Generating software development tools via target architecture specification

• US 20040268327A1
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Burger, Julian
• Granted Patent: US 7,559,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design

Abstract

Technologies are provided for automatically generating software development tool components and associated software development tools for a target architecture via a target architecture specification. Architecture-specific information can be compartmentalized from architecture-independent information. Accordingly, development components or tools can be easily generated for another target architecture by substituting a different target architecture specification.

Claims

1. A system for auto-generating code generation software development tool components, the system comprising:

one or more frameworks describing one or more architecture-independent features for a plurality of software development tool components; and

a component generation tool for processing a specification describing a target architecture and the frameworks;

wherein the tool is operable to generate software development tool component data from which the plurality of software development tool components can be generated.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a compiler for generating a software development tool from the software development tool component data.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the component generation tool is operable to process a second specification describing a second target architecture to generate software development component data appropriate for the second target architecture.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising custom code for implementing features for the target architecture.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the software development tool component data relates to a compiler component.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the software development tool component data relates to a component for inclusion in a plurality of software development tools.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the software development tool component data comprises an instruction legalization table.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the target architecture is a computer processor architecture.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the target architecture is a virtual machine.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the specification describes the target architecture by equating assembly and binary forms to each of a plurality of intermediate representation forms.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the specification describes the target architecture by listing register and instruction data for the environment.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the software development tool component data comprises target architecture-specific data for at least one of the following:

an assembler, a disassembler, an encoder, a decoder, and an instruction legalizer.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the software development tool component data comprises target architecture-specific data for an assembler, a disassembler, an encoder, a decoder, and an instruction legalizer.

14. A computer-readable medium comprising:

computer-executable instructions in a language for representing a target architecture;

wherein the instructions are sufficient for generating software development tool components for the target architecture.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the instructions comprise a plurality of intermediate representation instructions associated with both an assembly language form and a binary form.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 further comprising data describing register and memory information for the target architecture.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 further comprising expansions for implementing intrinsic functions and general instruction sequences.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the intermediate representation instructions are presented in a legal form.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 further comprising configuration data relating to the target architecture.

20. A tool for auto-generating code generation components, the tool comprising:

a means for receiving a specification describing a code execution environment;

a means for creating source code describing one or more code generation components from the specification;

a means for integrating the source code into one or more frameworks; and

a means for creating one or more code generation components from the integrated framework.

21. The tool of claim 20, wherein the tool is operable to receive a second specification for describing code generation components in an environment-independent manner.

22. The tool of claim 20 further comprising a means for integrating custom code into the framework.

23. The tool of claim 20 wherein the one or more code generation components comprise a compiler targeted to the code execution environment described in the specification.

24. The tool of claim 20 wherein the specification comprises data associating legal intermediate representation instruction forms with a legal binary form and legal text form.

25. The tool of claim 20 wherein the source code describing one or more code generation components contains information specific to the code execution environment necessary for creating the one or more code generation components.

26. The tool of claim 20 wherein the framework comprises source code representing the one or more code generation components in a manner generic to any one specific programming environment.

27. A method for auto-generating code generation components of a target compiler for a target architecture, the method comprising:

providing a specification describing the target architecture;

creating one or more descriptions of compiler components from the specification;

creating a target compiler description comprising the one or more descriptions and one or more frameworks; and

creating a target compiler from the target compiler description.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising providing a second specification unrelated to the target architecture.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the target compiler description further comprises custom source code.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein the specification relates legal forms of an intermediate representation to appropriate binary and assembly forms.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the one or more descriptions contain data relating to one or more code generation components specific to the target architecture.

32. The method of claim 27 wherein the frameworks contain data relating to one or more code generation components non-specific to the target architecture.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the target architecture is a computer processor architecture.

34. A method of retargeting a compiler from a first architecture to a second architecture comprising:

creating a first specification describing the first architecture;

creating a framework describing software development tool components in an architecture-independent manner;

creating a first compiler targeted to the first architecture from a combination of the first specification and the framework;

creating a second specification describing the second architecture; and

creating a second compiler targeted to the second architecture from a combination of the second specification and the framework.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the first and second specifications contain data for creating a plurality of software development tool components targeted to a specific architecture.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the data comprises intermediate representation, binary and assembly language forms of machine instructions.

37. A method for updating targeted compilers, the method comprising the following:

a) providing a specification describing a target architecture;

b) parsing the specification to create data relating to a plurality of software development tool components;

c) combining the data relating to a plurality of software development tool components with data relating to a common framework;

d) compiling the combined data to create a targeted compiler comprising software development tool components;

e) updating at least one of the data relating to the common framework and the specification; and

f) reprocessing steps a)-d) using either the updated common framework or specification.

38. An automated method of generating a software development tool, the method comprising:

reading by software of a target architecture specification for a target architecture, wherein the target architecture specification comprises definitions of architecture-specific features sufficient to inform construction of any of a plurality of software development tool components so that they function properly for the target architecture;

generating by software a plurality of software development tool components based at least on part on the target architecture specification; and

integrating by software the software development tool components to generate a software development tool for the target architecture.

39. One or more computer readable media comprising computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 38.