Patent ID: 7032230

Claim:
A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium bearing computer code for use by a computer environment supporting virtual function calls and supporting both interpretation of functions in a set of functions and execution of compiled code representing functions in the sot of functions, the set of functions being referenced in one or more loaded classes in a set of computer code, the computer program product, comprising: a computer program code representation executable by a computer for generating, for each loaded class: a first virtual function table for access by an interpreter for interpreting a call in the computer code to one of the functions in the set of functions, and a second virtual function table for access during execution of the compiled code for calling one of the functions in the set of functions wherein the first virtual function table comprises interpretation entries, each interpretation entry being associated with a function in the set of functions and pointing to a corresponding function data structure, and the second virtual function table comprises compilation entries, each compilation entry being associated with a function in the set of functions and pointing to either a corresponding block of executable code or to a corresponding block of interpreter transition code, and in which the interpreter transition code corresponding to a compilation entry for a selected associated function is executable to access the function data structure pointed to by the interpretation entry for the said selected associated function.