Automatic Data Structure Selection: An Example and Overview

The use of several levels of abstraction has
proved to be very helpful in constructing and 
maintaining programs.  When programs are designed with abstract
data types such as sets and lists, programmer 
time can be saved by automating the process of filling
in low-level implementation details.  In the past, 
programming systems have provided only a single general
purpose implementation for an abstract type. 
 Thus the programs produced using abstract types were
then inefficient in space or time.  In this paper 
a system for automatically choosing efficient implementations
for abstract types from a library of implementations 
is discussed.  This process is discussed in detail for
an example program.  General issues in data structure 
selection are also reviewed. 

CACM May, 1978

Low, J.

Abstract data types, automatic programming, data
structures, optimizing compilers, sets, lists

4.12 4.22 4.6

CA780504 DH February 26, 1979  1:51 PM

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