Ocaml Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Objective Caml, also known as OCaml or O'Caml for short, is an advanced programming language that is part of the ML family. It is developed and distributed by INRIA. Ocaml was created in 1996 as a successor to Caml Light. Its authors include Xavier Leroy, Jerome Vouillon and Damien Doligez.CAML originally stood for Categorical Abstract Machine Language. Ocaml has not been based on this abstract machine for a long time.
OCaml shares the functional and imperative features of ML, but contains object-oriented concepts and some minor syntax differences.
Performance distinguishes OCaml from other languages in the ML
family. The runtime system was designed to be fast, efficient, and
rather frugal in memory. Ocaml provides both a bytecode compiler and an
optimizing native code compiler. The code generated by the
native code compiler is typically comparable to C/C++
in efficiency.
Powerful features of the language include a static
type system, type inference,
parametric polymorphism, tail recursion,
pattern matching,
first class lexical closures,
functors (parametric modules), exception handling, and
incremental generational automatic garbage collection. The object system provides
for multiple inheritance, object construction directly (by specifying methods for
a unique object) or from classes, and structural subtyping
(objects are of compatible types if their methods are compatible, regardless of what was
inherited from what).
OCaml features are pragmatically balanced between expressivity and new features
on the one side and ease of interfacing with existing systems and libraries and
efficiency on the other side. Ocaml contains support for familiar functions
such as
The OCaml distribution includes a powerful preprocessor (which permits syntactical extensions), a debugger (which includes the ability to step backwards in time when investigating an error), and numerous general purpose libraries. The compiler is available for a range of platforms, including Unix, Windows, and Macintosh, with native code generation for all major architectures (IA32, PowerPC, AMD64, Sparc, IA64, Alpha, HP/PA, MIPS, StrongARM).
OCaml is used in a wide range of applications, including
theorem proving and computer program analysis. It is
also used in applications such as MLDonkey (a popular P2P program supporting
multiple networks) and the Unison File Synchronizer.
Programs implemented in Ocaml have won prizes several times in the
ICFP programming contest.
Ocaml is used as an introductory language in many universities, including
EPITA, École Normale Supérieure, Caltech, Brown University, and the University of Pisa.
This is an Article on Ocaml. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Ocaml Features
printf, and a foreign function interface which permits
easy linking with C primitives, including language support for efficient
numerical arrays in formats compatible with both C and
FORTRAN.Uses
See also
External links
Code examples
Hello World
print_endline "Hello world!"
99 Bottles of Beer
open Printf
let bottles count = match count with
| 0 -> "no more bottles of beer"
| 1 -> "1 bottle of beer"
| n -> sprintf "%d bottles of beer" n
let verse n =
let curr = bottles n
and next = bottles (n - 1)
in
let first_line = sprintf "%s on the wall, %s.\
" curr curr
and second_line = "Take one down, pass it around,\
"
and third_line = sprintf "and there's %s on the wall!\
" next
in
first_line ^ second_line ^ third_line
let sing_song () =
for n = 99 downto 1 do
print_endline (verse n)
done
;;
sing_song ()