Contextual typing

• US 9,639,335 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hoban, Lucas J., Torgersen, Mads, Jazdzewski, Charles P., Hejlsberg, Anders, Lucco, Steven E., Pamer, Joseph J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luu, Cuong V
• Application Number:
  US13/798,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/437 Type checking

Abstract

Type inference is used to provide the benefits of static type checking without explicitly declaring type in the source code. Type inference that proceeds in a bottom up direction is augmented by contextual typing that proceeds in a top down direction. Contextual typing types enclosed expressions by associating the type of a directly enclosing expression with the enclosed expression. Object literals, function literals and array literals enclosed in assignment and call expressions, can be contextually typed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a parse tree representing program source code by a processor of a software development computer, the program source code comprising at least one enclosing expression, the enclosing expression enclosing at least one enclosed expression;

assigning a type associated with the enclosing expression to the at least one enclosed expression by;

evaluating the at least one enclosing expression of the parse tree for applicability of contextual typing by;

comparing the at least one enclosing expression of the parse tree with a set of templates;

selecting a template from the set of templates, the selected template matching the at least one enclosing expression, the selected template associated with a process for assigning a type to the at least one enclosed expression; and

assigning a type to the at least one enclosed expression by performing the process for assigning type to the at least one enclosed expression associated with the selected template in a top down direction; and

providing type information for the at least one enclosed expression whose type is inferred from the type of an expression that encloses the enclosed expression on a display device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

augmenting type inference proceeding from a leaf node of the parse tree in a bottom up direction of the parse tree, with contextual typing comprising type inference that proceeds in a top down direction of the parse tree.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying contextual typing to the at least one enclosed expression of the at least one enclosing expression of the parse tree, the enclosing expression comprising an assignment expression, the assignment expression comprising a left hand expression and a right hand expression, the left hand expression associated with a type; and

applying contextual typing by assigning the type associated with the left hand expression to the right hand expression.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying contextual typing to the at least one enclosed expression of the at least one enclosing expression, the at least one enclosing expression comprising a typed function call, by assigning a type of a parameter of the typed function call to an argument expression of the typed function call.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

apply contextual typing to the at least one enclosed expression of the at least one enclosing expression of the parse tree, the at least one enclosed expression comprising a return statement and the at least one enclosing expression comprising a function of a known return type, by assigning a type of the function to the return statement.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

apply contextual typing to the at least one enclosed expression of the at least one enclosing expression of the parse tree, the at least one enclosing expression comprising an assignment or call expression, the assignment or call expression comprising multiple levels of nesting of object literals, function literals or array literals;

applying contextual typing by applying a type associated with a property of the object literal, function literal or array literal, to the object literal, function literal or array literal.

7. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory connected to the at least one processor; and

a module that when loaded into the at least one processor causes the at least one processor to;

perform contextual typing by;

receiving program source code comprising an enclosing expression, the enclosing expression enclosing at least one enclosed expression; and

assigning a data type of the enclosing expression to the at least one enclosed expression in a top down direction; and

display the data type of the enclosed expression.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a module that when loaded into the at least one processor causes the at least one processor to;

receive a parse tree representing the program source code;

evaluate an expression of a plurality of expressions of the parse tree for applicability of contextual typing by comparing the expression of the plurality of expressions of the parse tree with a set of templates, selecting a template from the set of templates, the selected template matching the evaluated expression, the selected template associated with a process for assigning a data type to the expression; and

assign a data type to the evaluated expression by performing the process for assigning the data type to the expression matching the selected template.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a module that when loaded into the at least one processor causes the at least one processor to;

augment type inference proceeding from a leaf node of a parse tree representing the program source code in a bottom up direction of the parse tree, with contextual typing, contextual typing comprising type inference that proceeds in a top down direction of the parse tree.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a module that when loaded into the at least one processor causes the at least one processor to;

apply contextual typing to the at least one enclosed expression of the enclosing expression, the enclosing expression comprising an assignment expression, the assignment expression comprising a left hand expression and a right hand expression, the left hand expression associated with a data type,

applying the contextual typing by assigning the data type associated with the left hand expression to the right hand expression.

11. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a module that when loaded into the at least one processor causes the at least one processor to;

apply contextual typing to the at least one enclosed expression of the enclosing expression comprising a typed function call, by assigning a data type of a parameter of the typed function call to an argument expression of the typed function call.

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a module that when loaded into the at least one processor causes the at least one processor to;

apply contextual typing to the at least one enclosed expression of the enclosing expression, the at least one enclosed expression comprising a return statement and the enclosing expression comprising a function of a known return type, by assigning a return type of the function to the return statement.

13. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a module that when loaded into the at least one processor causes the at least one processor to;

apply contextual typing to an enclosed expression of an enclosing expression, the enclosing expression comprising an assignment or call expression, the assignment or call expression comprising an object literal, function literal or array literal;

applying the contextual typing by applying a data type associated with a property of the object literal, function literal or array literal, to the object literal, function literal or array literal.

14. A device, comprising:

at least one processor and a memory;

the at least one processor configured to;

perform contextual typing by;

receiving a parse tree representing a syntax structure of a program source code, the program source code comprising at least one enclosing expression, the at least one enclosing expression enclosing at least one enclosed expression; and

assigning a type of the enclosing expression to the at least one enclosed expression of the parse tree in a top down direction of the parse tree.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

evaluate each of a plurality of expressions of the parse tree for applicability of contextual typing by comparing an expression of the plurality of expressions of the parse tree with a set of templates, selecting a template from the set of templates, the selected template matching the evaluated expression, the selected template associated with a process for assigning a data type to the at least one enclosed expression of the expression; and

perform the process associated with the selected template to assign a type to the at least one enclosed expression.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

assign a type to the at least one enclosed expression by assigning a type associated with a left hand expression of an assignment expression to a right hand expression of the assignment expression.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

assign a type of an argument expression of a typed function call by assigning a type of a parameter of the typed function call to an argument expression of the typed function call.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

perform contextual typing by assigning a type associated with a parameter of a function to a function literal of the function.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

perform contextual typing by assigning a type associated with a return argument of a function to a function literal of the function.

20. The device of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

override contextual typing by explicit typing of the at least one enclosed expression.