Generics: accessing type parameters' type parameters

[David Walend]

I'd like to start work on a KSL project to get dot access to type  
parameters' type parameters like I described last year in
http://weblogs.java.net/blog/dwalend/archive/2006/05/ 
tilting_at_the_1.html .

I spent some time poking around the compiler code and the Java  
language specification. I think getting the specification right will  
be harder. And I haven't touched language/compiler work since a class  
in grad school ten years ago.

I think the most relevant section in the language specification is  
the section on Reference Types and Values at http://java.sun.com/docs/ 
books/jls/third_edition/html/typesValues.html#4.3 . That section lays  
out some simple rules, and looks like the right place to touch.

I think I need to augment TypeVariable with something like

     TypeVariableSpecifier:
         TypeVariable
         TypeVariableSpecifier . TypeVariable

, change ReferenceType to

     ReferenceType:
         ClassOrInterfaceType
         TypeVariableSpecifier
         ArrayType


and add a note along these lines:

"In a TypeVariable, a dot-accessed TypeVariable must resolve to the  
name of a TypeParameter within the context of the outer TypeVariable."

How close is that to what needs to be there?

Is using TypeVariables directly this way OK? Or should I imitate  
TypeName and define the works using Identifiers?

Should I do anything for accessible member types (inner classes and  
their kin) in the dot expansion?

Thanks,

Dave

David Walend
david at walend.net