Proving correctness of transformation functions in collaborative editing systems

Abstract

Operational transformation (OT) is an approach which allows to build real-time groupware tools. This approach requires correct transformation functions regarding two conditions called TP1 and TP2. Proving correctness of these transformation functions is very complex and error prone. In this paper, we show how a theorem prover can address this serious bottleneck. To validate our approach, we verifed correctness of state-of-art transformation functions de ned on strings of characters with surprising results. Counter-examples provided by the theorem prover helped us to design the tombstone transformation functions. These functions verify TP1 and TP2, preserve intentions and ensure multi-effect relationships.