Iterators and interaction

Abstract

We propose a method for encoding iterators (and recursion operators in general) using interaction nets. There are two main applications for this: the method can be used to obtain a visual notation for functional programs, in a visual programming system; and it can be used to extend the existing translations of the λ-calculus into interaction nets (that have been proposed as efficient implementation mechanisms) to languages with recursive types. This work can also be seen as a study of the relation between interaction net programming and functional programming.