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Bidirectional type slicing finds minimal code explanations for type information

arxiv.org Editor score 7/10

The paper formalizes slices that explain synthesized or expected types, proves every query has a minimal slice, and shows that refining a query monotonically shrinks it. The exact and approximate methods could inform better explanations in programming tools.

What

Bidirectional type slicing produces a well-formed partial program that explains a queried part of an expression's type information.

Method

Synthesis slices explain a term's inferred type; analysis slices explain the type expected by its context. Every query has a minimal slice.

Why it matters

Minimal slices give development tools a compact explanation of why an expression has its type.

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