Computer language processing

CS-320 / 6 credits

Language: English

Summary

We teach the fundamental aspects of analyzing and interpreting computer languages, including the techniques to build compilers. You will build a working compiler from an elegant functional language into machine code using a popular backend called LLVM (https://llvm.org)

Content

See https://lara.epfl.ch/w/cc

1. Overview, source languages and run-time models

2. Review of formal languages

3. Lexical analysis

4. Syntactic analysis (parsing)

5. Name analysis

6. Type checking

7. Code generation

8. Correctness of compilers

Keywords

programming language;

compiler;

interpreter;

regular expression;

context-free grammar;

type system;

code generation;

static code analysis

Learning Prerequisites

Recommended courses

Discrete Mathematics

Theory of computation

Functional Programming

Computer architecture

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

Design a programming language
Construct a compiler
Coordinate development with project partner
Formulate correctness conditions for compiler
Estimate time to implement a programming language feature
Produce a working programming language implementation
Decide which language features make implementation difficult
Specify programming language and compiler functionality

Transversal skills

Assess progress against the plan, and adapt the plan as appropriate.
Evaluate one's own performance in the team, receive and respond appropriately to feedback.
Respect the rules of the institution in which you are working.
Continue to work through difficulties or initial failure to find optimal solutions.
Demonstrate a capacity for creativity.
Take feedback (critique) and respond in an appropriate manner.
Make an oral presentation.
Write a scientific or technical report.

Teaching methods

Lectures, exercises, labs

Expected student activities

Follow lectures
Project work, indepdently and under supervision of assistants

Assessment methods

The grade is based on a midterm exam (30%) as well as programming, testing, documentation, and presentation of several projects done on student's own laptops during the semester (70%).

Different groups of students may be assigned different variants of projects. There may be small but unavoidable variations in the difficulty of different variants.