Method for implementing dynamic type checking

摘要

Methods and apparatuses for dynamic type checking are described. For one embodiment runtime code generation is used to effect dynamic type checking by generating code specialized to different objects types. For one embodiment a virtual dynamic type check (DTC) function is generated for each object at run time. The virtual DTC function contains a sequence of instructions to type check every element (type) within an object's type hierarchy. The virtual DTC function is tailored for a particular type and thus conducts dynamic type checking more efficiently for objects of the particular type. For one embodiment the DTC function can complete type checking of interface type hierarchies. For one embodiment a compiler may determine whether a type is a class type or interface type and may generate a virtual DTC function only for interface types.