Compilers
Posted on Tue 23 March 2021 in courses
- Provide an in-depth understanding of the principles, techniques, and tools used in the design and implementation of compilers.
- Equip students with the ability to write and optimize programs by understanding how high-level code is translated into machine-level instructions.
- Introduce concepts of language parsing, code generation, and optimization techniques that are critical for the development of efficient and reliable software.
- Foster the ability to analyze and improve existing compiler systems, as well as design new ones from scratch.
Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to: 1. Understand the fundamental phases of a compiler, including lexical analysis, syntax analysis, semantic analysis, code generation, and optimization. 2. Develop skills to implement key components of a compiler, such as parsers, symbol tables, and intermediate code generators. 3. Recognize and utilize various parsing techniques, including top-down and bottom-up parsing strategies. 4. Apply optimization techniques to improve the performance of compiled code. 5. Gain exposure to modern tools and technologies used in compiler construction, such as Lex and Yacc.
Syllabus
1. Introduction to Compiler Design
- Role of a compiler in the software development lifecycle
- Overview of programming languages and their features
- Architecture of a compiler
2. Lexical Analysis
- Lexical tokens, patterns, and lexemes
- Design of lexical analyzers
- Introduction to Lex and its usage
3. Syntax Analysis
- Context-free grammars and parse trees
- Top-down parsing (recursive descent, LL) and bottom-up parsing (LR, LALR)
- Error detection and recovery mechanisms in parsers
4. Semantic Analysis
- Role of semantic analysis in a compiler
- Type checking and type inference
- Symbol tables and attribute grammars
5. Intermediate Code Generation
- Representations such as three-address code, quadruples, and abstract syntax trees
- Translating high-level constructs into intermediate representations
6. Code Optimization
- Local vs global optimization techniques
- Loop optimizations, dead code elimination, and inlining
- Role of data-flow analysis in optimization
7. Code Generation
- Instruction selection and register allocation
- Basic blocks and flow graphs
- Generating efficient machine-level code
8. Advanced Topics
- Just-In-Time (JIT) Compilation
- Compiler frameworks (LLVM, GCC)
- Introduction to domain-specific languages (DSLs)
9. Project and Case Studies
- Design and implementation of a small-scale compiler
- Case studies on modern compiler systems and frameworks
Teaching assistant
Foreword
I was teaching assistant of Compiler Design and Construction B.Sc. course by Dr. Saeed Parsa for seven semesters (more than three years) at Iran University of Science and Technology. Our teaching materials during these three years are available to view and download.
I put all source code that I developed to practically teach compiler to students on the GitHub page, the IUST compiler course.
Useful links
Projects
I designed and planned some practical projects about the applications of compiler science in program analysis. The projects shown in Table 1 have been assigned to the students who take the IUST compiler course during different semesters. Click on the link in the "Project" column to see the project proposal.
Table 1: Compiler projects.
| Project | Description | Semesters | Courses |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenUnderstand 2 | Low-level source code metrics calculation | Spring 2022 | Compiler |
| OpenUnderstand | Symbols table development | Fall 2021, Spring 2022, | Compiler |
| QualityMeter | - Source code quality attribute computation - Refactoring opportunity detection | Fall 2021 | Advanced compiler |
| CodART 2 | Source code smell detection | Spring 2021 (Cancelled) | Compiler |
| CodART | Source code refactoring | Fall 2020, Spring 2021, | Compiler |
| CodART | Refactoring to design pattern at the source code level | Fall 2020 | Advanced compiler |
| CleanCode | Source code smell detection | Fall 2019, Spring 2020 | Compiler |
| CodA | Source code instrumentation and testbed analysis tool | Fall 2018 | Compiler / Advanced compiler |
| ANTLR MiniJava | Parse-tree and intermediate code generation for the MiniJava programming language with ANTLR | Fall 2016, Spring 2017 | Compiler |
As a student
I always enjoy learning about compilers, code transformation, and their application in automated software engineering. I firmly believe that the next generation of software engineers are intelligent white-box compilers! Such compilers are structure-aware, context-aware, and domain-aware, assisting the programmer in writing high-quality and testable programs. Compilers helped artificial intelligence (AI) in the past, and now AI boosts compilers!