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Unifying Exceptions with Constructors in Standard ML

Abstract: This brief report describes a uniform treatment of exception values and constructed values in Standard ML. The application of an exception constructor to a value yields an exception value. Exception values are values. In particular, they can be passed as arguments to functions and returned as results. Like constructed values they can be decomposed using pattern matching, but unlike constructed values they can be raised and handled.

This treatment of exceptions has been adopted in ``The Definition of Standard ML, Version 2'' as predicted in ``The Semantics of Standard ML, Version 1''.

LFCS report ECS-LFCS-88-55