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Intermediate-Code Generation

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Introduction to Compiler Design

Part of the book series: Undergraduate Topics in Computer Science ((UTICS))

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Abstract

The final goal of a compiler is to get programs written in a high-level language to run on a computer. This means that, eventually, the program will have to be expressed as machine code that can run on the computer. This does not mean that we need to translate directly from the high-level abstract syntax to machine code. Many compilers use a medium-level language as a stepping-stone between the high-level language and the very low-level machine code. Such stepping-stone languages are called intermediate code .

The art of free society consists first in the maintenance of the symbolic code; and secondly in fearlessness of revision, to secure that the code serves those purposes which satisfy an enlightened reason.

Alfred North Whitehead (1869–1947)

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Note that the coordinate system is rotated 90° clockwise compared to mathematical tradition.

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Datalogisk Institut, Københavns Universitet, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Torben Ægidius Mogensen

Authors
  1. Torben Ægidius Mogensen
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Correspondence to Torben Ægidius Mogensen .

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Mogensen, T. (2017). Intermediate-Code Generation. In: Introduction to Compiler Design. Undergraduate Topics in Computer Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66966-3_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66966-3_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-66965-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-66966-3

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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