Building GENERIC trees

[Tom Crick]

Hi all,

I previously posted on the list asking about the potential of writing a GCC
front end for BCPL [see http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/gcc/2003-10/msg01064.html].

I'm at the stage now where I'm thinking about the best way to integrate with
GCC. During the parsing, would the best solution be to create my own AST along
the way and then write a 'genericise()' function to get in into a GENERIC form,
or to build GENERIC trees straight away. One of my biggest constraints at the
moment is time (as this is an undergraduate dissertation project), but I want to
ensure that the solution is elegant and if unfinished, I can explain what needs
to be done and how.

I'm leaning towards going straight to GENERIC trees, just for the simple fact
that it prevents having to write a 'genericise()' function and the need to
create my own AST - I'd have a documented format to aim towards. How complex is
it to build GENERIC trees, as I am mindful of having contingency plans if it
goes awry.

Thanks for your help,

Tom


Tom Crick
cs1tc@bath.ac.uk
Dept. of Computer Science
University of Bath
http://students.bath.ac.uk/cs1tc