Language definitions for compiler programming project wanted

Hello everybody,


I am preparing a compiler programming project (6 hours per week) for the
next term. The students who will take this project are expected to have
already attended a four hours course in compiler construction at least.


The subject of the project is the complete translation from a small
imperative language to machine code (possibly Sparc assembler).


At this stage the source language is planned to be C- or MODULA-like
exhibiting the following additional features:
    - basic support for OOP (possibly by extensible records as used in Oberon)
    - higher-order procedures (at least as supported by Pascal level 1)


The front end will be implemented using UNIX tools, the back end (and
perhaps context checking) using a functional language (since their
descriptive expressiveness (e.g. pattern matching and recursion over
recursive data types) enables a style of programming which is very similar
to the use of modern tools).


The questions I have are the following:
    - Has anybody already developed a definition/specification of a small
        C- or MODULA-like imperative language? Does any specification for
        particular tools (e.g. for lex/yacc) exist?
    - Which tools do you think are most appropriate for the purposes of such a
        compiler construction project?
    - What are your experiences with this sort of programming projects?


I know that these or similar questions appear regularly in this newsgroup:
so please answer this request by e-mail. I will post a summary later.


Thank you very much in advance,
--
Mario Suedholt, TU Berlin, Sekr.: FR 5-13, Franklinstrasse 28/29,
                                10587 Berlin, FRG; Tel.: +49 30 314 25445
--

Return to the comp.compilers page.
Search the comp.compilers archives again.