Abstract

Processing of programs is a core area in computer science. A compiler that translates source text to machine language is the most well-known kind of tool in this area, but there are numerous other kinds of related applications: sourceto-source translators, refactoring tools, reengineering tools, metrics tools, consistency checkers, etc. These tools perform similar analyses and can therefore benefit from shared infrastructure. This thesis addresses the problem of how to build program-processing tools much more easily, providing high-level concise ways of programming the tools, and providing good modularity and extensibility, allowing for a high degree of reuse between tools. We present Rewritable Reference Attributed Grammars (ReRAGs), a technique that builds on well-known software development techniques such as object-orientation, aspect-oriented software development, declarative programming, attribute grammars, and transformation systems. ReRAGs combine mechanisms from these areas into one coherent framework with synergistic effects

Citations