Writing Micro Compiler in OCaml (2014)
5 days ago
- #programming
- #OCaml
- #compiler
- Many software developers aspire to create their own programming language.
- Creating a compiler is complex and requires research, often starting with resources like 'Crafting Compilers in C'.
- A simple micro language is described, which includes basic operations like assignment, read, and write.
- The micro compiler is rewritten in OCaml, chosen for its clean syntax and functional programming features.
- The compiler outputs NASM assembly code, which is then compiled into a binary executable.
- The micro language supports integer variables, basic arithmetic operations, and simple I/O functions.
- Parsing is done with an LL(1) parser, requiring only one character lookahead.
- Utility functions for character and token handling are defined to aid in parsing.
- The compiler includes semantic checking and generates assembly code for operations like addition and subtraction.
- The final compiler can generate binary executables from source code written in the micro language.