Abstract—We describe a denotational model of higher-order functional reactive programming using ultrametric spaces and nonexpansive maps, which provide a natural Cartesian closed generalization of causal stream functions and guarded recursive definitions. We define a type theory corresponding to this semantics and show that it satisfies normalization. Finally, we show how reactive programs written in this language may be implemented efficiently using an imperatively updated dataflow graph, and give a separation logic proof that this low-level implementation is correct with respect to the high-level semantics. I.

We give a denotational model for graphical user interface (GUI) programming using the Cartesian closed category of ultrametric spaces. The ultrametric structure enforces causality restrictions on reactive systems and allows well-founded recursive definitions by a generalization of guardedness. We capture the arbitrariness of user input (e.g., a user gets to decide the stream of clicks she sends to a program) by making use of the fact that the closed subsets of an ultrametric space themselves form an ultrametric space, allowing us to interpret nondeterminism with a “powerspace ” monad. Algebras for the powerspace monad yield a model of intuitionistic linear logic, which we exploit in the definition of a mixed linear/non-linear domain-specific language for writing GUI programs. The non-linear part of the language is used for writing reactive stream-processing functions whilst the linear sublanguage naturally captures the generativity and usage constraints on the various linear objects in GUIs, such as the elements of a DOM or scene graph. We have implemented this DSL as an extension to OCaml, and give examples demonstrating that programs in this style can be short and readable.

We give a denotational model for graphical user interface (GUI) programming in terms of the cartesian closed category of ultrametric spaces. The metric structure allows us to capture natural restrictions on reactive systems, such as causality, while still allowing recursively defined values. We capture the arbitrariness of user input (e.g., a user gets to decide the stream of clicks she sends to a program) by making use of the fact that the closed subsets of a metric space themselves form a metric space under the Hausdorff metric, allowing us to interpret nondeterminism with a “powerspace ” monad on ultrametric spaces. The powerspace monad is commutative, and hence gives rise to a model of linear logic. We exploit this fact by constructing a mixed linear/nonlinear domain-specific language for GUI programming. The linear sublanguage naturally captures the usage constraints on the various linear objects in GUIs, such as the elements of a DOM or scene graph. We have implemented this DSL as an extension to OCaml, and give examples demonstrating that programs in this style can be short and readable.

Streams, or infinite lists, have many applications in functional programming, and are naturally defined using recursive equations. But how do we ensure that such equations make sense, i.e. that they actually produce well-defined streams? In this article we present a new approach to this problem, based upon the topological notion of contractive functions on streams. In particular, we give a sound and complete representation theorem for contractive functions on streams, illustrate the use of this theorem as a practical means to produce well-defined streams, and show how the efficiency of the resulting definitions can be improved using another representation of contractive functions. 1