in 3D has become increasingly popular, accelerated by the rise of immersive technology, such as augmented and virtual reality. Unlike 2D drawings, 3D graph layouts are highly viewpoint-dependent, making perspective selection critical for revealing structural and relational patterns. Despite its importance, there is limited empirical evidence guiding what constitutes an effective or preferred viewpoint from the user’s perspective. In this paper, we present a systematic investigation into user-preferred viewpoints in 3D graph visualisations. We conducted a controlled study with 23 participants in a virtual reality environment, where users selected their most and least preferred viewpoints for 36 different graphs varying in size and layout. From this data, enriched by qualitative feedback, we distil common strategies underlying viewpoint choice. We further analyse the alignment of user preferences with classical 2D aesthetic criteria (e.g., Crossings), 3D-specific measures (e.g., Node-Node Occlusion), and introduce a novel measure capturing the perceivability of a graph’s principal axes (Isometric Viewpoint Deviation). Our data-driven analysis indicates that Stress, Crossings, Gabriel Ratio, Edge-Node Overlap, and Isometric Viewpoint Deviation are key indicators of viewpoint preference. Beyond our findings, we contribute a publicly available dataset consisting of the graphs and computed aesthetic measures, supporting further research and the development of viewpoint evaluation measures for 3D graph drawing.
Cite as

Lucas Joos, Gavin J. Mooney, Maximilian T. Fischer, Daniel A. Keim, Falk Schreiber, Helen C. Purchase, and Karsten Klein. Show Me Your Best Side: Characteristics of User-Preferred Perspectives for 3D Graph Drawings. In 33rd International Symposium on Graph Drawing and Network Visualization (GD 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 357, pp. 37:1-37:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{joos_et_al:LIPIcs.GD.2025.37,
  author =	{Joos, Lucas and Mooney, Gavin J. and Fischer, Maximilian T. and Keim, Daniel A. and Schreiber, Falk and Purchase, Helen C. and Klein, Karsten},
  title =	{{Show Me Your Best Side: Characteristics of User-Preferred Perspectives for 3D Graph Drawings}},
  booktitle =	{33rd International Symposium on Graph Drawing and Network Visualization (GD 2025)},
  pages =	{37:1--37:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-403-1},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{357},
  editor =	{Dujmovi\'{c}, Vida and Montecchiani, Fabrizio},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.GD.2025.37},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-250236},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.GD.2025.37},
  annote =	{Keywords: Graph Aesthetics, Immersive 3D, Node-Link Diagrams, Empirical Evaluation}
}
Document
Extended Abstract
DOI: 10.4230/OASIcs.Programming.2025.4
Debugging a Smalltalk VM Assisted by Large Automated Reasoning (Extended Abstract)

Authors: Boris Shingarov and Jan Vraný

Published in: OASIcs, Volume 134, Companion Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on the Art, Science, and Engineering of Programming (Programming 2025)

Abstract
We show how a full-scale automated-reasoning engine implemented in Smalltalk can be applied to assist in the programmer’s cognitive task of traversing abstraction levels. This approach follows naturally from our definition of debugging as any activity aimed towards understanding a program. We introduce the notion of "dimensions of abstraction", give two examples ("stratum" and "mode"), and show how it is applied in debugging a native compiler backend.
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Boris Shingarov and Jan Vraný. Debugging a Smalltalk VM Assisted by Large Automated Reasoning (Extended Abstract). In Companion Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on the Art, Science, and Engineering of Programming (Programming 2025). Open Access Series in Informatics (OASIcs), Volume 134, pp. 4:1-4:6, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{shingarov_et_al:OASIcs.Programming.2025.4,
  author =	{Shingarov, Boris and Vran\'{y}, Jan},
  title =	{{Debugging a Smalltalk VM Assisted by Large Automated Reasoning}},
  booktitle =	{Companion Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on the Art, Science, and Engineering of Programming (Programming 2025)},
  pages =	{4:1--4:6},
  series =	{Open Access Series in Informatics (OASIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-382-9},
  ISSN =	{2190-6807},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{134},
  editor =	{Edwards, Jonathan and Perera, Roly and Petricek, Tomas},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/OASIcs.Programming.2025.4},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-242881},
  doi =		{10.4230/OASIcs.Programming.2025.4},
  annote =	{Keywords: Smalltalk, Virtual Machine, Automated Reasoning, Debugging, ISA Specification}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.DNA.31.11
Leakless Polymerase-Dependent Strand Displacement Systems

Authors: Zoë Evelyn Mōhalakealoha Derauf and Chris Thachuk

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 347, 31st International Conference on DNA Computing and Molecular Programming (DNA 31) (2025)

Abstract
A grand challenge facing molecular programmers is the rational development of fast, robust, and isothermal architectures akin to "chemical central processing units" that can sense (bio-)chemical signals from their environment, perform complex computation, and orchestrate a physical response in situ. DNA strand displacement systems (DSDs) remain a compelling candidate, but are hampered by spurious reaction pathways that lead to incorrect output. DSDs that utilize the systematic leakless motif can be made arbitrarily robust at the cost of increasing redundancy and network size (scaling), and thus a degradation of kinetic performance. Another class of architectures utilize DNA hybridization, extension, and signal production of entirely sequestered outputs via strand-displacing polymerases (SDPs) that have resulted in impressive demonstrations; however, they face similar challenges of aberrant behavior such as mis-priming by incorrect signals. Our work introduces a unified polymerase-dependent toehold-mediated strand displacement (PD-TMSD) architecture that integrates the programmed specificity of DSDs with the unique advantages of SDPs. This unification enables systems that can be made arbitrarily robust, at any concentration range, without increasing network size. We propose a number of gate designs and composition rules to compute arbitrary Boolean functions, emulate arbitrary chemical reaction networks, and explore time-bounded probabilistic computation made possible by certain classes of SDPs. Our theoretical exploration is backed by preliminary experimental demonstrations. This contribution was inspired by the belief that molecular programming can meet or exceed the complexity exhibited in biology if we embrace its best understood molecular machinery and couple it with systematic design principles built upon a strong theoretical foundation.
Cite as

Zoë Evelyn Mōhalakealoha Derauf and Chris Thachuk. Leakless Polymerase-Dependent Strand Displacement Systems. In 31st International Conference on DNA Computing and Molecular Programming (DNA 31). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 347, pp. 11:1-11:19, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{derauf_et_al:LIPIcs.DNA.31.11,
  author =	{Derauf, Zo\"{e} Evelyn M\={o}halakealoha and Thachuk, Chris},
  title =	{{Leakless Polymerase-Dependent Strand Displacement Systems}},
  booktitle =	{31st International Conference on DNA Computing and Molecular Programming (DNA 31)},
  pages =	{11:1--11:19},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-399-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{347},
  editor =	{Schaeffer, Josie and Zhang, Fei},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.DNA.31.11},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-238608},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.DNA.31.11},
  annote =	{Keywords: DNA strand displacement, strand-displacing polymerases, molecular computation, energy barriers, kinetics}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ECOOP.2025.34
Taming and Dissecting Recursions Through Interprocedural Weak Topological Ordering

Authors: Jiawei Yang, Xiao Cheng, Bor-Yuh Evan Chang, Xiapu Luo, and Yulei Sui

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 333, 39th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2025)

Abstract
Abstract interpretation provides a foundational framework for approximating program semantics by interpreting code through abstract domains using semantic functions over ordered sets along a program’s control flow graph (CFG). To facilitate fixpoint computation in abstract interpretation, weak topological ordering (WTO) is an effective strategy for handling loops, as it identifies strategic control points in the CFG where widening and narrowing operations should be applied. However, existing abstract interpreters still face challenges when extending WTO computation in the presence of recursive programs. Computing a precise whole-program WTO requires full context-sensitive analysis which is not scalable for large programs, while context-insensitive analysis introduces spurious cycles that compromise precision. Current approaches either ignore recursion (resulting in unsoundness) or rely on conservative approximations, sacrificing precision by adopting the greatest elements of abstract domains and applying widening at function boundaries without subsequent narrowing refinements. These can lead to undesired results for downstream tasks, such as bug detection. To address the above limitations, we present RecTopo, a new technique to boost the efficiency of precise abstract interpretation in the presence of recursive programs through interprocedural weak topological ordering (IWTO). Rather than pursuing an expensive whole-program WTO analysis, RecTopo employs an on-demand approach that strategically decomposes programs at recursion boundaries and constructs targeted IWTOs for each recursive component. RecTopo dissects and analyzes (nested) recursions through interleaved widening and narrowing operations. This approach enables precise control over interpretation ordering within recursive structures while eliminating spurious recursions through systematic correlation of control flow and call graphs. We implemented RecTopo and evaluated its effectiveness using an assertion-based checking client focused on buffer overflow detection, comparing it against three popular open-source abstract interpreters (IKOS, Clam, CSA). The experiments on 8312 programs from the NIST dataset demonstrate that, on average, RecTopo is 31.99% more precise and achieves a 17.49% higher recall rate compared to three other tools. Moreover, RecTopo exhibits an average precision improvement of 46.51% and a higher recall rate of 32.98% compared to our baselines across ten large open-source projects. Further ablation studies reveal that IWTO reduces spurious widening operations compared to whole-program WTO, resulting in a 12.83% reduction in analysis time.
Cite as

Jiawei Yang, Xiao Cheng, Bor-Yuh Evan Chang, Xiapu Luo, and Yulei Sui. Taming and Dissecting Recursions Through Interprocedural Weak Topological Ordering. In 39th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 333, pp. 34:1-34:31, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{yang_et_al:LIPIcs.ECOOP.2025.34,
  author =	{Yang, Jiawei and Cheng, Xiao and Chang, Bor-Yuh Evan and Luo, Xiapu and Sui, Yulei},
  title =	{{Taming and Dissecting Recursions Through Interprocedural Weak Topological Ordering}},
  booktitle =	{39th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2025)},
  pages =	{34:1--34:31},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-373-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{333},
  editor =	{Aldrich, Jonathan and Silva, Alexandra},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ECOOP.2025.34},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-233265},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ECOOP.2025.34},
  annote =	{Keywords: Abstract interpretation, recursion, weak topological ordering}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ECOOP.2025.11
Contract Usage and Evolution in Android Mobile Applications

Authors: David R. Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes, João F. Ferreira, and Carolina Carreira

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 333, 39th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2025)

Abstract
Contracts and assertions are effective methods to enhance software quality by enforcing preconditions, postconditions, and invariants. Previous research has demonstrated the value of contracts in traditional software development. However, the adoption and impact of contracts in the context of mobile app development, particularly of Android apps, remain unexplored. To address this, we present the first large-scale empirical study on the use of contracts in Android apps, written in Java or Kotlin. We consider contract elements divided into five categories: conditional runtime exceptions, APIs, annotations, assertions, and other. We analyzed 2,390 Android apps from the F-Droid repository and processed 52,977 KLOC to determine 1) how and to what extent contracts are used, 2) which language features are used to denote contracts, 3) how contract usage evolves from the first to the last version, and 4) whether contracts are used safely in the context of program evolution and inheritance. Our findings include: 1) although most apps do not specify contracts, annotation-based approaches are the most popular; 2) apps that use contracts continue to use them in later versions, but the number of methods increases at a higher rate than the number of contracts; and 3) there are potentially unsafe specification changes when apps evolve and in subtyping relationships, which indicates a lack of specification stability. Finally, we present a qualitative study that gathers challenges faced by practitioners when using contracts and that validates our recommendations.
Cite as

David R. Ferreira, Alexandra Mendes, João F. Ferreira, and Carolina Carreira. Contract Usage and Evolution in Android Mobile Applications. In 39th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 333, pp. 11:1-11:30, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{ferreira_et_al:LIPIcs.ECOOP.2025.11,
  author =	{Ferreira, David R. and Mendes, Alexandra and Ferreira, Jo\~{a}o F. and Carreira, Carolina},
  title =	{{Contract Usage and Evolution in Android Mobile Applications}},
  booktitle =	{39th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2025)},
  pages =	{11:1--11:30},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-373-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{333},
  editor =	{Aldrich, Jonathan and Silva, Alexandra},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ECOOP.2025.11},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-233041},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ECOOP.2025.11},
  annote =	{Keywords: Contracts, Design by Contract, DbC, Android, Java, Kotlin}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/OASIcs.FMBC.2025.4
ByteSpector: A Verifying Disassembler for EVM Bytecode

Authors: Franck Cassez

Published in: OASIcs, Volume 129, 6th International Workshop on Formal Methods for Blockchains (FMBC 2025)

Abstract
We present ByteSpector, a tool for constructing and verifying control flow graphs (CFGs) from Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) bytecode. CFGs play a crucial role in analyzing smart contract behavior, but resolving dynamic jumps and ensuring CFG correctness remain significant challenges. ByteSpector addresses these challenges by generating formally verified CFGs, i.e., all target jumps have been resolved correctly, which can serve as a foundation for further contract verification. ByteSpector introduces several key innovation. First, ByteSpector features an efficient algorithm for resolving dynamic jumps that uses a combination of abstract interpretation and semantics reasoning. Second ByteSpector can automatically generate proof objects from EVM bytecode. Proof objects are Dafny programs that encode the semantics of the bytecode, and can be used to prove that computed CFGs over-approximate the contracts execution paths. Third, ByteSpector is written in Dafny and is guaranteed to be free of common runtime errors like array-out-bounds, division-by-zero etc. Moreover, the code and libraries can be automatically translated into multiple languages (e.g., C#, Python, Java, JavaScript), making them reusable in broader verification frameworks. By generating Dafny proof objects (and verified CFGs), ByteSpector provides a robust foundation for bytecode-level analysis, enabling formal verification of smart contracts beyond high-level source code analysis.
Cite as

Franck Cassez. ByteSpector: A Verifying Disassembler for EVM Bytecode. In 6th International Workshop on Formal Methods for Blockchains (FMBC 2025). Open Access Series in Informatics (OASIcs), Volume 129, pp. 4:1-4:15, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{cassez:OASIcs.FMBC.2025.4,
  author =	{Cassez, Franck},
  title =	{{ByteSpector: A Verifying Disassembler for EVM Bytecode}},
  booktitle =	{6th International Workshop on Formal Methods for Blockchains (FMBC 2025)},
  pages =	{4:1--4:15},
  series =	{Open Access Series in Informatics (OASIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-371-3},
  ISSN =	{2190-6807},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{129},
  editor =	{Marmsoler, Diego and Xu, Meng},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/OASIcs.FMBC.2025.4},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-230318},
  doi =		{10.4230/OASIcs.FMBC.2025.4},
  annote =	{Keywords: EVM bytecode, deductive verification, Control Flow Graph}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ECOOP.2023.10
On Leveraging Tests to Infer Nullable Annotations

Authors: Jens Dietrich, David J. Pearce, and Mahin Chandramohan

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 263, 37th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2023)

Abstract
Issues related to the dereferencing of null pointers are a pervasive and widely studied problem, and numerous static analyses have been proposed for this purpose. These are typically based on dataflow analysis, and take advantage of annotations indicating whether a type is nullable or not. The presence of such annotations can significantly improve the accuracy of null checkers. However, most code found in the wild is not annotated, and tools must fall back on default assumptions, leading to both false positives and false negatives. Manually annotating code is a laborious task and requires deep knowledge of how a program interacts with clients and components. We propose to infer nullable annotations from an analysis of existing test cases. For this purpose, we execute instrumented tests and capture nullable API interactions. Those recorded interactions are then refined (santitised and propagated) in order to improve their precision and recall. We evaluate our approach on seven projects from the spring ecosystems and two google projects which have been extensively manually annotated with thousands of @Nullable annotations. We find that our approach has a high precision, and can find around half of the existing @Nullable annotations. This suggests that the method proposed is useful to mechanise a significant part of the very labour-intensive annotation task.
Cite as

Jens Dietrich, David J. Pearce, and Mahin Chandramohan. On Leveraging Tests to Infer Nullable Annotations. In 37th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2023). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 263, pp. 10:1-10:25, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023)

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@InProceedings{dietrich_et_al:LIPIcs.ECOOP.2023.10,
  author =	{Dietrich, Jens and Pearce, David J. and Chandramohan, Mahin},
  title =	{{On Leveraging Tests to Infer Nullable Annotations}},
  booktitle =	{37th European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2023)},
  pages =	{10:1--10:25},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-281-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2023},
  volume =	{263},
  editor =	{Ali, Karim and Salvaneschi, Guido},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ECOOP.2023.10},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-182037},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ECOOP.2023.10},
  annote =	{Keywords: null analysis, null safety, testing, program analysis}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/DARTS.3.2.6
Contracts in the Wild: A Study of Java Programs (Artifact)

Authors: Jens Dietrich, David J. Pearce, Kamil Jezek, and Premek Brada

Published in: DARTS, Volume 3, Issue 2, Special Issue of the 31st European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2017)

Abstract
This artefact contains a dataset of open-source programs obtained from the Maven Central Repository and scripts that first extract contracts from these programs and then perform several analyses on the contracts extracted. The extraction and analysis is fully automated and directly produces the tables presented in the accompanying paper. The results show how contracts are used in real-world program, and how their usage changes between versions and within inheritance hierarchies.
Cite as

Jens Dietrich, David J. Pearce, Kamil Jezek, and Premek Brada. Contracts in the Wild: A Study of Java Programs (Artifact). In Special Issue of the 31st European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2017). Dagstuhl Artifacts Series (DARTS), Volume 3, Issue 2, pp. 6:1-6:4, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2017)

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@Article{dietrich_et_al:DARTS.3.2.6,
  author =	{Dietrich, Jens and Pearce, David J. and Jezek, Kamil and Brada, Premek},
  title =	{{Contracts in the Wild: A Study of Java Programs (Artifact)}},
  pages =	{6:1--6:4},
  journal =	{Dagstuhl Artifacts Series},
  ISSN =	{2509-8195},
  year =	{2017},
  volume =	{3},
  number =	{2},
  editor =	{Dietrich, Jens and Pearce, David J. and Jezek, Kamil and Brada, Premek},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/DARTS.3.2.6},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-72871},
  doi =		{10.4230/DARTS.3.2.6},
  annote =	{Keywords: verification, design-by-contract, assertions, preconditions, postconditions, runtime checking, java, input validation}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ECOOP.2017.9
Contracts in the Wild: A Study of Java Programs

Authors: Jens Dietrich, David J. Pearce, Kamil Jezek, and Premek Brada

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 74, 31st European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2017)

Abstract
The use of formal contracts has long been advocated as an approach to develop programs that are provably correct. However, the reality is that adoption of contracts has been slow in practice. Despite this, the adoption of lightweight contracts — typically utilising runtime checking — has progressed. In the case of Java, built-in features of the language (e.g. assertions and exceptions) can be used for this. Furthermore, a number of libraries which facilitate contract checking have arisen. In this paper, we catalogue 25 techniques and tools for lightweight contract checking in Java, and present the results of an empirical study looking at a dataset extracted from the 200 most popular projects found on Maven Central, constituting roughly 351,034 KLOC. We examine (1) the extent to which contracts are used and (2) what kind of contracts are used. We then investigate how contracts are used to safeguard code, and study problems in the context of two types of substitutability that can be guarded by contracts: (3) unsafe evolution of APIs that may break client programs and (4) violations of Liskovs Substitution Principle (LSP) when methods are overridden. We find that: (1) a wide range of techniques and constructs are used to represent contracts, and often the same program uses different techniques at the same time; (2) overall, contracts are used less than expected, with significant differences between programs; (3) projects that use contracts continue to do so, and expand the use of contracts as they grow and evolve; and, (4) there are cases where the use of contracts points to unsafe subtyping (violations of Liskov's Substitution Principle) and unsafe evolution.
Cite as

Jens Dietrich, David J. Pearce, Kamil Jezek, and Premek Brada. Contracts in the Wild: A Study of Java Programs. In 31st European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2017). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 74, pp. 9:1-9:29, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2017)

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@InProceedings{dietrich_et_al:LIPIcs.ECOOP.2017.9,
  author =	{Dietrich, Jens and Pearce, David J. and Jezek, Kamil and Brada, Premek},
  title =	{{Contracts in the Wild: A Study of Java Programs}},
  booktitle =	{31st European Conference on Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 2017)},
  pages =	{9:1--9:29},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-035-4},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2017},
  volume =	{74},
  editor =	{M\"{u}ller, Peter},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ECOOP.2017.9},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-72590},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ECOOP.2017.9},
  annote =	{Keywords: verification, design-by-contract, assertions, preconditions, postconditions, runtime checking, java, input validation}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/DagSemProc.10152.1
10152 Abstracts Collection – Relationships, Objects, Roles, and Queries in Modern Languages

Authors: Guido Boella, Erik Meijer, David J. Pearce, Friedrich Steimann, and Frank Tip

Published in: Dagstuhl Seminar Proceedings, Volume 10152, Relationships, Objects, Roles, and Queries in Modern Programming Languages (2010)

Abstract
From 11/04/10 to 16/04/10, the Dagstuhl Seminar 10152 ``Relationships, Objects, Roles, and Queries in Modern Programming Languages'' was held in Schloss Dagstuhl~--~Leibniz Center for Informatics. During the seminar, several participants presented their current research, and ongoing work and open problems were discussed. Abstracts of the presentations given during the seminar as well as abstracts of seminar results and ideas are put together in this paper. The first section describes the seminar topics and goals in general. Links to extended abstracts or full papers are provided, if available.
Cite as

Guido Boella, Erik Meijer, David J. Pearce, Friedrich Steimann, and Frank Tip. 10152 Abstracts Collection – Relationships, Objects, Roles, and Queries in Modern Languages. In Relationships, Objects, Roles, and Queries in Modern Programming Languages. Dagstuhl Seminar Proceedings, Volume 10152, pp. 1-11, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2010)

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@InProceedings{boella_et_al:DagSemProc.10152.1,
  author =	{Boella, Guido and Meijer, Erik and Pearce, David J. and Steimann, Friedrich and Tip, Frank},
  title =	{{10152 Abstracts Collection – Relationships, Objects, Roles, and Queries in Modern Languages}},
  booktitle =	{Relationships, Objects, Roles, and Queries in Modern Programming Languages},
  pages =	{1--11},
  series =	{Dagstuhl Seminar Proceedings (DagSemProc)},
  ISSN =	{1862-4405},
  year =	{2010},
  volume =	{10152},
  editor =	{Guido Boella and Erik Meijer and David J. Pearce and Friedrich Steimann and Frank Tip},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/DagSemProc.10152.1},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-25750},
  doi =		{10.4230/DagSemProc.10152.1},
  annote =	{Keywords: Relationships, Roles, Software Modelling, Programming Languages}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/DagSemProc.10152.2
10152 Executive Summary – Relationships, Objects, Roles, and Queries in Modern Languages

Authors: Guido Boella, Erik Meijer, David J. Pearce, Friedrich Steimann, and Frank Tip

Published in: Dagstuhl Seminar Proceedings, Volume 10152, Relationships, Objects, Roles, and Queries in Modern Programming Languages (2010)

Abstract
During the 4 days of the seminar, 21 talks, 4 tutorials and 6 demos were given by the participants. In addition, a beauty contest was run on the last day, where participants were invited to solve a benchmark problem using their system.
Cite as

Guido Boella, Erik Meijer, David J. Pearce, Friedrich Steimann, and Frank Tip. 10152 Executive Summary – Relationships, Objects, Roles, and Queries in Modern Languages. In Relationships, Objects, Roles, and Queries in Modern Programming Languages. Dagstuhl Seminar Proceedings, Volume 10152, pp. 1-3, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2010)

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@InProceedings{boella_et_al:DagSemProc.10152.2,
  author =	{Boella, Guido and Meijer, Erik and Pearce, David J. and Steimann, Friedrich and Tip, Frank},
  title =	{{10152 Executive Summary – Relationships, Objects, Roles, and Queries in Modern Languages}},
  booktitle =	{Relationships, Objects, Roles, and Queries in Modern Programming Languages},
  pages =	{1--3},
  series =	{Dagstuhl Seminar Proceedings (DagSemProc)},
  ISSN =	{1862-4405},
  year =	{2010},
  volume =	{10152},
  editor =	{Guido Boella and Erik Meijer and David J. Pearce and Friedrich Steimann and Frank Tip},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/DagSemProc.10152.2},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-25743},
  doi =		{10.4230/DagSemProc.10152.2},
  annote =	{Keywords: Relationships, Roles, Software Modelling, Programming Languages}
}
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