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Macros for domain-specific languages

Authors:

Michael Ballantyne,

Matthias FelleisenAuthors Info & Claims

Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages, Volume 4, Issue OOPSLA

Article No.: 229, Pages 1 - 29

https://doi.org/10.1145/3428297

Published: 13 November 2020 Publication History

Abstract

Macros provide a powerful means of extending languages. They have proven useful in both general-purpose and domain-specific programming contexts. This paper presents an architecture for implementing macro-extensible DSLs on top of macro-extensible host languages. The macro expanders of these DSLs inherit the syntax system, hygienic expansion, and more from the host. They transform the extensible DSL syntax into a DSL core language. This arrangement has several important consequences. It becomes straightforward to integrate the syntax of various DSLs and the host language when their expanders share these inherited components. Also, a DSL compiler may be designed around a fixed core language, even for an extensible DSL. Finally, macros empower programmers to safely grow DSLs on their own and tailor them to their needs.

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Auxiliary Presentation Video (oopsla20main-p625-p-video.mp4)

Macros provide a powerful means of extending languages. They have proven useful in both general-purpose and domain-specific programming contexts. This talk presents an architecture for implementing macro-extensible DSLs on top of macro-extensible host languages. The macro expanders of these DSLs inherit the syntax system, hygienic expansion, and more from the host. They transform the extensible DSL syntax into a DSL core language. This arrangement has several important consequences. It becomes straightforward to integrate the syntax of various DSLs and the host language when their expanders share these inherited components. Also, a DSL compiler may be designed around a fixed core language, even for an extensible DSL. Finally, macros empower programmers to safely grow DSLs on their own and tailor them to their needs.

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Cited By

Lee YGopinathan KYang ZFlatt MSergey ILaemmel RPereira JMosses P(2024)DSLs in Racket: You Want It How, Now?Proceedings of the 17th ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Software Language Engineering10.1145/3687997.3695645(84-103)Online publication date: 17-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3687997.3695645
Ballantyne MGamburg MHemann J(2024)Compiled, Extensible, Multi-language DSLs (Functional Pearl)Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages10.1145/36746278:ICFP(64-87)Online publication date: 15-Aug-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3674627
Hochrainer CKrall ADe Roover CRumpe BShaikhha A(2023)A pred-LL(*) Parsable Typed Higher-Order Macro System for Architecture Description LanguagesProceedings of the 22nd ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Generative Programming: Concepts and Experiences10.1145/3624007.3624052(29-41)Online publication date: 22-Oct-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3624007.3624052
Show More Cited By

Index Terms

Macros for domain-specific languages
1. Software and its engineering
  1. Software notations and tools
    1. Context specific languages
      1. Domain specific languages
      2. Macro languages

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cover image Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages

Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages Volume 4, Issue OOPSLA

November 2020

3108 pages

EISSN:2475-1421

DOI:10.1145/3436718

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Copyright © 2020 Owner/Author.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License.

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 13 November 2020

Published in PACMPL Volume 4, Issue OOPSLA

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Cited By

Lee YGopinathan KYang ZFlatt MSergey ILaemmel RPereira JMosses P(2024)DSLs in Racket: You Want It How, Now?Proceedings of the 17th ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Software Language Engineering10.1145/3687997.3695645(84-103)Online publication date: 17-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3687997.3695645
Ballantyne MGamburg MHemann J(2024)Compiled, Extensible, Multi-language DSLs (Functional Pearl)Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages10.1145/36746278:ICFP(64-87)Online publication date: 15-Aug-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3674627
Hochrainer CKrall ADe Roover CRumpe BShaikhha A(2023)A pred-LL(*) Parsable Typed Higher-Order Macro System for Architecture Description LanguagesProceedings of the 22nd ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Generative Programming: Concepts and Experiences10.1145/3624007.3624052(29-41)Online publication date: 22-Oct-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3624007.3624052
Rennels LChasins S(2023)How Domain Experts Use an Embedded DSLProceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages10.1145/36228517:OOPSLA2(1499-1530)Online publication date: 16-Oct-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3622851
Flatt MAllred TAngle NDe Gabrielle SFindler RFirth JGopinathan KGreenman BKasivajhula SKnauth AMcCarthy JPhillips SPorncharoenwase SSøgaard JTobin-Hochstadt S(2023)Rhombus: A New Spin on Macros without All the ParenthesesProceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages10.1145/36228187:OOPSLA2(574-603)Online publication date: 16-Oct-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3622818
Perscheid MPlattner HRitter DSchlosser RTeusner R(2023)Enterprise Platform and Integration Concepts Research at HPIACM SIGMOD Record10.1145/3582302.358232251:4(68-73)Online publication date: 25-Jan-2023
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Tian Y(2023)The World of Graph Databases from An Industry PerspectiveACM SIGMOD Record10.1145/3582302.358232051:4(60-67)Online publication date: 25-Jan-2023
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Pirk H(2023)Collaborative Data Science using Scalable HomoiconicityACM SIGMOD Record10.1145/3582302.358231651:4(54-55)Online publication date: 25-Jan-2023
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Aivaloglou EFletcher GLiut MMiedema D(2023)Report on the First International Workshop on Data Systems Education (DataEd '22)ACM SIGMOD Record10.1145/3582302.358231451:4(49-53)Online publication date: 25-Jan-2023
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Benedikt MCooper FGermano SGyorkei GTsamoura EMoore BOrtiz C(2023)PDQ 2.0ACM SIGMOD Record10.1145/3582302.358230851:4(36-41)Online publication date: 25-Jan-2023
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