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Methods as assertions

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Book cover Object-Oriented Programming (ECOOP 1994)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 821))

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Abstract

A method definition can be viewed as a logical assertion. Whenever we declare a method as the implementation of an operation, we assert that if the operation is invoked on objects of the appropriate types then the method body will satisfy the specification of the operation. This view of methods as assertions is simple but general. Among its applications are: methods defined on interfaces as well as on classes; an elementary type system for objects that handles multi-methods; and a mechanism for method dispatch based on the desired output type as well as on the types of arguments. Further, these applications are compatible with traditional execution models and implementation techniques. Logical reasoning about methods plays a role at compile time, then gets out of the way.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Xerox PARC, 3333 Coyote Hill Road, 94304, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    John Lamping

  2. Digital Equipment Corporation Systems Research Center, 130 Lytton Avenue, 94301, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    Martin Abadi

Authors
  1. John Lamping
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  2. Martin Abadi
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Mario Tokoro Remo Pareschi

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© 1994 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Lamping, J., Abadi, M. (1994). Methods as assertions. In: Tokoro, M., Pareschi, R. (eds) Object-Oriented Programming. ECOOP 1994. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 821. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0052176

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0052176

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-58202-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-48567-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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