A framework for type system definition and manipulation in C++

Meta-programming sets its goal in treating programs as data objects, and as such, manipulating and modifying them. We describe a framework that provides an essential part of a meta-programming environment, namely types. We have implemented an extendible class library in C++ that presents types as first class values, and uses a simple syntax to allow easy definition, creation and manipulation of types. This poses a framework which can be used in several application domains, including language processing tools, database applications, and CASE tools.