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Introduction

This document provides an overview of the topics that will be covered in a compiler course. The course will introduce the key concepts and techniques involved in modern compiler design, including lexical analysis, syntax analysis, intermediate code generation, code optimization, and code generation. Students will learn the front-end and back-end processes of a compiler. The course will use lectures, readings from textbooks, and a term project to teach students how compilers translate source code into executable machine code.

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Siju Cheenikulangara
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
28 views

Introduction

This document provides an overview of the topics that will be covered in a compiler course. The course will introduce the key concepts and techniques involved in modern compiler design, including lexical analysis, syntax analysis, intermediate code generation, code optimization, and code generation. Students will learn the front-end and back-end processes of a compiler. The course will use lectures, readings from textbooks, and a term project to teach students how compilers translate source code into executable machine code.

Uploaded by

Siju Cheenikulangara
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Compiler course

1. Introduction
Outline
• Scope of the course
• Disciplines involved in it
• Abstract view for a compiler
• Front-end and back-end tasks
• Modules
Course scope
• Aim:
– To learn techniques of a modern compiler
• Main reference:
– Compilers – Principles, Techniques and Tools, Second
Edition by Alfred V. Aho, Ravi Sethi, Jeffery D.
Ullman
• Supplementary references:
– Modern compiler construction in Java 2nd edition
– Advanced Compiler Design and Implementation by
Muchnick
Subjects
• Lexical analysis (Scanning)
• Syntax Analysis (Parsing)
• Syntax Directed Translation
• Intermediate Code Generation
• Run-time environments
• Code Generation
• Machine Independent Optimization
Grading policy
• Midterm (4-5 points)
• Final exam (7-9 points)
• Home-works (2-3 points)
• Term project (4-5 points)
Compiler learning
• Isn’t it an old discipline?
– Yes, it is a well-established discipline
– Algorithms, methods and techniques are researched and
developed in early stages of computer science growth
– There are many compilers around and many tools to
generate them automatically
• So, why we need to learn it?
– Although you may never write a full compiler
– But the techniques we learn is useful in many tasks like
writing an interpreter for a scripting language,
validation checking for forms and so on
Terminology
• Compiler:
– a program that translates an executable program in one
language into an executable program in another
language
– we expect the program produced by the compiler to be
better, in some way, than the original
• Interpreter:
– a program that reads an executable program and
produces the results of running that program
– usually, this involves executing the source program in
some fashion
• Our course is mainly about compilers but many of
the same issues arise in interpreters
Disciplines involved
• Algorithms
• Languages and machines
• Operating systems
• Computer architectures
Abstract view

Source Machine
code Compiler code

errors
• Recognizes legal (and illegal) programs
• Generate correct code
• Manage storage of all variables and code
• Agreement on format for object (or
assembly) code
Front-end, Back-end division

Source IR Machine
Front end Back end
code code

errors
• Front end maps legal code into IR
• Back end maps IR onto target machine
• Simplify retargeting
• Allows multiple front ends
• Multiple passes -> better code
Front end
Source tokens IR
Scanner Parser
code

errors

• Recognize legal code


• Report errors
• Produce IR
• Preliminary storage maps
Front end
Source tokens IR
Scanner Parser
code

errors

• Scanner:
– Maps characters into tokens – the basic unit of syntax
• x = x + y becomes <id, x> = <id, x> + <id, y>
– Typical tokens: number, id, +, -, *, /, do, end
– Eliminate white space (tabs, blanks, comments)
• A key issue is speed so instead of using a tool like
LEX it sometimes needed to write your own
scanner
Front end
Source tokens IR
Scanner Parser
code

errors
• Parser:
– Recognize context-free syntax
– Guide context-sensitive analysis
– Construct IR
– Produce meaningful error messages
– Attempt error correction
• There are parser generators like YACC which
automates much of the work
Front end
• Context free grammars are used to represent
programming language syntaxes:

<expr> ::= <expr> <op> <term> | <term>


<term> ::= <number> | <id>
<op> ::= + | -
Front end
• A parser tries to map a
program to the syntactic
elements defined in the
grammar
• A parse can be
represented by a tree
called a parse or syntax
tree
Front end
• A parse tree can be
represented more
compactly referred to as
Abstract Syntax Tree
(AST)
• AST is often used as IR
between front end and
back end
Back end
Instruction Register Machine code
IR selection Allocation

errors

• Translate IR into target machine code


• Choose instructions for each IR operation
• Decide what to keep in registers at each
point
• Ensure conformance with system interfaces
Back end
Instruction Register Machine code
IR selection Allocation

errors

• Produce compact fast code


• Use available addressing modes
Back end
Instruction Register Machine code
IR selection Allocation

errors

• Have a value in a register when used


• Limited resources
• Optimal allocation is difficult
Traditional three pass compiler

Source IR Middle IR Machine


Front end Back end
code end code

errors
• Code improvement analyzes and change IR
• Goal is to reduce runtime
Middle end (optimizer)
• Modern optimizers are usually built as a set
of passes
• Typical passes
– Constant propagation
– Common sub-expression elimination
– Redundant store elimination
– Dead code elimination
Readings
• Chapter 1 of the book

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