Some dynamic languages offer an ''[[eval]]'' function. This function takes a string parameteror [[abstract syntax tree]] containing code in the language and executes it. If this code stands for an expression, the resulting value is returned. However, [[Erik Meijer (computer scientist)|Erik Meijer]] and Peter Drayton suggestsdistinguish thatthe [[runtime code generation]] programmersoffered "useby eval asfrom athe poor[[dynamic man'sloading]] substituteoffered forby [[shared libraries]], and warn that in many cases eval is used merely to implement [[higher-order functionfunctions]] (by passing functions as strings) or [[deserialization]]s."<ref>{{Citation | citeseerx = 10.1.1.69.5966 | title=Static Typing Where Possible, Dynamic Typing When Needed: The End of the Cold War Between Programming Languages | author=[[Erik Meijer (computer scientist)|Meijer, Erik]] and Peter Drayton | year=2005 | publisher=[[Microsoft]] Corporation|url=https://people.dsv.su.se/~beatrice/DYPL/meijer_drayton.pdf}}</ref>
