Direct access of language metadata

• US 8,850,414 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2007
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Payette, Bruce, Xie, George, Rowlett, Jonathan M., Holmes, Lee, Snover, Jeffrey P., Truher, Jim
• Primary Examiner(s): Rampuria, Satish
• Application Number:
  US11/670,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20080189683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,797 Days
• Field of Search: 717136-161, 709/228, 705/8
• US Class Current: 717/141
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/41 Compilation

Abstract

Method and system for direct access of language metadata are disclosed. In an implementation, the method includes receiving commands from a user to modify language metadata of a programming language. The metadata is modified based on the command and the modified metadata is utilized as a feature in the programming language at runtime.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a memory;

one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory;

a compiler stored in the memory and executed by the one or more processors, the compiler operating to;

receive an input script of a computer programming language, the computer programming language being associated with language metadata specifying runtime characteristics of the computer programming language; and

generate an output program of machine code based on the input script and the language metadata;

an interpreter stored in the memory and executed by the one or more processors, the interpreter operating to execute the output program based on the language metadata; and

a language metadata provider to;

produce one or more modifications to the language metadata based at least in part on language metadata commands to produce the one or more modifications to the language metadata, the one or more modifications including at least one of a new keyword, an operator, or a statement to be added to a grammar of the computer programming language,

to provide the modified language metadata to the compiler and the interpreter, and

to manipulate the language metadata at runtime and change language behavior.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein at least some of the one or more modifications to the language metadata are associated with a temporal period and do not impact at least one behavior of the computer programming language after a predetermined time.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the compiler includes one or more of the following:

a parse engine and a code generator.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the compiler includes a parse engine that transforms the input script into a data structure that captures implied hierarchy of the input script.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the compiler includes a code generator that receives a parse tree and generates the output program.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the language metadata provider is included in at least one of the following:

the compiler or the interpreter.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the language metadata provider is configured to receive commands from a user.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a compiler comprising;

a parse engine accessible to the processor to receive input script;

a standard language grammar module accessible to the processor to define features of a programming language of the input script;

an active profile module accessible to the processor to define a sequence of namespaces; and

a language metadata provider accessible to the processor to;

modify language metadata of the programming language, the language metadata specifying runtime characteristics of the programming language; and

modify one or more of the namespaces based on respective modifications to the language metadata, each of the respective modifications being associated with a particular scope indicating one or more sessions for which to apply a respective modification.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the standard language grammar module defines the features of the programming language in a standard language grammar to extract syntax information of the programming language.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the active profile module defines the sequence of namespaces, wherein the namespaces are implemented in an array and each of the namespaces define particular elements.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the active profile module includes a dynamic collection of metadata used by the parse engine for parsing functions.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the language metadata provider includes namespace data utilized by the active profile module to provide nodes in a parse tree.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the language metadata provider includes logic for navigating and manipulating the language metadata.

14. A method comprising:

receiving one or more commands to modify language metadata of a programming language, the one or more commands indicating an addition of at least one of a new keyword, an operator, or a statement to the programming language, the language metadata specifying runtime characteristics of the programming language;

modifying the language metadata at runtime based on the one or more commands to produce modified language metadata and change language behavior;

modifying a grammar of the programming language based on the modified language metadata to add the at least one new keyword, operator, or statement to the programming language, the grammar of the programming language defining a syntax of the programming language; and

utilizing the modified language metadata as a feature at runtime for parsing one or more functions and for execution of an output program.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the receiving the one or more commands includes intercepting the one or more commands and generating and maintaining modifiable language metadata.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the modifying includes modifying one or more namespace elements.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the utilizing includes utilizing the language metadata for one or more input scripts and one or more output programs.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising adding a new syntactic, semantic, or lexical feature to the programming language based on the modified language metadata.