An APL Compiler [Paperback]

Presents the results of an investigation into the issuesraised by the development of a compiler for APL, a very highlevel computer programming language. APL presents a numberof novel problems for a compiler writer: weak variabletyping, run time changes in variable shape, and a host ofprimitive operations. Through the integration of severalrecently developed compiler construction techniques, such asdata flow analysis, and a novel and space efficient demanddriven or lazy evaluation approach to code generation, theauthor has been able to produce a true compiler for thelanguage while still maintaining the felxibility and easethat are the hallmarks of APL.Presents the results of an investigation into the issuesraised by the development of a compiler for APL, a very highlevel computer programming language. APL presents a numberof novel problems for a compiler writer: weak variabletyping, run time changes in variable shape, and a host ofprimitive operations. Through the integration of severalrecently developed compiler construction techniques, such asdata flow analysis, and a novel and space efficient demanddriven or lazy evaluation approach to code generation, theauthor has been able to produce a true compiler for thelanguage while still maintaining the felxibility and easethat are the hallmarks of APL.1. Why A Compiler ?.- 1.1. APL Terminology.- 1.2. The Disadvantages of a Compiler.- 1.3. The Compiler Passes.- 1.3.1. The Parsing Pass.- 1.3.2. The Inferencing Pass.- 1.3.3. The Access Determination Pass.- 1.3.4. The Resource Allocation Pass.- 1.3.5. The Code Generation Pass.- 1.4. Compiling for a Vector Machine.- 2. The Inferencing Pass.- 2.1. A Hierarchy of Attributes.- 2.2. Expression Flow Analysis.- 2.3. Intraprocedural Dataflow Analysis.- 2.4. Interprocedural Dataflow Analysis.- 2.5. An Example - The Spiral of Primes.- 2.5.1. Statement Analysis.- 2.5.2. Intraprocedural Analysis.- 2.5.3. Interprocedural Analysis.- 2.lG