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The document provides an overview of the topics covered in a compiler course, including the scope of the course, main sub-topics like lexical analysis, syntax analysis, code generation, and machine-independent optimization. It discusses the abstract view of a compiler in translating source code to machine code, and the traditional division of a compiler into front-end and back-end modules.

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82 views20 pages

1 - Unit1

The document provides an overview of the topics covered in a compiler course, including the scope of the course, main sub-topics like lexical analysis, syntax analysis, code generation, and machine-independent optimization. It discusses the abstract view of a compiler in translating source code to machine code, and the traditional division of a compiler into front-end and back-end modules.

Uploaded by

akanksha naidu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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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
Sub Topics
• Lexical analysis (Scanning)
• Syntax Analysis (Parsing)
• Syntax Directed Translation
• Intermediate Code Generation
• Run-time environments
• Code Generation
• Machine Independent Optimization
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 Front IR Back Machine


code end end 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
Instructio Register
Machine code
IR n Allocatio
selection n

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
Instructio Register
Machine code
IR n Allocatio
selection n

errors

• Produce compact fast code


• Use available addressing modes
Back end
Instructio Register
Machine code
IR n Allocatio
selection n

errors

• Have a value in a register when used


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

Source Front IR Middle IR Back Machine


code end end 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

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