Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Annual Asian Computing Science Conference

ASIAN 1998: Advances in Computing Science ASIAN 98 pp 169–187Cite as

Type Inference for First-Class Messages with Feature Constraints

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 1538))

Abstract

We present a constraint system OF of feature trees that is appropriate to specify and implement type inference for first-class messages. OF extends traditional systems of feature constraints by a selection constraint x[y]z “by first-class feature tree” y, in contrast to the standard selection constraint x[f]y “by fixed feature” f. We investigate the satisfiability problem of OF and show that it can be solved in polynomial time, and even in quadratic time in an important special case. We compare OF with Treinen’s constraint system EF of feature constraints with first-class features, which has an NP-complete satisfiability problem. This comparison yields that the satisfiability problem for OF with negation is NP-hard. Based on OF we give a simple account of type inference for first-class messages in the spirit of Nishimura’s recent proposal, and we show that it has polynomial time complexity: We also highlight an immediate extension that is desirable but makes type inference NP-hard.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. A. Aiken and E. Wimmers. Type inclusion constraints and type inference. iIn Proceedings of the 6 th ACM Conference on Functional Programming and Computer Architecture, pp. 31–41. ACM Press, New York, June 1993.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  2. H. Aït-Kaci and A. Podelski. Towards a meaning of life. The Journal of Logic Programming, 16(3-4):195–234, July, Aug. 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  3. H. Aït-Kaci, A. Podelski, and G. Smolka. A feature-based constraint system for logic programming with entailment. Theoretical Computer Science, 122(1-2):263–283, Jan. 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  4. R. Backofen. A complete axiomatization of a theory with feature and arity constraints. The Journal of Logic Programming, 24(1-2):37–71, 1995. Special Issue onComputational Linguistics and Logic Programming.

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  5. R. Backofen and G. Smolka. A complete and recursive feature theory. Theoretical Computer Science, 146(1-2):243–268, July 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  6. F. Bourdoncle and S. Merz. Type checking higher-order polymorphic multimethods. In Proceedings of the 24 th ACM Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages, pp. 302–315. ACM Press, New York, Jan. 1997.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  7. M. Dietzfelbinger, A. Karlin, K. Mehlhorn, F. Meyer Auf Der Heide, H. Rohnert, and R. E. Tarjan. Dynamic perfect hashing: Upper and lower bounds. SIAM Journal of Computing, 23(4):738–761, Aug. 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  8. J. Eifrig, S. Smith, and V. Trifonow. Type inference for recursively constrained types and its application to object-oriented programming. Electronic Notes in Theoretical Computer Science, 1, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  9. M. R. Garey and D. S. Johnson. Computers and Intractability: A Guide to the Theory of NP-Completeness. W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 1979.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  10. R. Hindley. The principal type scheme of an object in combinatory logic. Transactions of the American Mathematical Society, 146:29–60, Dec. 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  11. H. G. Mairson. Deciding ML typebility is complete for deterministic exponential time. In Proceedings of the 17 th ACM Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages, pp. 382–401. ACM Press, New York, Jan. 1990.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  12. K. Mehlhorn and P. Tsakalides. Data structures. In van Leeuwen [31], chapter 6, pp. 301–342.

    Google Scholar 

  13. R. Milner. A theory of type polymorphism in programming. Journal of Computer and System Science, 17(3):348–375, 1978.

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  14. R. Milner, M. Tofte, R. Harper, and D. MacQueen. The Definition of Standard ML (Revised). The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  15. M. Müller, J. Niehren, and A. Podelski. Inclusion constraints over non-empty sets of trees. In M. Bidoit and M. Dauchet, eds., Proceedings of the Theory and Practice of Software Development, vol. 1214 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pp. 345–356. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Apr. 1997.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  16. M. Müller, J. Niehren, and A. Podelski. Ordering constraints over feature trees. In G. Smolka, ed., Proceedings of the 3 rd International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming, vol. 1330 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pp. 297–311. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1997. Full version submitted to special journal issue of CP’97.

    Google Scholar 

  17. M. Müller and S. Nishimura. Type inference for first-class messages with feature constraints. Technical report, Programming Systems Lab, Universität des Saarlandes, 1998. http://www.ps.uni-sb.de/Papers/abstracts/FirstClass98.html

  18. S. Nishimura. Static typing for dynamic messages. In Proceedings of the 25 th ACM Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages, pp. 266–278. ACM Press, New York, 1998.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  19. M. Odersky, P. Wadler, and M. Wehr. A second look at overloading. In Proceedings of the 7 th ACM Conference on Functional Programming and Computer Architecture. ACM Press, New York, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  20. A. Ohori. A polymorphic record calculus and its compilation. ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems, 17(6):844–895, 1995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. J. Palsberg. Efficient inference of object types. In Proceedings of the 9 th IEEE Symposium on Logic in Computer Science, pp. 186–185. IEEE Computer Society Press, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  22. C. Pollard and I. Sag. Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar. Studies in Contemporary Linguistics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  23. D. Rémy. Type checking records and variants in a natural extension of ML. In Proceedings of the 16 th ACM Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages, pp. 77–87. ACM Press, New York, 1989.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  24. D. Rémy and J. Vouillon. Objective ML: A simple object-oriented extension of ML. In Proceedings of the 24 th ACM Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages, pp. 40–53. ACM Press, New York, 1997.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  25. W. C. Rounds. Feature logics. In J. v. Benthem and A. ter Meulen, eds., Handbook of Logic and Language, pp. 475–533. Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (North Holland), 1997. Part 2: General Topics.

    Google Scholar 

  26. G. Smolka. The Oz Programming Model. In J. van Leeuwen, ed., Computer Science Today, vol. 1000 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pp. 324–343. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1995.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  27. G. Smolka and R. Treinen. Records for logic programming. The Journal of Logic Programming, 18(3):229–258, Apr. 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  28. M. Sulzmann. Proofs of properties about HM(X). Technical Report YALEU/DCS/RR-1102, Yale University, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  29. M. Sulzmann, M. Odersky, and M. Wehr. Type inference with constrained types (extended abstract). In B. Pierce, ed., Proceedings of the 4 th International Workshop on Foundations of Object-oriented Programming, Jan. 1997. Full version to appear in TAPOS, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  30. R. Treinen. Feature constraints with first-class features. In A. M. Borzyszkowski and S. Sokolowski, eds., International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science, vol. 711 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pp. 734–743. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 30 August–3 September 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  31. J. van Leeuwen, ed. Handbook of Theoretical Computer Science, vol. A (Algorithms and Complexity). The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  32. M. Wand. Complete type inference for simple objects. In Proceedings of the IEEE Symposium on Logic in Computer Science, pp. 37–44. IEEE Computer Society Press, 1987. Corrigendum in LICS’ 88, p. 132.

    Google Scholar 

  33. M. Wand. Type inference for record concatenation and multiple inheritance. Information and Computation, 93:1–15, 1991.

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universität des Saarlandes, 66041, Saarbrücken, Germany

    Martin Müller

  2. RIMS, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan

    Susumu Nishimura

Authors
  1. Martin Müller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Susumu Nishimura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Science and Technology, National Chi-Nan University, Puli, Nantou, Taiwan

    Jieh Hsiang

  2. Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan

    Atsushi Ohori

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1998 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Müller, M., Nishimura, S. (1998). Type Inference for First-Class Messages with Feature Constraints. In: Hsiang, J., Ohori, A. (eds) Advances in Computing Science ASIAN 98. ASIAN 1998. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1538. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-49366-2_14

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-49366-2_14

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-65388-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-49366-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation