Proving the Correctness of the Static Link Technique Using Evolving Algebras
Abstract:
The static link technique is used for the stack-based implementation of imperative programming languages which admit nested recursive procedure declarations. It was suggested in 1960 by Dijkstra as an extension of the stack technique for the evaluation of expressions. Its basic idea is to access global variables by tracing a static link chain to lower stack elements. Evolving algebras are a new method for the definition of operational semantics of abstract machines. Based on an appropriate stack machine, defined as an evolving algebra, and a functional description of a compiler for a sample language, we will give a complete proof of this technique. Especially, we will transform the evolving algebra for the stack machine into a more abstract one, i.e., into a new machine which is closer to the denotational semantics of the sample language.
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