A flexible semantic analyzer for Ada
Mark S. Sherman, Martha S. Borkan · ACM SIGPLAN Notices · 1980
A technique for writing semantic analysis phases of compilers is described. The technique uses Simula classes and virtual procedures to create a flexible and modular program.The technique is used to implement a semantic analysis phase of a compiler front end for the preliminary Ada language. Because the design is extremely flexible and modular, the front end is able to accommodate changes in the Ada language and its semantics as they are publishedSeveral problems were encountered when implementing Ada's semantics. These problems are described and their solutions presented.The front end also produces TCOL Ada' the specified intermediate language for various Ada compiler contracts. This output has been used by an experimental compiler back end. [9]The front end is written as two programs which perform lexical analysis, syntactic analysis, semantic analysis, and TCOL Ada generation. The front end is coded in Simula, and has been runnig on DEC Tops-10 and Tops-20 systems since September 1979.