A type-checking program linkage system for pascal
Richard B. Kieburtz, W. Barabash, Chris Hill · International Conference on Software Engineering · 1978
We describe a new software facility useful in the development, debugging, and integration of quasi-independent program modules. It has been implemented in conjunction with a Pascal compiler for IBM 360 computers, but the linkage facility is machine-independent up to the point of formattingsystem object modules.With some minor syntactic extensions to permit the designation of external references, Pascal becomes a powerful language for modular programming. The new linkage subsystem allows the compile-time verification of type-correctness of Pascal programs to be extended uniformly across program module interfaces. This extends not only those diagnostics formerly restricted to compilation, but also the post-mortem diagnostic capability of the progranming system, and without sacrifice of run-time efficiency.The paper also discusses several language issues raised in meeting the requirements of modular programming, as well as implementation considerations.