[e-lang] Type Inference for First-Class Messages with Match-Functions

[David Hopwood]

Relevant to typing E's match clauses:


Type Inference for First-Class Messages with Match-Functions
Paritosh Shroff, Scott F. Smith

Abstract

   Messages that can be treated as first-class entities are called
   /first-class messages/. We present a sound unification-based type
   inference system for first-class messages. The main contribution of
   the paper is the introduction of an extended form of function called
   a match-function to type first-class messages. Match-functions can
   be given simple dependent types: the return type depends on the
   type of the argument. We encode objects as match-functions and
   messages as polymorphic variants, thus reducing message-passing
   to simple function application. We feel the resulting system is
   significantly simpler than previous systems for typing first-class
   messages, and may reasonably be added to a language design without
   overly complicating the type system.

<http://www.cs.jhu.edu/~pari/papers/fool2004/first-class_FOOL2004.pdf>

-- 
David Hopwood <david.nospam.hopwood at blueyonder.co.uk>