Abstract
Katahdin is a programming language where the syntax and semantics are mutable
at runtime. The Katahdin interpreter parses and executes programs according
to a language definition that can be modified by the running program.
Commands to modify the language definition are similar to those that define
new types and functions in other languages, and can be collected into language
definition modules.
Katahdin can execute programs written in any language which it has a definition
module for. The definition of more than one language can be composed
allowing more than one language to be used in the same program, the same
file, and even the same function. Data and code is shared between all languages,
with a function defined in one language callable from another with
no binding layer.
Traditional language development involves using a parser generator tool to
generate a static parser from the language grammar. Katahdin’s approach
is to just-in-time compile a parser from the grammar as the program runs.
The grammar can be modified as the program runs because the parser can be
recompiled to match it.
Recent research into grammar theory with parsing expression grammars and
parser theory with packrat parsers provided the basis for the techniques used
in Katahdin and will be referenced in this thesis along with an introduction to
my additions.
Katahdin is intended as a language independent interpreter and a development
platform that can replace traditional static parser generators for language
development. With further development Katahdin should be useable
as a drop in replacement for interpreters and compilers for a wide range of
languages, and as a platform for development of new languages.
Using a single runtime to execute any programming language will reduce development
costs to businesses. For any combination of languages used in a
system, only a single runtime has to be maintained, ported between platforms
and supported. The ability to use multiple languages in the same program
will allow businesses to use the most appropriate language for any part of the
system. For example, an engineer could write the core of a program in FOR-
TRAN and then add a user interface written in Python, without worrying about
interfacing between two runtimes.
| Translated title of the contribution | A Programming Language Where the Syntax and Semantics Are Mutable at Runtime |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Publisher | Department of Computer Science, University of Bristol |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |
Bibliographical note
Other page information: -Other identifier: 2000702