Hic: High Integrity Cimple

Hic is a "reverse compiler" for the Cimple C-dialect. It employs heuristic-based analysis to infer high-level language constructs from standard C patterns, producing an intent-rich AST that is strictly reversible.

Core Concepts

• Lifting (Inference): Identifying low-level C patterns (like goto CLEANUP) and lifting them into semantic constructs (like Scoped).
• Lowering: The process of transforming high-level constructs back into identical Cimple AST nodes, ensuring that the original code structure is preserved.
• Global Inference: Analysis that leverages cross-file information (struct definitions, global constants, typedefs) to identify complex domain patterns.

Project Structure

• src/Language/Hic/Ast.hs: Defines the high-level Hic AST.
• src/Language/Hic/Inference.hs: Heuristic engine for lifting C to Hic.
• src/Language/Hic.hs: Core transformation logic (Lowering).
• src/Language/Hic/Inference/Program.hs: Global program-level state management.
• tools/hic-check.hs: Verification tool for round-trip integrity.

Documentation

For detailed design principles and a list of supported constructs, see the Design Documentation.