Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Type system in programming languages

  • Notes
  • Published:
Journal of Computer Science and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Type system provides a precise description of a programming language. This is a prerequisite for the implementation and use of language. It also conducts mechanical and transparent type-checking on programs to prevent the occurrence of execution error during the running of programs. So, it can be said that, on the one hand, type system works as a formal tool to do mathematical analysis of language; on the other hand, it is a formal method for rigorously and precisely designing and implementing language. In this paper, some basic concepts of type system are discussed first. And then, the implementation of a graph-rewriting-based functional language — SClean’s type system is given in details. It is hoped that the proposed method of using and implementing type system is of practical usefulness.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Barendregt H P. The Lambda Calculus: Its Syntax and Semantics. Amsterdam: North-Holland, 1984.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  2. Barendregt H P. Lambda Calculus with Types. InHandbook of Logic in Computer Science, Oxford University Press, Vol.2, 1991.

  3. Hindley J R, Seldin J P. Introduction to Combinators and λ-Calculus. Cambridge University Press, 1986.

  4. Milner R, Tofte M, Harper Ret al. The Definition of Standard ML (revised). The MIT Press, 1997.

  5. Cardelli L, Wegner P. On understanding types, data abstraction, and polymorphism.ACM Computing Surveys, Dec. 1985, 17(4): 471–521.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Donahue J, Demers A. Data types are values.ACM Transaction on Program. Languages and System, July 1985, 7(3): 426–445.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. Cardelli L. Type System. InHandbook of Computer Science and Engineering, Chapter 103, CRC Press, 1997.

  8. Gunter C A. Semantics of Programming Languages: Structures and Techniques. InFoundations of Computing, Garey M, Meyer A (eds.), MIT Press, 1992.

  9. Cardelli L, Typeful Programming. InFormal Description of Programming Concepts, Neuhold E J, Paul M (eds.), Springer-Verlag, 1991.

  10. Hindley J R. Basic Simple Type Theory. Cambridge University Press, 1997.

  11. Hofmann M, Pierce B. A unifying type-theoretic framework for objects.Journal of Functional Programming, Cambridge University Press, Jan., 1993, 1(1).

  12. Fisher K, Mitchell J C. Notes on typed object-oriented programming. InProc. Theoretical Aspects of Computer Software, Springer, LNCS 789, 1994, pp.844–885.

  13. Benjamin C Pierce, Turner D N. Simple type-theoretic foundations for object-oriented programming.Journal of Functional Programming, Cambridge University Press, Jan. 1993, 1(1): 1–100.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Hudak P, Wadler Pet al. Report on the functional programming language Haskell. Department of Computing Science, Glasgow University, 1993.

  15. Mitchell J C. Type Systems for programming languages. InHandbook of Theoretical Computer Science, Van Leeuwen J (ed.), North Holland, 1990, pp.365–458.

  16. Jiang Hui, Lin Dong, Xie Xiren. Using formal specification languages in industrial software development. InIEEE International Conference on Intelligent Processing Systems, Beijing, October, 28–31, 1997, pp. 1847–1850.

  17. Jiang Hui. Implementation of SClean’s type system [dissertation]. Institute of Communication Engineering, 1998.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Engineering, Institute of Communications Engineering, 210016, Nanjing, P.R. China

    Jiang Hui, Zhang Xingyuan & Xie Xiren

  2. National Defense University of China, 100091, Beijing, P.R. China

    Lin Dong

Authors
  1. Jiang Hui
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lin Dong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zhang Xingyuan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Xie Xiren
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jiang Hui.

Additional information

It is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.69931040), and is also supported by Defense Science and Technology Funding No.GF00J6.2.1. JB0501.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Jiang, H., Lin, D., Zhang, X. et al. Type system in programming languages. J. Comput. Sci. & Technol. 16, 286–292 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02943207

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02943207

Keywords

Search

Navigation