Reflection for Statically Typed Languages

Abstract. An object-oriented language that permits changing the behavior of a class or of a single object is said to support computational reflection. Existing reflective facilities in object-oriented languages are either complex, type unsafe, or have a large performance penalty. We propose a simple, easy-to-understand, and statically typed model that captures much of the functionalities of other reflective facilities. It brings the power of reflection to the world of type safe and efficient languages.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1998
• Where: ECOOP
• Authors: José de Oliveira Guimarães
• Keywords: ECOOP 1998, Large Performance Penalty, Object-oriented Languages, Programming Languages, Reflective Facilities