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Intermediate Code

The document discusses intermediate code generation in compilers. It covers: - Intermediate code acts as an interface between the front-end and back-end of a compiler. It allows separating source language details from target machine details. - Syntax trees can be represented as DAGs to share common subexpressions and optimize code generation. Three-address code is introduced to have at most one operator per instruction. - Code generation involves type checking, translating expressions and statements to three-address code incrementally, handling control flow and addressing memory. Backpatching updates symbolic labels to actual addresses.

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86 views19 pages

Intermediate Code

The document discusses intermediate code generation in compilers. It covers: - Intermediate code acts as an interface between the front-end and back-end of a compiler. It allows separating source language details from target machine details. - Syntax trees can be represented as DAGs to share common subexpressions and optimize code generation. Three-address code is introduced to have at most one operator per instruction. - Code generation involves type checking, translating expressions and statements to three-address code incrementally, handling control flow and addressing memory. Backpatching updates symbolic labels to actual addresses.

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ipo ipo
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Intermediate Code Generation

Introduction
Intermediate code is the interface between front end
and back end in a compiler
Ideally the details of source language are confined to
the front end and the details of target machines to the
back end .

Static Intermediate Code


Parser
Checker Code Generator Generator
Variants of syntax trees
It is sometimes beneficial to crate a DAG instead of
tree for Expressions.
This way we can easily show the common sub-
expressions and then use that knowledge during code
generation
Example: a+a*(b-c)+(b-c)*d

+ *

*
d
a -

b c
creating DAG’s
Production Semantic Rules
1) E -> E1+T E.node= new Node(‘+’, E1.node,T.node)
2) E -> E1-T E.node= new Node(‘-’, E1.node,T.node)
3) E -> T E.node = T.node
4) T -> (E) T.node = E.node
5) T -> id T.node = new Leaf(id, id.entry)
6) T -> num T.node = new Leaf(num, num.val)
Three address code
In a three address code there is at most one operator
at the right side of an instruction
Example:

+
t1 = b – c
+ * t2 = a * t1
t3 = a + t2
* t4 = t1 * d
d
t5 = t3 + t4
a -

b c
Forms of three address
instructions
 x = y op z
 x = op y
x = y
 goto L
 if x goto L and ifFalse x goto L
 if x relop y goto L
 Procedure calls using:
 call p,n
 y = call p,n
 x = y[i] and x[i] = y
 x = &y and x = *y and *x =y
Example
do i = i+1;
while (a[i] < v);
L: t1 = i + 1 100: t1 = i + 1
i = t1 101: i = t1
t2 = i * 8 102: t2 = i * 8
t3 = a[t2] 103: t3 = a[t2]
if t3 < v goto L 104: if t3 < v goto 100

Symbolic labels Position numbers


Data structures for three
address codes
Quadruples
Has four fields: op, arg1, arg2 and result
Triples
Temporaries are not used and instead references to
instructions are made
Indirect triples
In addition to triples we use a list of pointers to triples
Storage Layout for Local Names
Computing types and their widths
Translation of Expressions and
Statements
We discussed how to find the types and offset of
variables
We have therefore necessary preparations to discuss
about translation to intermediate code
We also discuss the type checking
Three-address code for expressions
Incremental Translation
Addressing Array Elements
Layouts for a two-dimensional array:
Abstract syntax tree for the
function definition
fun length(x) =
if null(x) then 0 else length(tl(x)+1)

This is a polymorphic function


Control Flow
boolean expressions are often used to:
Alter the flow of control.
Compute logical values.
Short-Circuit Code


Generating three-address code for booleans
Backpatching
 Previous codes for Boolean expressions insert symbolic labels for
jumps
 It therefore needs a separate pass to set them to appropriate addresses
 We can use a technique named backpatching to avoid this
 We assume we save instructions into an array and labels will be index
in the array
 For nonterminal B we use two attributes B.truelist and B.falselist
together with following functions:
 makelist(i): create a new list containing only I, an index into the array
of instructions
 Merge(p1,p2): concatenates the lists pointed by p1 and p2 and returns a
pointer to the concatenated list
 Backpatch(p,i): inserts i as the target label for each of the instruction
on the list pointed to by p
Translation of a switch-statement

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