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MLBasis
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The ML Basis system extends Standard ML to support programming-in-the-very-large, namespace management at the module level, separate delivery of library sources, and more. While Standard ML modules are a sophisticated language for programming-in-the-large, it is difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish a number of routine namespace management operations when a program draws upon multiple libraries provided by different vendors. <p>
The ML Basis system is a simple, yet powerful, approach that builds upon the programmer's intuitive notion (and <a href="DefinitionOfStandardML"> The Definition of Standard ML's</a> formal notion) of the top-level environment (a <em>basis</em>). The system is designed as a natural extension of <a href="StandardML"> Standard ML</a>; the formal specification of the ML Basis system (<a href="http://mlton.org/pages/MLBasis/attachments/mlb-formal.pdf"><img src="moin-www.png" alt="[WWW]" height="11" width="11">pdf</a>) is given in the style of the Definition.
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Here are some of the key features of the ML Basis system:
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Explicit file order: The order of files (and, hence, the order of evaluation) in the program is explicit. The ML Basis system's semantics are structured in such a way that for any well-formed project, there will be exactly one possible interpretation of the project's syntax, static semantics, and dynamic semantics.
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Implicit dependencies: A source file (corresponding to an SML top-level declaration) is elaborated in the environment described by preceding declarations. It is not necessary to explicitly list the dependencies of a file.
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Scoping and renaming: The ML Basis system provides mechanisms for limiting the scope of (i.e, hiding) and renaming identifiers.
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No naming convention for finding the file that defines a module. To import a module, its defining file must appear in some ML Basis file.
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<h2 id="head-11fc14203dd0f4441645a9c34d5dd022905f56e4">Next steps</h2>
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<a href="MLBasisSyntaxAndSemantics">MLBasisSyntaxAndSemantics</a>
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<a href="MLBasisExamples">MLBasisExamples</a>
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<a href="MLBasisPathMap">MLBasisPathMap</a>
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<a href="MLBasisAnnotations">MLBasisAnnotations</a>
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<a href="MLBasisAvailableLibraries">MLBasisAvailableLibraries</a>
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Last edited on 2007-08-23 04:24:53 by <span title="c-71-57-91-146.hsd1.il.comcast.net"><a href="MatthewFluet">MatthewFluet</a></span>.
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