<p>I would like to learn about the possible ways of formalizing Classes and Objects (in programing languages like java) using formal languages. Where should I start? This might be related to my previous question I <a href="https://cstheory.stackexchange.com/questions/31222/specification-language-for-specifying-both-objects-and-primitive-data-types">asked here.</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-22T04:59:09.767Z
Why are you committing to using formal languages? There is an entire subfield of computer science called semantics devoted to studying the mathematics underlying programming language concepts.
Vijay D
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-22T14:18:18.320Z
This question might be more appropriate to [cs.stackexchange.com](http://cs.stackexchange.com). Anyway, there are various calculi, of which Abadi and Cardelli's [object calculus](http://lucacardelli.name/theoryofobjects.html), a variant of the $\lambda$-calculus, might be the most well-known. It models classes as special kind of objects. Calculi such as [Featherweight Java](https://www.cis.upenn.edu/~bcpierce/papers/fj-toplas.pdf) and [Middleweight Java](https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/techreports/UCAM-CL-TR-563.pdf) model classes directly.
Martin Berger
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-24T06:59:05.183Z
@MartinBerger, Is there anyway that I can move this seamlessly to cs.stackexchange.com, or I need to re-post the questions there and provide a link to this one!?
qartal
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-24T07:03:41.583Z
@qartal Yes, see e.g. [here](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/10249/what-is-migration-and-how-does-it-work).
Martin Berger
<graph-theory><formal-modeling><formal-methods><object-oriented>
Theoretical background of Classes and Objects
qartal
# Theoretical background of Classes and Objects

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-04-21)

I would like to learn about the possible ways of formalizing Classes and Objects (in programing languages like java) using formal languages. Where should I start? This might be related to my previous question I [asked here.](https://cstheory.stackexchange.com/questions/31222/specification-language-for-specifying-both-objects-and-primitive-data-types)

**Tags:** graph-theory, formal-modeling, formal-methods, object-oriented
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Why are you committing to using formal languages? There is an entire subfield of computer science called semantics devoted to studying the mathematics underlying programming language concepts.  
> **username_2**: This question might be more appropriate to [cs.stackexchange.com](http://cs.stackexchange.com). Anyway, there are various calculi, of which Abadi and Cardelli's [object calculus](http://lucacardelli.name/theoryofobjects.html), a variant of the $\lambda$-calculus, might be the most well-known. It models classes as special kind of objects. Calculi such as [Featherweight Java](https://www.cis.upenn.edu/~bcpierce/papers/fj-toplas.pdf) and [Middleweight Java](https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/techreports/UCAM-CL-TR-563.pdf) model classes directly.  
> **username_0**: @MartinBerger, Is there anyway that I can move this seamlessly to cs.stackexchange.com, or I need to re-post the questions there and provide a link to this one!?  
> **username_2**: @qartal Yes, see e.g. [here](https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/10249/what-is-migration-and-how-does-it-work).  

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## 0 answers

