Assignment Title: Compiler Construction: Theory and
Practice
Objective
To understand the fundamental concepts of compiler construction, including the
stages of compilation, the role of different components, and practical implementation.
Outline
1.
Introduction to Compilers
2.
1. Definition of a compiler
2. Importance of compilers in programming languages
3. Differences between compilers and interpreters
3.
Phases of Compilation
4.
1. Lexical Analysis
1. Role of the lexer
2. Token generation
3. Regular expressions and finite automata
2. Syntax Analysis
1. Role of the parser
2. Context-free grammars
3. Parse trees and abstract syntax trees (ASTs)
3. Semantic Analysis
1. Type checking
2. Symbol tables
4. Intermediate Code Generation
1. Purpose of intermediate representation (IR)
2. Types of IR (e.g., three-address code, bytecode)
5. Optimization
1. Importance of code optimization
2. Common optimization techniques (e.g., dead code elimination, loop
optimization)
6. Code Generation
1. Target architecture considerations
2. Instruction selection and scheduling
7. Code Optimization (Final)
1. Machine-specific optimizations
2. Register allocation
5.
Components of a Compiler
6.
1. Frontend vs. Backend
2. Lexical Analyzer (Scanner)
3. Parser
4. Semantic Analyzer
5. Intermediate Code Generator
6. Optimizer
7. Code Generator
7.
Compiler Design Techniques
8.
1. Top-down vs. bottom-up parsing
2. Recursive descent parsing
3. Shift-reduce parsing
4. Use of parser generators (e.g., Yacc, ANTLR)
9.
Tools and Technologies
10.
1. Overview of popular compiler construction tools (e.g., LLVM, GCC)
2. Scripting languages and their interpreters (e.g., Python, JavaScript)
3. Case study: A simple compiler implementation (e.g., from a simplified language to
assembly)
11.
Challenges in Compiler Construction
12.
1. Handling ambiguities in grammar
2. Optimizing for performance vs. maintainability
3. Supporting multiple architectures
13.
Conclusion
14.
1. Recap of the importance of compilers
2. Future trends in compiler technology (e.g., Just-In-Time compilation, AI in
optimization)
Assignment Tasks
1.
Research Paper
2.
1. Write a paper summarizing the different phases of a compiler.
2. Compare two different types of compilers (e.g., static vs. dynamic).
3.
Practical Implementation
4.
1. Implement a simple compiler for a basic programming language.
2. Generate intermediate code from source code.
5.
Code Review
6.
1. Review existing compiler code (e.g., LLVM or GCC) and summarize key components.
7.
Presentation
8.
1. Create a presentation highlighting the major components and phases of compiler
construction.
References
"Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools" by Aho, Sethi, and Ullman (the "Dragon
Book")
Online resources (tutorials, documentation)
Research papers on advanced compiler techniques
Submission Guidelines
Format: Typed, double-spaced, 12-point font
Length: 10-15 pages (for the research paper)
Due Date: [Insert Date]
