Evaluation of a temporal description within a general purpose programming language

Abstract

A translation module translates a temporal description into a temporal expression. The translation module is adapted to translate a temporal description in the form of an extended syntax or a preprocessing macro to the temporal expression. The temporal expression includes a native expression of a general purpose programming language. The temporal expression may also include one or more construct functions. A parsing module parses the temporal expression to generate a data structure that represents the temporal expression without evaluating the native expression. An evaluation module evaluates the data structure to execute the temporal expression including the native expression.

1 . A method of evaluating a temporal description within a general purpose programming language, the method comprising: 
 translating the temporal description into a temporal expression, the temporal expression including a native expression of the general purpose programming language;    generating a data structure that represents the temporal expression without evaluating the native expression; and    evaluating the data structure to execute the temporal expression including the native expression.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the temporal description is in the form of an extended syntax or a preprocessor macro.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the temporal expression further comprises one or more construct functions.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the data structure that represents the temporal expression comprises: 
 parsing the temporal expression to generate the data structure without evaluating the native expression.    
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the data structure that represents the temporal expression comprises: 
 storing a return address in a stack; and    avoiding evaluating the native expression by controlling a return value of a construct function to be false.    
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein evaluating the data structure to execute the temporal expression comprises: 
 returning to the return address stored in the stack; and    evaluating the native expression by controlling the return value of the construct flnction to be true.    
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein evaluating the data structure to execute the temporal expression comprises: 
 creating one or more nondeterministic finite automata state structures, each nondeterministic finite automata state structure including data to be evaluated at a clock cycle;    storing the one or more nondeterministic finite automata state structures in a queue; and    retrieving a nondeterministic finite automata state structure from the queue in response to passage of clock cycles to evaluate the retrieved nondeterministic finite automata state structure.    
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein evaluating the data structure to execute the temporal expression comprises: 
 evaluating a variable within the native expression from a name scope of the native expression's program location.    
   
   
       9 . A system for evaluating a temporal description within a general purpose programming language, the system comprising: 
 a translation module adapted to translate the temporal description into a temporal expression, the temporal expression including a native expression of the general purpose programming language;    a parsing module adapted to generate a data structure that represents the temporal expression without evaluating the native expression; and    an evaluation module adapted to evaluate the data structure to execute the temporal expression including the native expression.    
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the temporal description is in the form of an extended syntax or a preprocessor macro.  
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the temporal expression further comprises one or more construct functions.  
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the parsing module is adapted to: 
 parse the temporal expression to generate the data structure without evaluating the native expression.    
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the parsing module is adapted to generate the data structure that represents the temporal expression by: 
 storing a return address in a stack; and    avoiding evaluating the native expression by controlling a return value of a construct function to be false.    
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the evaluation module is adapted to evaluate the data structure to execute the temporal expression by: 
 returning to the return address stored in the stack; and    evaluating the native expression by controlling the return value of the construct function to be true.    
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the evaluation module is adapted to evaluate the data structure to execute the temporal expression by: 
 creating one or more nondeterministic finite automata state structures, each nondeterministic finite automata state structure including data to be evaluated at a clock cycle;    storing the one or more nondeterministic finite automata state structures in a queue; and    retrieving a nondeterministic finite automata state structure from the queue in response to passage of clock cycles to evaluate the retrieved nondeterministic finite automata state structure.    
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the evaluation module is adapted to: 
 evaluate a variable within the native expression from a name scope of the native expression's program location.    
   
   
       17 . A computer program product having a computer-readable medium having embodied thereon program code for evaluating a temporal description within a general purpose programming language, the program code comprising: 
 a translation module adapted to translate the temporal description into a temporal expression, the temporal expression including a native expression of the general purpose programming language;    a parsing module adapted to generate a data structure that represents the temporal expression without evaluating the native expression; and    an evaluation module adapted to evaluate the data structure to execute the temporal expression including the native expression.    
   
   
       18 . The computer program product of  claim 17 , wherein the temporal description is in the form of an extended syntax or a preprocessor macro.  
   
   
       19 . The computer program product of  claim 17 , wherein the temporal expression further comprises one or more construct functions.  
   
   
       20 . The computer program product of  claim 17 , wherein the parsing module is adapted to: 
 parse the temporal expression to generate the data structure without evaluating the native expression.    
   
   
       21 . The computer program product of  claim 17 , wherein the parsing module is adapted to generate the data structure that represents the temporal expression by: 
 storing a return address in a stack; and    avoiding evaluating the native expression by controlling a return value of a construct function to be false.    
   
   
       22 . The computer program product of  claim 21 , wherein the evaluation module is adapted to evaluate the data structure to execute the temporal expression by: 
 returning to the return address stored in the stack; and    evaluating the native expression by controlling the return value of the construct function to be true.    
   
   
       23 . The computer program product of  claim 17 , wherein the evaluation module is adapted to evaluate the data structure to execute the temporal expression by: 
 creating one or more nondeterministic finite automata state structures, each nondeterministic finite automata state structure including data to be evaluated at a clock cycle;    storing the one or more nondeterministic finite automata state structures in a queue; and    retrieving a nondeterministic finite automata state structure from the queue in response to passage of clock cycles to evaluate the retrieved nondeterministic finite automata state structure.    
   
   
       24 . The computer program product of  claim 17 , wherein the evaluation module is adapted to: 
 evaluate a variable within the native expression from a name scope of the native expression's program location.