Compilers

• Compilation


  Translates a program to another language
• Source Language


  High-level programming language
• Target Language


  Machine or assembly language
• Interpreter


  Translates and executes source program
• Preprocessing


  Occurs before program compilation
• Assembler


  Type of translator
• #include


  Directive to include specified file
• #define


  Defines symbolic constants and macros
• Macro


  Text substitution without data type checking
• #undef


  Undefines a symbolic constant or macro
• Conditional Compilation


  Control preprocessor directives and compilation
• Compiler


  Translates C program to assembler code
• Parser


  Part of the compiler that analyzes syntax
• Code Optimizer


  Improves code efficiency
• Linker


  Combines object code to make executable file
• Loader


  Places object programs in memory for execution
• Compiler Construction


  Translates high-level languages to machine language
• Machine Language


  Language computers understand
• Compiler Properties


  Compiler must generate correct and efficient code
• Compiler Goals


  Code correctness, efficiency, and speed
• Optimizing Compiler


  Produces more efficient output code
• Compiler Study Importance


  Teaches theoretical techniques and software engineering skills
• Formal Grammars


  Used in compiler construction
• Lattice Theory


  Theoretical technique in compilers
• Compiler Construction Challenges


  Involves theory, algorithms, systems, and architecture
• Compiler Construction Solutions


  Techniques applicable in various applications
• Compiler Construction Status


  Not a fully solved problem
• Syntax


  Specifies the structure of a programming language
• Semantics


  Defines the meaning of constructs in a programming language
• Context-Free Grammar (CFG)


  Set of recursive rewriting rules to generate string patterns
• Static Semantics


  Rules checked at compile time, like function argument types
• Runtime Semantics


  Rules checked only during program execution
• Lexical Analysis


  Converts source code characters into lexical units
• Syntax Analysis


  Transforms lexical units into parse trees showing program structure
• Semantics Analysis


  Generates intermediate code from parse trees
• Code Generation


  Produces machine code from intermediate code
• Regular Expression


  Pattern notation for specifying finite string sets
• Lexical Analyzer


  Identifies tokens in a program using regular expressions
• Lexeme


  Sequence of characters matching a pattern in source code
• Token


  Logically cohesive sequence of characters representing a lexeme