Method and system for deriving metaclasses in an object oriented system
US6378003B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 5, 1993 |
| Grant date | Apr 23, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 5, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/4492
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system, method, and program for deriving metaclasses of classes of objects defined according to traditional subclassing inheritance is disclosed, which uses a neutral set of information from which object support is enabled for any target language, including support between languages. The information defining a new class is parsed and compiled to generate a bindings file that is input along with method information to the target language compiler to create an object file. The object file is thereafter link edited to create an executable program. When this program is executed, each defined class of objects is implemented by a corresponding object, called a class object, whose parents are determined by its definition, and whose class is a metaclass that is automatically derived and created at runtime according to the parent classes of the class object.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.