Generating Well-Typed Terms That Are Not "Useless"

Explore a novel algorithm for generating well-typed terms in functional programming languages presented at POPL 2024. Delve into the limitations of existing top-down, type-oriented approaches that often produce 'use-less' functions with unused arguments. Learn how the proposed nonlocal algorithm significantly improves the generation of functions that utilize their arguments effectively. Examine the formalization of both local and nonlocal algorithms as step-relations in an extended simply-typed lambda calculus. Understand the implications for random testing of compilers, including enhanced performance and more thorough testing of optimizations. Access the full article, supplementary materials, and video presentation to gain insights into this innovative approach to generating meaningful well-typed terms for property-based testing.