+ + + + + + +

Aim

+ +There is already quite good documentation available for users to learn +how to interact with Isabelle and to use it for proving +theorems (see here). +However, the entry barrier for users to program on the ML-level of Isabelle +is still unbearably high. In this project we want to change this state +of affairs by providing a tutorial about ML-coding in Isabelle. +At its centre we describe the +implementation of a simple prototypical Isabelle package (we describe +a simplified version of the inductive package). We hope by +documenting every aspect of this package that in the future you will +be able to modify, extend and adapt this package for your own purposes, +see how developers code in Isabelle and understand better Isabelle's +idiosyncrasies. As a result you will be able to quickly produce code +for your own needs and will be able to participate in keeping Isabelle +alive in the long run. + +

+Specific topics of the tutorial we have not yet covered: + +

First Steps +
- theories, contexts and local theories +
- morphisms +
- name spaces +
+
Parsing +
- context-, argument- and attribute parsers +
- parsing and printing translations +
- methods +
+
Tactical Reasoning +
- declarations +
- structured proofs +
+
Advanced Stuff +
- user-space type-systems +
- typing algorithms +
- external applications +
+

+ +Please help us to expand on this list. + +

We need You

+ +We need help for accomplishing this tutorial. If you are familiar with the +ML-level of Isabelle, please get in contact with us (see addresses below). If you +are not familiar, but like to know more about the bits and pieces that make +up the Isabelle code, then let us know what you are interested in or what +project you like to implement. Above all we like to help future users and +developers of Isabelle; we do not want to end up with some "artificial documentation" +that is of nobody's help. Also proofreading and feedback would be most +appreciated. + +

People to contact

+ +The project is managed by + +

Christian Urban (christian.urban at kcl ac uk) +
Larry Paulson (lp15 at cam ac uk) +
Michael Norrish + (Michael.Norrish at nicta com au) +

+ +There is also the following mailing list that is subscribed by all developers +and open for help, suggestions etc. about this project. +

+ +isabelle-dev@mailbroy.informatik.tu-muenchen.de +
+

+ +

Repository

+ +A preliminary +repository +is available and you are very welcome to contribute to it. The current draft of the tutorial is here. + +

Stable Version

+ +There is no real stable version of the Programming Tutorial yet. If you need a version +that is guaranteed to work with Isabelle 2011-1, then please get in touch with me +(christian.urban at kcl ac uk). + + +

What early readers said:

+ +

+ +My path towards HOL was from HOL Light, to HOL4, to Isabelle/HOL and +the Cookbook was essential for the last step (Piotr Trojanek, University of Bristol, 2014) + + +

+ +...and the Isabelle/ML Cookbook are valuable resources (Lars Hupel, 2014) + + +

+ +GREAT!!! That's exactly what I was looking for! (Thomas Genet, ISTIC/IRISA, 2012) + + +

+ +The tutorial really is quite nice. (Jeremy Avigad, CMU, 2011) + + +

+ +By the way, thanks for the Isabelle Cookbook, it's really helpful to +start with Isabelle/ML. (Mathieu Giorgino, 2011) + + +

+ +Great! This seems to have a lot of the missing pieces I couldn't find +in the tutorial and reference manual. (Kevin Van Horn, 2011) + + +

+ +I've been fighting for hours trying to derive some theorems automatically, +until Florian told me I should try using conversions and then I read the Cookbook +section and it solved my problem. The example with abs_conv in particular was +particularly illuminating. Thanks! (Jasmin Blanchette, TU Munich, 2010) + + +

+ The cook book seems really helpful, if not even exactly what I need. +(Nils Jähnig, FU Berlin, 2010) + +

+The Programming Tutorial has helped me tremendously to get familiar with +Isabelle, which I used in my bachelor thesis about the type-inference algorithm +in Isabelle. (Dmitriy Traytel, TU Munich, 2010) + +

+I've already pointed a couple of PhD students at the programming tutorial, and +they've already found it to be a great place to start with Isabelle +programming. (Lucas Dixon, University of Edinburgh, 2009) + +

+The Isabelle Programming Tutorial is great! I finally learned how to add +new keywords and how to parse outer syntax! (Amine Chaieb, University of Cambridge) + +

+I felt the programming tutorial was very clear and comprehensible. I'm +toying with actually getting back to Isabelle again. Thanks to +everyone involved in the documentation project. I really think it +is worthwhile. (Tom Ridge, University of Cambridge, 2009) + +

+I learned from the tutorial how to deal with fresh variables and also which function to use +for applying substitutions that are generated by unification. +(Lukas Bulwahn, TU Munich, 2009) + +

+ What a great resource! I wish I'd had this when I wrote my first +parser in December 2008. +(Timothy Bourke, UNSW Sydney, 2009) + +