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CS3 Compiling Techniques: Syllabus

This course describes the phases of a modern programming language compiler with an emphasis on widely-used techniques.

Context

There are no formal prerequisites other than CS2.

Syllabus

• Introduction: structure of a compiler.
• Lexical analysis: tokens, regular expressions, Lex.
• Parsing: context-free grammars, predictive and LR parsing, Yacc.
• Abstract syntax: semantic actions, abstract parse trees.
• Semantic analysis: symbol tables, bindings, type-checking.
• Stack frames: representation and abstraction.
• Intermediate code: representation trees, translation.
• Basic blocks and traces: canonical trees and conditional branches.
• Instruction selection: algorithms for selection, RISC and CISC.
• Liveness analysis: solution of dataflow equations.
• Register allocation: colouring by simplification, coalescing.
• Advanced Topics

Activities

Lectures are given by Björn Franke. They will follow Part 1 of the textbook by Keith Cooper and Toczon.

Assessment

An examination paper accounts for 75% of the course mark. The coursework accounts for the remaining 25%.

Course text

Keith Cooper and Linda Torczon, Engineering a Compiler, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2004. (***)

Björn Franke, bfranke@inf.ed.ac.uk.