Course syllabus for Compiler construction

Course syllabus adopted 2019-02-08 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameKompilatorkonstruktion
  • CodeTDA283
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerMPALG
  • Education cycleSecond-cycle
  • Main field of studyComputer Science and Engineering, Software Engineering
  • DepartmentCOMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Eligibility

General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

The requirement for the course is to have successfully completed two years of studies within Computer Science or equivalent. Specifically, the course DAT151 Programming Languages or equivalent is required.

Aim

The aim of the course is to develop an understanding of the whole process of compiler construction, starting from lexical analysis and finishing with machine code generation. As the course laboration, the students build a complete compiler for a simple imperative language.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

  • know the basic principles of run-time organization, parameter passing, and memory management, and implement them as a part of the compiler;
  • design and implement compilation schemes that generate intermediate or assembly code from a source program;
  • use data flow analysis to implement register allocation and code optimizations;
  • design and implement extensions of a simple imperative language, and know the main issues of compiling object-oriented languages.

Content

Theory and implementation of compilers, with an emphasis on the backend phases of code generation runtime environments.

Organisation

The teaching consists of lectures and a project, as well as individual supervision in connection with the project. The project is the central part; it involves implementing a complete compiler for a small imperative programming language. The lectures provide knowledge that is needed in the laboration, as well as an overview of the theoretical foundations and possible extensions of the compiler.

Literature

See separate literature list.

Examination including compulsory elements

Compiler project and oral presentation. Grading scale F, 3, 4, 5.