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- 4.1 The Metacircular Evaluator
Chapter 4: Metalinguistic Abstraction
- metalinguistic abstraction
-
establishing new languages
- evaluator
-
a procedure that is applied to a language expression in order to execute its instructions
The evaluator, which determines the meaning of expressions in a programming language, is just another program.
4.1 The Metacircular Evaluator
we are going to implement lisp – in lisp
- metacircular
-
an evaluator that is written in the same language it evaluates to
we implement the evaluation model, having two parts:
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to eval a combination, evaluate the subexpressions of the combinataion and then apply the value of the operator subexpression to the values of the operand subexpressions
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to apply a compound proc to its args, eval the proc in a new env. create the new env by extending the env of the proc with the formal paramaters bound to the proc's args
4.1.1 the core of the evaluator
eval
eval takes args expression and environment
it executes case analysis on expression type
(define (eval exp env)
(cond ((self-evaluating? exp) exp)
((variable? exp) (lookup-variable-value exp env))
((quoted? exp) (text-of-quotation exp))
((assignment? exp) (eval-assignment exp env))
((if? exp) (eval-if exp env))
((lambda? exp)
(make-procedure (lambda-parameters exp)
(lambda-body exp)
env))
((begin? exp)
(eval-sequence (begin-actions exp) env))
((cond? exp) (eval (cond->if exp) env))
((application? exp)
(apply (eval (operator exp) env)
(list-of-values (operands exp) env)))
(else
(error "Unknown expression type -- EVAL" exp))))
apply
apply takes args proc and args
(define (apply procedure arguments)
(cond ((primitive-procedure? procedure)
(apply-primitive-procedure procedure arguments))
((compound-procedure? procedure)
(eval-sequence
(procedure-body procedure)
(extend-environment
(procedure-parameters procedure)
arguments
(procedure-environment procedure))))
(else
(error
"Unknown procedure type -- APPLY" procedure))))
procedure arguments
(define (list-of-values exps env)
(if (no-operands? exps)
'()
(cons (eval (first-operand exps) env)
(list-of-values (rest-operands exps) env))))
conditionals
(define (eval-if exp env)
(if (true? (eval (if-predicate exp) env))
(eval (if-consequent exp) env)
(eval (if-alternative exp) env)))
sequences
(define (eval-sequence exps env)
(cond ((last-exp? exps) (eval (first-exp exps) env))
(else (eval (first-exp exps) env)
(eval-sequence (rest-exps exps) env))))
assignments and definitions
(define (eval-assignment exp env)
(set-variable-value! (assignment-variable exp)
(eval (assignment-value exp) env)
env)
'ok)
(define (eval-definition exp env)
(define-variable! (definition-variable exp)
(eval (definition-value exp) env)
env)
'ok)
4.1.2 representing expressions
(define (self-evaluating? exp)
(cond ((number? exp) true)
((string? exp) true)
(else false)))
(define (variable? exp)
(symbol? exp))
(define (quoted? exp)
(tagged-list? exp 'quote))
(define (text-of-quotation exp)
(cadr exp))
(define (tagged-list? exp tag)
(if (pair? exp)
(eq? (car exp) tag)
false))
(define (assignment? exp)
(tagged-list? exp 'set!))
(define (assignment-variable exp) (cadr exp))
(define (assignment-value exp) (caddr exp))
(define (definition? exp)
(tagged-list? exp 'define))
(define (definition-variable exp)
(if (symbol? (cadr exp))
(cadr exp)
(caadr exp)))
(define (definition-value exp)
(if (symbol? (cadr exp))
(cadr exp)
(make-lambda (cdadr exp) ;; formal params
(cddr exp)))) ;; body
(define (lambda? exp)
(tagged-list? exp 'lambda))
(define (lambda-paramaters exp)
(cadr exp))
(define (lambda-body exp)
(cddr exp))
(define (make-lambda parameters body)
(cons 'lambda (cons parameters body)))
(define (if? exp) (tagged-list? exp 'if))
(define (if-predicate exp) (cadr exp))
(define (if-consequent exp) (caddr exp))
(define (if-alternative exp)
(if (not (null? (cdddr exp)))
(cadddr exp)
'false))
(define (make-if predicate consequent alternative)
(list 'if predicate consequent alternative))
(define (begin? exp) (tagged-list? exp 'begin))
(define (begin-actions exp) (cdr exp))
(define (last-exp? seq) (null? (cdr seq)))
(define (first-exp seq) (car seq))
(define (rest-exps seq) (cdr seq))
(define (sequence->exp seq)
(cond ((null? seq) seq)
((last-exp? seq) (first-exp seq))
(else (make-begin seq))))
(define (make-begin seq) (cons 'begin seq))
(define (application? exp) (pair? exp))
(define (operator exp) (car exp))
(define (operands exp) (cdr exp))
(define (no-operands? ops) (null? ops))
(define (first-operand ops) (car ops))
(define (rest-operands ops) (cdr ops))
;; DERIVED EXPRESSIONS
(define (cond? exp) (tagged-list? exp 'cond))
(define (cond-clauses exp) (cdr exp))
(define (cond-else-clause? clause)
(eq? (cond-predicate clause) 'else))
(define (cond-predicate clause) (car clause))
(define (cond-actions clause) (cdr clause))
(define (cond->if exp)
(expand-clauses (cond-clauses exp)))
(define (expand-clauses clauses)
(if (null? clauses)
'false ; no else clause
(let ((first (car clauses))
(rest (cdr clauses)))
(if (cond-else-clause? first)
(if (null? rest)
(sequence->exp (cond-actions first))
(error "ELSE clause isn't last -- COND->IF"
clauses))
(make-if (cond-predicate first)
(sequence-exp (cond-actions first))
(expand-clauses rest))))))
4.1.3 evaluator data structure
(define (true? x) (not (eq? x false)))
(define (false? x) (eq? x false))
(define (make-procedure parameters body env)
(list 'procedure parameters body env))
(define (compound-procedure? p)
(tagged-list? p 'procedure))
(define (procedure-parameters p) (cadr p))
(define (procedure-body p) (caddr p))
(define (procedure-environment p) (cadddr p))
(define (enclosing-environment env) (cdr env))
(define (first-frame env) (car env))
(define the-empty-environment '())
(define (make-frame variables values)
(cons variables values))
(define (frame-variables frame) (car frame))
(define (frame-values frame) (cdr frame))
(define (add-binding-to-frame! var val frame)
(set-car! frame (cons var (car frame)))
(set-car! frame (cons val (cdr frame))))
(define (extend-environment vars vals base-env)
(if (= (length vars) (length vals))
(cons (make-frame vars vals) base-env)
(if (< (length vars) (length vals))
(error "Too many args supplied" vars vals)
(error "Too few args supplied" vars vals))))
(define (lookup-variable-value var env)
(define (env-loop env)
(define (scan vars vals)
(cond ((null? vars)
(env-loop (enclosing-environment env)))
((eq? var (car vars))
(car vals))
(else (scan (cdr vars) (cdr vals)))))
(if (eq? env the-empty-environment)
(error "Unbound var" var)
(let ((frame (first-frame env)))
(scan (frame-variables frame)
(frame-values frame)))))
(env-loop env))
(define (set-variable-value! var val env)
(define (env-loop env)
(define (scan vars vals)
(cond ((null? vars)
(env-loop (enclosing-environment env)))
((eq? var (car vars))
(set-car! vals val))
(else (scan (cdr vars) (cdr vals)))))
(if (eq? env the-empty-environment)
(error "Unbound var -- SET!" var)
(let ((frame (first-frame env)))
(scan (frame-variables frame)
(frame-values frame)))))
(env-loop env))
(define (define-variable! var val env)
(let ((frame (first-frame env)))
(define (scan vars vals)
(cond ((null? vars)
(add-binding-to-frame! var val frame))
((eq? var (car vars))
(set-car! vals val))
(else (scan (cdr vars) (cdr vals)))))
(scan (frame-variables frame)
(frame-values frame))))
4.1.4 running the evaluator as a program
(define (setup-environment)
(let ((initial-env
(extend-environment (primitive-procedure-names)
(primitive-procedure-objects)
the-empty-environment)))
(define-variable! 'true true initial-env)
(define-variable! 'false false initial-env)
initial-env))
(define the-global-environment (setup-environment))
(define (primitive-procedure? proc)
(tagged-list? proc 'primitive))
(define (primitive-implementation proc) (cadr proc))
(define primitive-procedures
(list (list 'car car)
(list 'cdr cdr)
(list 'cons cons)
(list 'null? null?)
;; etc
))
(define (primitive-procedure-names)
(map car
primitive-procedures))
(define (primitive-procedure-objects)
(map (lambda (proc) (list 'primitive (cadr proc)))
primitive-procedures))
(define (apply-primitive-procedure proc args)
(apply-in-underlying-scheme
(primitive-implementation proc) args))
the repl:
(define input-prompt ";;; M-Eval input: ")
(define output-prompt ";;; M-Eval value: ")
(define (driver-loop)
(prompt-for-input input-prompt)
(let ((input (read)))
(let ((output (eval input the-global-environment)))
(announce-output output-prompt)
(user-print output)))
(driver-loop))
(define (prompt-for-input string)
(newline) (newline) (display string) (newline))
(define (announce-output string)
(newline) (display string) (newline))
(define (user-print objects)
(if (compound-procedure? object)
(display (list 'compound-procedure
(procedure-parameters object)
(procedure-body object)
'<procedure-env>))
(display object)))
4.1.5 data as programs
programs are descriptions of abstract (possibly infinite) machines
consider,
(define (factorial n)
(if (= 1 n)
1
(* (factorial (- n 1) n))))
it is a description of a program but also simply a list
it is data that can be executed by feeding it to the evaluator
the evaluator is a special machine that takes as input the description of a machine and will configure itself to emulate the machine described. it is a universal machine
4.1.6 internal definitions
consider a program with internal definitions:
(define (f x)
(define (even? n)
(if (= n 0)
true
(odd? (- n 1))))
(define (odd? n)
(if (= n 1)
false
(even? (- n 1))))
;; ...
)
even? and odd? need to be defined for the whole scope of f, not just the scope that follows the definition. our interpreter is sequential, but this works bc they wont be called until they are all defined
best is to evaluate all the definitions simultaneously, before any of them are used.
4.1.7 separating syntactic analysis from execution
an interesting technique to optimize evaluation by separating out the analyzing from the execution. see text for details.