Section: New Software and Platforms
Equations
Keywords: Coq - Dependent Pattern-Matching - Proof assistant - Functional programming
Scientific Description: Equations is a tool designed to help with the definition of programs in the setting of dependent type theory, as implemented in the Coq proof assistant. Equations provides a syntax for defining programs by dependent pattern-matching and well-founded recursion and compiles them down to the core type theory of Coq, using the primitive eliminators for inductive types, accessibility and equality. In addition to the definitions of programs, it also automatically derives useful reasoning principles in the form of propositional equations describing the functions, and an elimination principle for calls to this function. It realizes this using a purely definitional translation of high-level definitions to core terms, without changing the core calculus in any way, or using axioms.
Functional Description: Equations is a function definition plugin for Coq (supporting Coq 8.6 and 8.7), that allows the definition of functions by dependent pattern-matching and well-founded, mutual or nested structural recursion and compiles them into core terms. It automatically derives the clauses equations, the graph of the function and its associated elimination principle.
Equations is based on a simplification engine for the dependent equalities appearing in dependent eliminations that is also usable as a separate tactic, providing an axiom-free variant of dependent destruction. The main features of Equations include:
Dependent pattern-matching in the style of Agda/Epigram, with inaccessible patterns, with and where clauses. The use of the K axiom or a proof of K is configurable.
Support for well-founded recursion using by rec annotations, and automatic derivation of the subterm relation for inductive families.
Support for mutual and nested structural recursion using with and where auxilliary definitions, allowing to factor multiple uses of the same nested fixpoint definition. It proves the expected elimination principles for mutual and nested definitions.
Automatic generation of the defining equations as rewrite rules for every definition.
Automatic generation of the unfolding lemma for well-founded definitions (requiring only functional extensionality).
Automatic derivation of the graph of the function and its elimination principle. In case the automation fails to prove these principles, the user is asked to provide a proof.
A new dependent elimination tactic based on the same splitting tree compilation scheme that can advantageously replace dependent destruction and sometimes inversion as well. The as clause of dependent elimination allows to specify exactly the patterns and naming of new variables needed for an elimination.
A set of Derive commands for automatic derivation of constructions from an inductive type: its signature, no-confusion property, well-founded subterm relation and decidable equality proof, if applicable.
News Of The Year: Equations 1.0 was released in december this year, after 7 years of (non-continuous) development. It provides the first feature-full version of the software. It has been tried and tested on small to medium scale examples (available on the website). Equations was presented at the Type Theory Tools EUTypes meeting in January 2017 in Paris, and another demo/presentation will be given at PEPM 2018 in Los Angeles in January 2018.