An Implementation of Nested Pattern Matching in Interaction Nets

TL;DR

This paper presents a system for interaction nets that enables nested pattern matching in reduction rules, simplifying program expression without auxiliary rules.

Contribution

It introduces a novel implementation allowing nested pattern matching in interaction nets, overcoming the limitation of single-argument pattern matching.

Findings

Enables more expressive interaction net programs

Reduces need for auxiliary rules

Simplifies interaction net programming

Abstract

Reduction rules in interaction nets are constrained to pattern match exactly one argument at a time. Consequently, a programmer has to introduce auxiliary rules to perform more sophisticated matches. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of a system for interaction nets which allows nested pattern matching on interaction rules. We achieve a system that provides convenient ways to express interaction net programs without defining auxiliary rules.