Language Interoperability in Control Network Programming

TL;DR

This paper explores language interoperability in Control Network Programming (CNP), demonstrating how primitives written in Python, Java, and C can be integrated into multi-language CNP applications, enhancing flexibility and ease of development.

Contribution

It introduces methods for integrating primitives in multiple programming languages within CNP, enabling multi-language application development and discussing language-free CNP approaches.

Findings

Successful creation of multi-language CNP applications using Python, Java, and C primitives.

Demonstration of primitives in multiple languages used simultaneously in CNP.

Discussion of language-free CNP as an alternative approach.

Abstract

Control Network Programming (CNP) is a programming paradigm which is being described with the maxim "Primitives + Control Network = Control Network program". It is a type of graphic programming. The Control Network is a recursive system of graphs; it can be a purely descriptive specification of the problem being solved. Clearly, "drawing" the control network does not include any programming. The Primitives are elementary, easily understandable and clearly specified actions. Ultimately, they have to be programmed. Historically, they are usually coded in Free Pascal. The actual code of the primitives has never been considered important. The essence of an "algorithm" is represented by its control network. CNP was always meant to be an easy and fast approach for software application development that actually involves very little real programming. Language interoperability (using different languages in the same software project) is a distinguished current trend in software development. It is even more important and natural in the case of CNP than for other programming paradigms. Here, interoperability practically means the possibility to use primitives written in various programming languages. The current report describes our first steps in creating applications using a multi-language set of primitives. Most popular and interesting programming languages have been addressed: Python, Java, and C. We show how to create applications with primitives written in those "non-native" languages. We consider examples where the primitives in all those four programming languages are simultaneously used (multiple-language CNP). We also discuss CNP programming without programming (language-free CNP).