Polytypic Data Conversion Programs

Patrik Jansson and Johan Jeuring

[dataconversion.ps.gz]

Abstract

Several generic programs for converting values from regular datatypes to some other format, together with their corresponding inverses, are constructed. Among the formats considered are shape plus contents, compact bit streams and pretty printed strings. The different data conversion programs are constructed using John Hughes' arrow combinators along with a proof that printing (from a regular datatype to another format) followed by parsing (from that format back to the regular datatype) is the identity. The printers and parsers are described in PolyP, a polytypic extension of the functional language Haskell.

Implementation

The implementation of Show and Read as Haskell and PolyP code can be browsed or downloaded.
Last modified: Mon Feb 26 10:06:20 MET 2001 by
Patrik Jansson / NOpatrikjSP@AMchalmers.se