Interface compilation: steps toward compiling program interfaces aslanguages

摘要

Interfaces-the collection of procedures and data structures thatndefine a library, a subsystem, a module-are syntactically poornprogramming languages. They have state (defined both by the interface'sndata structures and internally), operations on this state (defined bynthe interface's procedures), and semantics associated with thesenoperations. Given a way to incorporate interface semantics intoncompilation, interfaces can be compiled in the same manner asntraditional languages such as ANSI C or FORTRAN. The article makes twoncontributions. First, it proposes and explores the metaphor of interfacencompilation, and provides the beginnings of a programming methodologynfor exploiting it. Second, it presents MAGIK, a system built to supportninterface compilation. Using MAGIK, software developers can buildnoptimizers and checkers for their interface languages, and have thesenextensions incorporated into compilation, with a corresponding gain innefficiency and safety. This organization contrasts with traditionalncompilation, which relegates programmers to the role of passivenconsumers, rather than active exploiters of a compiler'sntransformational abilities