CZ: Multiple Inheritance Without Diamonds
Donna Malayeri
Abstract
Multiple inheritance has long been plagued with the ``diamond''
inheritance problem, leading to solutions that restrict expressiveness,
such as mixins and traits. Instead, we address the diamond problem
directly, considering two important difficulties it causes: ensuring a
correct semantics for object initializers, and typechecking multiple
dispatch in a modular fashion. We show that previous solutions to these
problems are either unsatisfactory or cumbersome, and suggest a novel
approach: supporting multiple inheritance but forbidding diamond
inheritance. Expressiveness is retained through two features: a
``requires'' construct that provides a form of subtyping without
inheritance (inspired by Scala), and a dynamically bound ``super'' call
similar to that found in traits. Through examples, we illustrate that
inheritance diamonds can be eliminated via a combination of
``requires'' and ordinary inheritance. We provide a sound formal model
for our language and demonstrate its modularity and expressiveness.
Presented at FOOL'09; Saturday, 24 January
2009, Savannah, Georgia, USA.