We have designed, implemented, and proved the correctness of a compiler generator that accepts action semantic descriptions of imperative programming languages. The generated compilers emit absolute code for an abstract RISC machine language that currently is assembled into code for the SPARC and the HP Precision Architecture. Our machine language needs no run-time type-checking and is thus more realistic than those considered in previous compiler proofs. We use solely algebraic specifications; proofs are given in the initial model. 1 Introduction The previous approaches to proving correctness of compilers for non-trivial languages all use target code with run-time type-checking. The following semantic rule is typical for these target languages: (FIRST : C; hv 1 ; v 2 i : S) ! (C; v 1 : S) The rule describes the semantics of an instruction that extracts the first component of the top-element of the stack, provided that the top-element is a pair. If not, then it is implicit that the...

Compiler generation based on Mosses' action semantics has been studied by Brown, Moura, and Watt, and also by the second author. The core of each of their systems is a handwritten action compiler, producing either C or machine code. We have obtained an action compiler in a much simpler way: by partial evaluation of an action interpreter. Even though our compiler produces Scheme code, the code runs as fast as that produced by the previous action compilers. 1 Introduction Action semantics is a framework for formal semantics of programming languages, developed by Mosses [16, 17, 18] and Watt [19, 26]. It differs from denotational semantics in using semantic entities called actions, rather than higher-order functions. Compiler generation based on action semantics has been studied by Brown, Moura, and Watt [6], and also by the second author [22, 20, 21]. Journal of Functional Programming, 6(2):269--298, 1996. Also in Proc. FPCA'93, pages 308--317. The core of each of their two action se...

We describe the automatic generation of a provably correct compiler for a non-trivial subset of Ada. The compiler is generated from an action semantic description; it emits absolute code for an abstract RISC machine language that currently is assembled into code for the SPARC and the HP Precision Architecture. The generated code is an order of magnitude better than what is produced by compilers generated by the classical systems of Mosses, Paulson, and Wand. The use of action semantics makes the processable language specification easy to read and pleasant to work with. In Proc. ICCL'92, Fourth IEEE International Conference on Computer Languages, pages 117--126. 1 Introduction The purpose of a language designer's workbench, envisioned by Pleban, is to drastically improve the language design process. The major components in such a workbench are: ffl A specification language whose specifications are easily maintainable, and accessible without knowledge of the underlying theory; and f...

peteOCAELN.engin.UMich.EDU We have developed a new style of semantic definition called high-level semantics. In constrast to traditional de-notational semantics, high-level semantics is suitable for both defining the functional meaning of programming lan-guages, as well as describing realistic compiler implcmen-tations. Moreover, high-level specifications are consid-erably more descriptive and intelligible than traditional specifications. This paper describer the compiler generator MESS, which embodies the principles of high-level semantics. MESS has been used to generate compilers for nontrivial languages. The compilers are efficient, and produce ob-ject programs that are competitive with those generated by hand-written compilers. 1