LANGUAGE

PROCESSORS
COMPILATION
Language Processors: Why do we need them?
Programmer Programmer
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Compute surface area of
a triangle? Concepts and Ideas

Java Program

JVM Assembly code

How to bridge the
“semantic gap” ?
JVM Binary code

JVM Interpreter

X86 Processor
0101001001...
Hardware Hardware
 Language Processors: What are they?
A programming language processor is any system (software
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or hardware) that manipulates programs.

Examples:
 Editors
 Emacs
 Integrated Development Environments
 Borland jBuilder
 Eclipse
 NetBeans
 Visual Studio .Net
 Translators (e.g. compiler, assembler, disassembler)
 Interpreters
 Interpreter
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 You use lots of interpreters every day!
5 Several languages are used to add dynamics and animation to HTML.
Many programming languages are executed (possibly simultaneously) in the
browser!

Browser

VBScript Control /
HTML Java Virtual
Interpreter Machine (JVM)
(compiler)
applet
HTML Interpreter
script (display formatting)
script

Communications JavaScript
HTML Control /
facilities HTML Interpreter
page
 And also across the web
Web-Client Database
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Web-Server Server

HTML-Form
(+JavaScript) Submit Call PHP DBMS
Data interpreter LAN

PHP SQL
Web-Browser WWW Script commands
Response Response Database
Reply Output
 Compilation
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 Compilation is at least a two-step process, in

which the original program (source program) is
input to the compiler, and a new program (target
program) is output from the compiler. The
compilation steps can be visualized as the
following.
 Compiler (simple view)
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 Compiler
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 Hybrid compiler / interpreter
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 The Phases of a Compiler
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Source Program

Syntax Analysis Error Reports

Abstract Syntax Tree

Contextual Analysis Error Reports

Decorated Abstract Syntax Tree

Code Generation

Object Code
 Different Phases of a Compiler
The different phases can be seen as different
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transformation steps to transform source code into

object code.

The different phases correspond roughly to the different

parts of the language specification:
 Syntax analysis <-> Syntax

 Contextual analysis <-> Contextual constraints

 Code generation <-> Semantics

 Multi Pass Compiler
A multi pass compiler makes several passes over the program. The output of a preceding
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phase is stored in a data structure and used by subsequent phases.

Dependency diagram of a typical Multi Pass Compiler:

Compiler Driver

calls calls
calls

Syntactic Analyzer Contextual Analyzer Code Generator

input input
input output output output

Source Text AST Decorated AST Object Code

 Tools and Techniques
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 Front-end: Syntax analysis

 How to build a Scanner and Lexer
 By hand in Java
 Using Tools
 JavaCC
 SableCC
 Lex and Yacc (JLex and JavaCUP)
 (lg and pg – compiler tools for .Net)
 Middle-part: Contextual Analysis
 Back-end: Code Generation
 Target Machines
 TAM
 JVM
 .Net CLR
 Programming Language Implementation
Q: Which programming languages play a role in this picture?
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input Translator output

source program object program

is expressed in the is expressed in the

source language target language

is expressed in the
implementation language

A: All of them!
 Programming Language Life Cycle
16 Design

Specification

Prototype
Compiler
Manuals,
Textbooks