Compiler Steps

Added by dholton dholton

Pipelines consist of a set of steps that the compiler passes the code through. The source code for all the steps is here.

The order of steps when you compile a script is like this:

1. First the Boo Parser (and lexer): Boo.Lang.Parser.BooParsingStep.
   • The rules the Boo parser uses are defined in this ANTLR grammar file ** <<<--- CAN'T FIND IT**
   • The boo lexer turns the text script into a set of tokens, and the boo parser converts the tokens into an abstract syntax tree (AST). I'll show examples of this later on. Each step after the parser is basically just working on this AST and transforming it. At the end, the AST is used to produce raw .NET assembly code (IL). The steps that happen after the parser step:
2. InitializeTypeSystemServices
3. PreErrorChecking
4. InitializeNameResolutionService
5. IntroduceGlobalNamespaces
6. TransformCallableDefinitions
7. BindTypeDefinitions
8. BindNamespaces
9. BindBaseTypes
10. BindAndApplyAttributes
11. ExpandMacros
12. IntroduceModuleClasses
13. NormalizeStatementModifiers
14. NormalizeTypeAndMemberDefinitions
15. BindTypeDefinitions
16. BindBaseTypes
17. ResolveTypeReferences
18. BindTypeMembers
19. ProcessInheritedAbstractMembers
20. ProcessMethodBodiesWithDuckTyping
21. ProcessAssignmentsToValueTypeMembers
22. ExpandProperties
23. StricterErrorChecking
24. RemoveDeadCode
25. NormalizeIterationStatements
26. ProcessSharedLocals
27. ProcessClosures
28. ProcessGenerators
29. InjectCallableConversions
30. ImplementICallableOnCallableDefinitions
31. EmitAssembly
32. and finally SaveAssembly or RunAssembly

For a script that shows what your source code and other info looks like after every step, see http://groups.google.com/group/boolang/browse_frm/thread/4a836759385d9b24/88b28eb44bcadf35?hl=en#88b28eb44bcadf35

I have another version too that shows which nodes are synthetic (generated by the compiler), but it doesn't look like the patch required for this will be committed.