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From: Tom <tom.primozic@gmail.com>
To: "Caml List" <caml-list@yquem.inria.fr>
Subject: Function application implementation
Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 00:38:04 +0200	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <c1490a380704251538i7d8086e7u9bb50d9d5d82cfd4@mail.gmail.com> (raw)

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I have a question about how are function applications compiled. In
particular, how does the program "know" the difference between f and g in:

let f w x y z = w + x + y - z

let g w x y =
     let m = ref (w + x + y) in
     function z -> !m - z

print_int (f 1 2 3 4)
print_int (g 1 2 3 4)

According to my logic, the first call should compile something like
   push 1
   push 2
   push 3
   push 4
   call function_f
and the second like
   push 1
   push 2
   push 3
   call function_g   // the return value, new function closure, is (for
example) in register A
   push 4
   call A

But obviously, this cannot be the case, as the functions aren't determined
in advance at all call sites (in a functional language). How does the
compiler deal with that?

(I am simplifying here, disregarding the matters of closure construction and
deconstruction, along with environments. However, the refuced example still
causes me problems.)

 - Tom

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             reply	other threads:[~2007-04-25 22:38 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 5+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2007-04-25 22:38 Tom [this message]
2007-04-26  3:13 ` [Caml-list] " skaller
2007-04-26  8:52   ` Tom
2007-04-26  9:17     ` skaller
2007-04-26  9:25     ` Xavier Leroy

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