A compiler translates a program written in a high level language into a program written in a lower level language. For students of computer science, building a compiler from scratch is a rite of passage: a challenging and fun project that offers insight into many different aspects of computer science, some deeply theoretical, and others highly practical. This book offers a one semester introduction into compiler construction, enabling the reader to build a simple compiler that accepts a C-like language and translates it into working X86 or ARM assembly language. It is most suitable for undergraduate students who have some experience programming in C, and have taken courses in data structures and computer architecture.

While compilers for high-level programming languages are large complex software systems, they have particular characteristics that differentiate them from other software systems. Their functionality is almost completely well-defined – ideally there exist complete precise descriptions of the source and target languages. Additional descriptions of the interfaces to the operating system, programming system and programming environment, and to other compilers and libraries are often available. This book deals with the analysis phase of translators for programming languages. It describes lexical, syntactic and semantic analysis, specification mechanisms for these tasks from the theory of formal languages, and methods for automatic generation based on the theory of automata. The authors present a conceptual translation structure, i.e., a division into a set of modules, which transform an input program into a sequence of steps in a machine program, and they then describe the interfaces between the modules. Finally, the structures of real translators are outlined. The book contains the necessary theory and advice for implementation. This book is intended for students of computer science. The book is supported throughout with examples, exercises and program fragments.

Software -- Programming Languages.

Maintaining a balance between a theoretical and practical approach to this important subject, Elements of Compiler Design serves as an introduction to compiler writing for undergraduate students. From a theoretical viewpoint, it introduces rudimental models, such as automata and grammars, that underlie compilation and its essential phases. Based on these models, the author details the concepts, methods, and techniques employed in compiler design in a clear and easy-to-follow way. From a practical point of view, the book describes how compilation techniques are implemented. In fact, throughout the text, a case study illustrates the design of a new programming language and the construction of its compiler. While discussing various compilation techniques, the author demonstrates their implementation through this case study. In addition, the book presents many detailed examples and computer programs to emphasize the applications of the compiler algorithms. After studying this self-contained textbook, students should understand the compilation process, be able to write a simple real compiler, and easily follow advanced books on the subject.