Algorithms to be executed on a computer do not work on thin
air, but need objects to operate on. In this chapter we describe
what kinds of objects are available in Elan-0, and what are the
basic algorithms to handle them.
Objects occur in programs in two forms:
- Elementary objects are variables and constants which come
into life by the execution of declarations;
- Composed objects are the expressions. Expressions
are a convenient notation for the computation of values. A
particular kind of expression are denotations, a way of
writing down values in the program text.
Subsections