Title :
Type inference for record concatenation and multiple inheritance
Author_Institution :
Coll. of Comput. Sci., Northeastern Univ., Boston, MA, USA
Abstract :
The author shows that the type inference problem for a lambda calculus with records, including a record concatenation operator, is decidable. He shows that this calculus does not have principal types but does have finite complete sets of type, that is, for any term M in the calculus, there exists an effectively generable finite set of type schemes such that every typing for M is an instance of one of the schemes in the set. The author shows how a simple model of object-oriented programming, including hidden instance variables and multiple inheritance, may be coded in this calculus. The author concludes that type inference is decidable for object-oriented programs, even with multiple inheritance and classes as first-class values
Keywords :
data structures; formal languages; formal logic; inference mechanisms; classes; decidable; effectively generable finite set; finite complete sets; first-class values; hidden instance variables; lambda calculus; multiple inheritance; object-oriented programming; object-oriented programs; record concatenation operator; type inference problem; type schemes; typing; Calculus; Computer science; Educational institutions; Object oriented modeling; Safety;
Conference_Titel :
Logic in Computer Science, 1989. LICS '89, Proceedings., Fourth Annual Symposium on
Conference_Location :
Pacific Grove, CA
Print_ISBN :
0-8186-1954-6
DOI :
10.1109/LICS.1989.39162