Patent ID: 6845502

Claim:
A method of producing an executable file for execution by a computer, comprising: receiving a plurality of programming language statements comprising a source program into the computer, wherein the language statements include declarations defining attribute information for a symbol reference or symbol definition; translating the source program wherein the object module includes a symbol reference, a symbol definition, attribute information for the symbol reference derived from the language statements declaring the attribute information, and attribute information for the symbol definition derived from the language statements declaring the attribute information; wherein the object module is capable of including: a symbol reference; a symbol definition; attribute information for the symbol reference derived from the language statements declaring the attribute information; and attribute information for the symbol definition derived from the language statements declaring the attribute information; binding object modules into a program object, wherein the attribute information is available when binding object modules into the program object; and resolving in the program object an external symbol reference in the object module with an external symbol definition in another object module.