[comp.compilers] Cross-language interface generators

compilers-sender@ima.ima.isc.com (09/20/88)

I am in the functional-specification stages of developing a tool to handle
interfacing between multiple languages. This is often called IDL (for
interface definition language), not to be confused with the IDL developed at
CMU in the 70's (although certainly related in some sense).

Anyway, the basic goal of this tool is to take an interface specification in
some to-be-specified language and generate header files, stub-procedures
and/or package specs for languages including C, C++, Ada, PASCAL, PL/1,
Modula-2 and FORTRAN. Has anyone done any work in this area? Any literature
citations spring to mind?

I am aware of DEC's MDL and SDL translators (in fact I was responsible for
maintaining the FTN implementation of MDL for a brief period), but I'm
particularly interested in any tools which tried using either C or some
meta-language as the input notation.

Thanks,

Alan Lehotsky
Consulting Engineer, Apollo Computers, Inc.
alan@apollo.com
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