Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Type errors for the IDE with Xtext and Xsemantics

Type errors for the IDE with Xtext and Xsemantics AbstractProviding IDE support for a programming language or a DSL (Domain Specific Language) helps the users of the language to be more productive and to have an immediate feedback on possible errors in a program. Static types can drive IDE mechanisms such as the content assist to propose sensible completions in a given program context. Types can also be used to enrich other typical IDE parts such as the Outline and theHovering pop-ups. In this paper, we focus on statically typed imperative languages, adopting some form of type inference. We present a few general patterns for implementing efficient type systems, focusing on type error recovery. This way, the type system is able to type as many parts of the program as possible, keeping a good IDE experience. Type error messages will be placed on the important parts of the program, avoiding cascading errors that can confuse the user. We show two case studies:we apply the presented patterns to implement the type system of two statically typed DSLs, a simple expression language and a reduced Java-like language, with OOP features. We use Xtext as the language workbench for implementing the compiler and the IDE support andXsemantics, a DSL for implementing type systems using a syntax that mimics formal systems. The patterns shown in the paper can be reused also for implementing languages with other language frameworks. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Open Computer Science de Gruyter

Type errors for the IDE with Xtext and Xsemantics

Bettini, Lorenzo
Open Computer Science , Volume 9 (1): 28 – Jan 1, 2019
Download PDF
28 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/de-gruyter/type-errors-for-the-ide-with-xtext-and-xsemantics-Z7CS20SRvD
Publisher
de Gruyter
Copyright
© 2019 Lorenzo Bettini, published by De Gruyter Open
eISSN
2299-1093
DOI
10.1515/comp-2019-0003
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

AbstractProviding IDE support for a programming language or a DSL (Domain Specific Language) helps the users of the language to be more productive and to have an immediate feedback on possible errors in a program. Static types can drive IDE mechanisms such as the content assist to propose sensible completions in a given program context. Types can also be used to enrich other typical IDE parts such as the Outline and theHovering pop-ups. In this paper, we focus on statically typed imperative languages, adopting some form of type inference. We present a few general patterns for implementing efficient type systems, focusing on type error recovery. This way, the type system is able to type as many parts of the program as possible, keeping a good IDE experience. Type error messages will be placed on the important parts of the program, avoiding cascading errors that can confuse the user. We show two case studies:we apply the presented patterns to implement the type system of two statically typed DSLs, a simple expression language and a reduced Java-like language, with OOP features. We use Xtext as the language workbench for implementing the compiler and the IDE support andXsemantics, a DSL for implementing type systems using a syntax that mimics formal systems. The patterns shown in the paper can be reused also for implementing languages with other language frameworks.

Journal

Open Computer Science – de Gruyter

Published: Jan 1, 2019

References

  • Type error slicing in implicitly typed higherorder languages of
    Haack
  • Accelerating the creation of customized language - Specific IDEs in Eclipse In
    Charles
  • Improved Type Error Reporting In Workshop on Implementation of Functional Informatik - Berichte
    Yang
  • Implementing Java - like languages in Xtext with In OOPS SAC
    Bettini
  • von implementing domain - specific languages for Java In
    Efftinge
  • Heeren Quality Type Error Messages PhD thesis Utrecht University
    Netherlands
  • Eclipse Modeling Framework nd ed
    Steinberg
  • Understanding beginners mistakes with of Functional
    Tirronen
  • language designer s workbench : a one - stop - shop for implementation and verification of language designs In Onward
    Visser
  • Early detection of type errors in templates In
    Chen
  • Implementing type systems for the IDE with Xsemantics of Logical and Algebraic Methods in Programming Part
    Bettini
  • name binding and scope rules In
    Konat
  • Felleisen Semantics with Mass The MIT
    Findler
  • Counter - factual typing for debugging type errors In
    Chen
  • Effective tool support for the working semanticist of Functional
    Sewell
  • An Embedded Domain Specific Generator In
    Xu
  • Derivation and Refinement of Textual Syntax for Models In FA
    Heidenreich
  • CENTAUR the system In Software on Practical Environments
    Borras
  • maximum - flow approach to anomaly isolation in unification - based incremental type inference In
    Johnson
  • el Corrective hints for type incorrect generic Java programs In
    Boustani
  • Approaches and tools for implementing type systems in In
    Bettini
  • Antwerpen as types In Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages
    Van
  • Reference attribute grammars for metamodel semantics In
    Bürger
  • Compilers principles techniques tools nd ed
    Aho
  • den Compiling language definitions the compiler
    Van
  • Union types for object - oriented programming of Object Technology
    Igarashi
  • Type inference and type error diagnosis for with extensions PhD thesis University of Melbourne Australia
    Wazny
  • DSL for dynamic semantics specification In - Leibniz - Zentrum fuer Informatik
    Vergu
  • Featherweight Java a minimal core calculus for Java
    Igarashi
  • III Learning user friendly typeerror messages In
    Wu
  • Reps The synthesizer generator In Software Symposiumon Practical Software Development Environments
    Teitelbaum
  • From Spaghetti to Xsemantics - Practical experiences migrating type systems for languages
    Heiduk
  • Gosling The Java language specification Java
    Joy
  • a DSL for the specification of textual concrete syntaxes in model engineering In
    Jouault
  • DOMain Specific Type Error Diagnosis Department of Utrecht University
    Hage
  • DSL Designing Implementing Using Domain Specific Languages
    Voelter
  • Heeren Scripting the type inference process In
    Hage
  • Antwerpen constraint language for static semantic analysis based on scope graphs In
    Van
  • Towards a universal code formatter through machine learning In
    Parr
  • Ruler programming type rules In FLOPS
    Dijkstra
  • Principal type schemes for functional programs In
    Damas
  • Improving humancompiler interaction through customizable type feedback
    Plociniczak
  • Heeren Heuristics for type error discovery and recovery In
    Hage
  • an extensible attribute grammar system of
    Bodin
  • Type error diagnosis for embedded DSLs by two - stage specialized type rules In
    Serrano
  • Implementing domain - specific languages with Packt Publishing nd ed
    Bettini
  • Interactive type debugging in In Workshop on
    Stuckey
  • Diagnosing type errors with class In
    Zhang
  • von Implementing a typed Java script and its a case - study with Xsemantics on Advances in Software
    Bettini
  • Searching for type error messages In
    Lerner
  • The Spoofax language workbench Rules for declarative specification of languages and In
    Kats
  • a type system framework for http code google com a eclipselabs org p xtexttypesystem
    Völter
  • Wand Finding the source of type errors In
    POPL
  • Type systems
    Cardelli
  • Types Programming Languages The MIT
    Pierce
  • Improving type error messages in In
    Charguéraud
  • The function and dysfunction of information sources in learning functional programming of in Colleges
    Chambers
  • Workbenches The killer - app for domain specific languages https www martinfowler com articles languageWorkbench html
    Fowler
  • Learning from examples to improve code completion systems In
    Bruch
  • Semantics of context - free languages
    Knuth
  • Framework for Feature - Oriented Structures
    Vacchi
  • von Implementing the Type System for a Typed Javascript and its In COMPUTATION
    Bettini
  • Improving type error diagnosis In Workshop on
    Stuckey
  • Towards an Existential Types Model for Java Wildcards In Formal Techniques for Javalike Programs
    Cameron
  • LISA an interactive environment for programming language development In
    Mernik
  • How type errors were fixed and what students did In
    Wu
  • Erdweg van der Evaluating and comparing language workbenches : Existing results and benchmarks for the future
    Storm
  • Building domain - specific embedded languages
    Hudak
  • modularization composition with In
    Voelter
  • DSL for writing type systems for Xtext languages In
    Bettini
  • Introduction to open In Tool
    Haase
  • comparison of tool support for textual domain - specific languages In Workshop on Domain Specific Modeling
    Pfeiffer
  • Basic Simple Type Theory University
    Hindley
  • Type error customization in Controlling expression - level type errors by type - level programming In
    Serrano
  • The JastAdd system modular extensible compiler construction of
    Ekman
  • el Improving type error messages for generic Java Higher - Order
    Boustani