Class Invariants: Concepts, Problems, Solutions

Abstract: Class invariants are both a core concept of object-oriented programming and the source of the two key open OO verification problems: furtive access (from callbacks) and reference leak. Existing approaches force on programmers an unacceptable annotation burden. This article explains invariants and solves both problems modularly through the O-rule, defining fundamental OO semantics, and the inhibition rule, using information hiding to remove harmful reference leaks. It also introduces the concept of "object tribe" as a basis for other possible approaches. For all readers: this article is long because it includes a tutorial, covers many examples and dispels misconceptions. To understand the key ideas and results, however, the first two pages suffice. For non-experts in verification: all concepts are explained; anyone with a basic understanding of object-oriented programming can understand the discussion. For experts: the main limitation of this work is that it is a paper proposal (no soundness proof, no implementation). It addresses, however, the known problems with class invariants, solving such examples as linked lists and Observer, through a simple theory and without any of the following: ownership; separation logic; universe types; object wrapping and unwrapping; semantic collaboration, observer specifications; history invariants; "inc" and "coop" constructs; friendship construct; non-modular reasoning. More generally, it involves no new language construct and no new programmer annotations.