Method and system for creating programs using code having coupled syntactic and semantic relationship

Abstract

A new fundamental unit of programming which couples semantic and syntactic relationships, and a system for compiling those units and programs written in those units. A Sym is comprised of a Name, an Inherit Statement, a Self Description, and a Definition. Syms couple syntactic and semantic relationships through their use of Syntactic References in their Self Description and Semantic References in their Definition. Syms and programs written in Syms are compiled through the Sym Execution System.

1 . A method in a computer system for generating runnable code of arbitrary syntactic and semantic complexity, the method comprising: 
 reading in a first Sym comprising a unit of code that couples state-based semantic relationships with syntactic relationships; and    generating runnable code based on the first Sym.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  where the syntactic relationships and state-based semantic relationships of the first Sym are separately defined.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  where the first Sym has inherited relationships from at least one parent Sym.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1  where the syntactic relationships of the first Sym are matched when the syntactic relationships of a parent Sym are matched.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 verifying and/or enforcing that the state-based semantic relationships of the first Sym are only accessed through at least one syntactic relationship of the first Sym when used to define at least part of a second Sym.    
   
   
       6 . A computer system for generating runnable code of arbitrary syntactic and semantic complexity, the computer system comprising: 
 a first Sym comprising a unit of code that couples state-based semantic relationships with syntactic relationships; and    a compiler that reads the first Sym and generates runnable code.    
   
   
       7 . The computer system of  claim 6  where the syntactic and state-based semantic relationships are separately defined.  
   
   
       8 . The computer system of  claim 6  where the first Sym has inherited relationships from at least one parent Sym.  
   
   
       9 . The computer system of  claim 6  where the syntactic relationships of the first Sym are matched when the syntactic relationships of a parent Sym are matched.  
   
   
       10 . The computer system of  claim 6  wherein the system verifies and/or enforces that the state-based semantic relationships of the first Sym are only accessed through a syntactic relationship of the first Sym when used to define at least part of a second Sym.  
   
   
       11 . A method in a computer system for generating runnable code, the method comprising: 
 describing in a first unit of code at least one legal relationship among a collection comprised of units of code and/or tokens;    encapsulating in the first unit of code at least one meaning comprised of a behavior and state for the at least one legal relationship among units of code and/or tokens in the collection;    allowing the at least one meaning to be accessed through the at least one legal relationship to compose at least part of a meaning of a second unit of code; and    generating runnable code based on the first and/or second unit of code.    
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11  where the at least one legal relationship is described in a first part of the first unit of code and the at least one meaning is described in a second part of the first unit of code.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising the first unit of code inheriting legal relationships from a second unit of code.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising: 
 attempting to match at least one legal relationship of the first unit of code if an attempt to match at least one legal relationship of at least one parent of the first unit of code occurs.    
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 11  further comprising: verifying and/or enforcing that the at least one meaning of the first unit of code is only accessed through a legal relationship of the first unit of code when used to compose at least part of the meaning of the second unit of code.  
   
   
       16 . A computer system for generating runnable code, comprising: 
 a first unit of code that comprises a description of at least one legal relationship among a collection comprised of units of code and/or tokens;    a definition in the first unit of code that encapsulates at least one meaning comprised of a behavior and state for the at least one legal relationship among units of code and/or tokens in the collection;    a translator that allows the at least one meaning to be accessed through the at least one legal relationship to compose at least part of a meaning of a second unit of code; and    means for generating runnable code based on the first and/or second unit of code.    
   
   
       17 . The computer system of  claim 16  where the at least one legal relationship is described in a first part of the first unit of code and the at least one meaning is described in a second part of the first unit of code.  
   
   
       18 . The computer system of  claim 16  further comprising an inheritance system that enables the inheritance of at least part of the at least one legal relationship and meaning of the first unit of code.  
   
   
       19 . The computer system of  claim 16  wherein the computer system attempts to match at least one legal relationship of the first unit of code if it attempts to match at least one legal relationship of at least one parent of the first unit of code.  
   
   
       20 . The computer system of  claim 16  wherein the computer programming system verifies and/or enforces a requirement that the at least one meaning of first unit of code is only accessed through a legal relationship of the first unit of code when used to compose at least part of meaning of the second unit of code.