Interface Translation and Implementation Filtering
Mark A. Linton
Silicon Graphics
linton@sgi.co
m
Douglas Z. Pan
Stanford University
pan@panda.stanford.edu
Abstract
Separating interface from implementation in C++ requires a set of
conventions for defining classes. Using an interface definition
language, we can ensure that an interface does not contain any
implementation details. To simplify the definition of separate
interfaces, the translator that generates C++ class declarations
should be flexible and convenient to use.
As part of the Fresco user interface system, we have developed an
interface translator called Ix. In addition to generating C++ classes
and stubs for distributed access, Ix can "filter" implementation code
to automate as much of the code as possible. Filtering also gives the
programmer more control over where and how the code is generated. We
have built an initial implementation of Fresco using Ix, and our
experience has been that using Ix has made programming with interfaces
easier than using C++ directly.
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