Partial evaluation

Partial Evaluation is a program optimization by spezialication technique.

A computer program is seen as a mapping prog: {I_static, I_dynamic} ==> O of input data into output data. I_static is the part of the input data known at compile time.

The partial evaluator transforms {prog, I_static} into prog^* i.e. precomputes all static input at compile time. prog^* is called the residual program.

prog: {I_static, I_dynamic}

> O becomes prog^*: I_dynamic

> O which in general runs more efficiently.

See also C++ Template metaprogramming

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• C++ Templates as Partial Evaluation, 1999 ACM SIGPLAN Workshop on Partial Evaluation and Semantics-Based Program Manipulation (PEPM'99)
• NEIL D. JONES, An Introduction to Partial Evaluation, ACM Computing Surveys, Vol. 28, No. 3, September 1996