Template based facility for formatting compiler output

• US 5,715,460 A
• Filed: 10/31/1994
• Issued: 02/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Conner, Michael Haden, Martin, Andrew Richard, Acker, Liane Elizabeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US08/332,618
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 395/700, 395/705
• US Class Current: 717/140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/47 Retargetable compilers

Abstract

The format of an output file from a compiler is altered using two new objects, a template definition file for specifying the desired formats for the sections of the output file and a template facility for formatting output from the compiler according to the template definition file. The desired formats are specified by patterned sets of symbol names in the template definition file. A symbol table which is maintained by the template facility stores a set of symbol values corresponding to the symbol names. The template facility outputs the section by placing symbol values from the symbol table in the output file according to the positions of the corresponding symbol names in the patterned sets of symbol names.

Claims

1. A system for altering a format of an output file from a compiler comprising:

a template definition file, interchangeable with other template definition files, for specifying a desired format for a section of the output file, the template definition file including an ordered set of symbol names arranged according to the desired format; and

a template facility using the template definition file and output file from the compiler as input for formatting output from the compiler according to the template definition file to produce the output file section in the desired format,

wherein the template facility outputs the section by retrieving symbol values from a symbol table and storing the symbol values in locations in the output file according to a position of the corresponding symbol names in the ordered set.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the symbol values are placed in a comment format.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the symbol values are placed in a list format.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the section of the output file corresponds to an element in an interface definition file which is input to the compiler.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein a plurality of desired formats each for a respective section of the output file are specified by a plurality of ordered sets of symbol names in the template definition file.

6. A method for altering a format of an output file from a compiler comprising:

specifying a desired format for a section of the output file in a template definition file interchangeable with other template definition files, the template definition file including an ordered set of symbol names arranged according to the desired format; and

formatting output from the compiler according to the template definition file in a template facility which uses the template definition file and output file as input and formats the output file section in the desired format,

wherein the formatting step outputs the section by retrieving symbol values from the symbol table and storing the symbol values in locations in the output file according to a position of the corresponding symbol names in the ordered set.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the symbol values are placed in a comment format.

8. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the symbol values are placed in a list format.

9. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the section of the output file corresponds to an element in an interface definition file which is input to the compiler.

10. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein a plurality of desired formats each for a respective section of the output file are specified by a plurality of ordered sets of symbol names in the template definition file.

11. A computer program product in a computer memory for altering a format of an output file from a compiler comprising:

the compiler which compiles a source module into the output file;

a template definition file, interchangeable with other template definition files, for specifying a desired format for a section of the output file, the template definition file including an ordered set of symbol names arranged according to the desired format; and

a template facility having the template definition file and the output file from the compiler as input for formatting output from the compiler according the template definition file to produce the output file section in the desired format,

wherein the template facility outputs the section by retrieving symbol values from the symbol table and storing the symbol values in locations in the output file according to a position of the corresponding symbol names in the ordered set.

12. The product as recited in claim 11 wherein the symbol values are placed in a comment format.

13. The product as recited in claim 11 wherein the symbol values are placed in a list format.

14. The product as recited in claim 11 wherein the section of the output file corresponds to an element in an interface definition file which is input to the compiler.

15. A system for converting a source code module to an object code module in a desired format comprising:

a compiler in a system memory for converting the source module into an intermediate code module in a first format;

an interchangeable template definition file in the system memory for specifying the desired format, the template definition file in a human readable arrangement of symbol names;

an emitter in the system memory having the template definition file and intermediate code module as input for converting the intermediate code module into the object code module, the emitter containing a template facility which refers to the arrangement of symbol names to produce the object code module in the desired format; and

a symbol table in which symbol values corresponding to the symbol names are stored by the emitter and from which the symbol values are retrieved by the template facility to store in locations in the object code module according to positions of corresponding symbol names in the template definition file.

16. The system as recited in claim 15 wherein the object code module has a plurality of sections each in a respective desired format and the template definition file has a corresponding plurality of human readable arrangements of symbol names each for a respective section of the object code module.

17. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein an occurrence of a first character set in one arrangement of symbol names in the template definition file causes the template facility to format the corresponding section of the object code in an alternate format.