Dynamic interfaces

Vasconcelos, V.T., Gay, S.J. , Ravara, A., Gesbert, N. and Caldiera, A.Z. (2009) Dynamic interfaces. In: 2009 International Workshop on Foundations of Object-Oriented Languages (FOOL'09), Savannah, Georgia, USA, 24 Jan 2009,

Abstract

We define a small class-based object-oriented language in which the availability of methods depends on an object’s abstract state: objects’ interfaces are dynamic. Each class has a session type which provides a global specification of the availability of methods in each state. A key feature is that the abstract state of an object may depend on the result of a method whose return type is an enumeration. Static typing guarantees that methods are only called when they are available. We present both a type system, in which the typing of a method specifies pre- and post-conditions for its object’s state, and a typechecking algorithm, which infers the pre- and post-conditions from the session type, and prove type safety results. Inheritance is included; a subtyping relation on session types, related to that found in previous literature, characterizes the relationship between method availability in a subclass and in its superclass. We illustrate the language and its type system with an example based on a Java-style iterator and a hierarchy of classes for accessing files, and conclude by outlining several ways in which our theory can be extended towards more practical languages.

• Item Type: Conference Proceedings
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gesbert, Dr Nils and Gay, Professor Simon and Ravara, Antonio
• Authors: Vasconcelos, V.T., Gay, S.J., Ravara, A., Gesbert, N., and Caldiera, A.Z.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Computing Science

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