Compiler Design

SDDs specify values of attributes by associating the semantic rules of a programming language with the grammar productions. In this article, learn about SDDs, different types of attributes, and how SDDs are evaluated in a parse tree.

All optimizations in a compiler depend on data-flow analysis. We discuss three instances of data-flow problems, reaching definitions, live variables and available expressions.

We have discussed two classes of definitions that can efficiently be implemented in connection to top-down or bottom-up parsing in compilers and corresponding attribute grammars that result from serious restrictions.

Instruction selection involves choosing target-language instructions for each IR statement. In this article we discuss how it can be done by a tree-rewriting process whereby tree patterns that correspond to machine instructions are used to tile a syntax tree.

An activation tree is a tree structure that represents function calls made by a program during execution. When a function is called the a new activation record is pushed to the stack and popped from the stack when the function returns.

In this article we discuss attribute dependency graphs and attribute evaluation during semantic analysis phase in compiler design.

Code written in high-level programming languages has a lot of overhead, in this article we discuss low-level techniques used to optimize this code for efficiency.

During the code generation phase, the compiler has to make jumps, however, the values needed for these jumps may not be known in a single pass therefore it improvises by filling up values which are replaced when the real values are known, a process known as backpatching.

A compiler is a program that translates source code into machine code that can be executed by a computer. In this article we explore various types of compilers.

The pumping lemma is used as a way to prove if a language is context-free or not. In this article we have discussed this lemma for CFLs.

In this article we discuss YACC and Bison, both tools used to generate parsers for context free languages that are LALR(1).

In this article, we discuss the different major types of programming languages, how they are used, and their pros and cons.

A compiler is responsible for translating high-level source code into low-level code. In this article, we go over a brief overview of the compiler design domain, a very successful field in computer science.

Decompilation is the process of converting executable machine code into human readable code. In this article we discuss the steps involved in the decompilation process.

Disassembly involves recreating assembly code from binary machine code. In this article we discuss concepts surrounding disassembly and a basic algorithm used for disassembly.

An assembler is responsible for converting source code into target code. In this article we discuss the tasks of an assembler, linker and loader. We also discuss the design issues faced by both assemblers and linkers.

Three address code is generated by a compiler for code optimization, it uses a maximum of three addresses to represent any statement. In this article we discuss it.

Compiler architecture differs based on the granularity of data passing through the compiler and the flow of control between compiler modules. In this article we discuss these two factors, properties of good compiler, portability and retargetability.

Intermediate code can either be directly executed by an interpreter which involves little preprocessing or by a compiler which requires a lot of preprocessing followed by code generation. In this article we discuss interpretation and the types of interpreters.

In this article, we discuss the general compilation technique for a full recursive backtracking search over clauses combined with a full unification of terms.

In logic programming, the user only has to specify the problem and the system will find the solution based on the provided information however substantial effort is needed to implement a logic language compiler. In this article we discuss how we go about this.

How do we find data within a procedure that does not belong to that procedure, In this article we discuss how to access data that is not local to a procedure on the stack.

Trace-based collection is garbage collection whereby garbage is collected periodically unlike basic gc where garbage is collected as it is created. In this article we discuss four algorithms for garbage collections and their properties.