US Patent 9678729 Dependency-driven co-specialization of specialized classes

The loading or operation of a specialized class may trigger the specialization of other classes. A compiler may be configured to recognize dependency relationships between generic classes and to describe the classes in terms of the type variables of the triggering types (e.g., the types and/or type parameterizations) that trigger the specialization of classes based on the specialization of a first class. A compiler may include information, such as structural references, indicating dependency relationships between classes when generating class files. Thus, the class file may include information indicating that a class extends a class resulting from applying a specialization code generator to an argument. Loading a first class may trigger the loading of a second class described by a structural description such that a specializer (and/or class loader) may apply the structural description to generate and load the second class for the particular parameterization.