Integrating Reflection, Strong Typing and Static Checking

We define and present the computational structure of linguistic reflection as the ability of a running program to generate new program fragments and to integrate these into its own execution. The integration of this kind of reflection with compiler based, strongly typed programming languages is described. This integration is accomplished in a manner that preserves strong typing and does not unduly limit the amount of static type checking that can be performed. The benefits that accrue to linguistic reflection in the area of database and persistent programming languages are outlined and two examples are given