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JavaScript as an Embedded DSL

  • Grzegorz Kossakowski
  • Nada Amin
  • Tiark Rompf
  • Martin Odersky
Conference paper
Part of the Lecture Notes in Computer Science book series (LNCS, volume 7313)

Abstract

Developing rich web applications requires mastering different environments on the client and server sides. While there is considerable choice on the server-side, the client-side is tied to JavaScript, which poses substantial software engineering challenges, such as moving or sharing pieces of code between the environments. We embed JavaScript as a DSL in Scala, using Lightweight Modular Staging. DSL code can be compiled to JavaScript or executed as part of the server application. We use features of the host language to make client-side programming safer and more convenient. We use gradual typing to interface typed DSL programs with existing JavaScript APIs. We exploit a selective CPS transform already available in the host language to provide a compelling abstraction over asynchronous callback-driven programming in our DSL.

Keywords

JavaScript Scala DSL programming languages 
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  • Grzegorz Kossakowski
    • 1
  • Nada Amin
    • 1
  • Tiark Rompf
    • 1
  • Martin Odersky
    • 1
  1. 1.Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)Switzerland

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