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Type-Safe Linguistic Reflection: A Generator Technology

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Fully Integrated Data Environments

Part of the book series: Esprit Basic Research Series ((ESPRIT BASIC))

Abstract

Reflective systems allow their own structures to be altered from within. In a programming system reflection can occur in two ways: by a program altering its own interpretation or by it changing itself. Reflection has been used to facilitate the production and evolution of data and programs in database and programming language systems. This paper is concerned with a particular style of reflection, called linguistic reflection, used in compiled, strongly typed languages. Two major techniques for this have evolved: compile-time reflection and run-time reflection. These techniques are described together with a definition and anatomy of reflective systems using them. Two illustrative examples are given and the uses of type-safe reflective techniques in a database programming language context are surveyed. These include attaining high levels of genericity, accommodating changes in systems, implementing data models, optimising implementations and validating specifications.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Leo Fegaras

    Present address: Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Oregon Graduate Institute, Beaverton, 97006, OR, USA

  2. Richard Connor

    Present address: Department of Computer Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Gl2 8QQ, Scotland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 01038, MA, USA

    David Stemple & Leo Fegaras

  2. Department of Computer Science, Australian National University, Acton, 2601, ACT, Australia

    Robin Stanton

  3. Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Oregon Graduate Institute, Beaverton, OR, 97006, USA

    Tim Sheard

  4. Department of Computer Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, Scotland

    Paul Philbrow, Richard Cooper & Malcolm P. Atkinson

  5. School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews, KY16 9SS, Scotland

    Ron Morrison, Graham Kirby & Richard Connor

  6. Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA

    Suad Alagic

Authors
  1. David Stemple
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  2. Leo Fegaras
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  3. Robin Stanton
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  4. Tim Sheard
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  5. Paul Philbrow
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  6. Richard Cooper
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  7. Malcolm P. Atkinson
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  8. Ron Morrison
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  9. Graham Kirby
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  10. Richard Connor
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  11. Suad Alagic
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computing Science, University of Glasgow, 8-17 Lilybank Gardens, G12 8RZ, Glasgow, UK

    Malcolm P. Atkinson  & Ray Welland  & 

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© 2000 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Stemple, D. et al. (2000). Type-Safe Linguistic Reflection: A Generator Technology. In: Atkinson, M.P., Welland, R. (eds) Fully Integrated Data Environments. Esprit Basic Research Series. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59623-0_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59623-0_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-64055-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-59623-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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