A sort inference algorithm for the polyadic π-calculus

Gay, S. (1993) A sort inference algorithm for the polyadic π-calculus. In: 20th ACM SIGPLAN-SIGACT Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages, Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 1993, pp. 429-438. ISBN 0897915607 (doi: 10.1145/158511.158701)

Abstract

In Milner's polyadic π-calculus there is a notion of sorts which is analogous to the notion of types in functional programming. As a well-typed program applies functions to arguments in a consistent way, a well-sorted process uses communication channels in a consistent way. An open problem is whether there is an algorithm to infer sorts in the π-calculus in the same way that types can be inferred in functional programming. Here we solve the problem by presenting an algorithm which infers the most general sorting for a process in the first-order calculus, and proving its correctness. The algorithm is similar in style to those used for Hindley-Milner type inference in functional languages.

• Item Type: Conference Proceedings
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gay, Professor Simon
• Authors: Gay, S.
• Subjects: Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Computing Science
• ISBN: 0897915607