Dependent Types
Epigram is essentially a typed lambda calculus with generalized algebraic data type extensions, except for two extensions. First, types are first-class entities, of type ; types are arbitrary expressions of type, and type equivalence is defined in terms of the types' normal forms. Second, it has a dependent function type; instead of, where is bound in to the value that the function's argument (of type ) eventually takes.
Full dependent types, as implemented in Epigram, are a powerful abstraction. (Unlike in Dependent ML, the value(s) depended upon may be of any valid type.) A sample of the new formal specification capabilities dependent types bring may be found in The Epigram Tutorial.
It is planned that the forthcoming version of Epigram, Epigram 2, will be based on Observational Type Theory, a new development of constructive type theory.
Read more about this topic: Epigram (programming Language)
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