Extendable compiler framework

• US 7,441,238 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Zatloukal, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOW, CHIH CHING
• Application Number:
  US10/951,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20050044537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• Field of Search: 717140-147
• US Class Current: 717/140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/41 Compilation

Abstract

To meet the current trend in computer programming, a multi-programming-language compiler system is designed to include a compiler framework which creates a general environment in which to carry out compilation and language modules to encapsulate the details of various programming languages. Such a system makes it easy for tool vendors and end users to adapt to a world where computer programs are written in multiple languages. New language modules may be written that add support for new languages to the compiler framework. It may also be possible to extend existing language modules so that a variant on an existing language may be added to the compiler framework. Such a system may also be adapted to permit several different clients to access detailed language information from the compiler framework. These clients may include a standard command-line shell or a sophisticated multi-language integrated development environment.

This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.

Claims

1. A method for performing a compilation process on a computer program, the method comprising:

initializing a compiler framework, a programming language-independent portion of the compilation process that;

controls overall compilation process of the computer program; and

maintains a type cache to store types defined, wherein the type cache allows types defined in different programming languages to be intermixed;

invoking through a language interface a first language module to perform programming language-dependent analysis of the computer program;

retrieving language-specific information about the computer program from the language interface;

interacting between the first language module and a second language module through the language interface, wherein the second language is a nested language in the first language;

invoking through the first language interface the first language module to perform code generation for the computer program;

providing compilation result to one or more clients based on at least one of the analysis and the code generation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the language interface includes functionality to request the compilation of a specified portion of the computer program using the second language module.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the programming language-dependent analysis of the computer program includes at least one of;

lexical analysis, syntactic analysis, name resolution, semantic analysis, and code generation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the programming language-independent portion of the compilation process includes at least one of:

managing a set of files involved in the compilation process;

persisting a set of paths involved in the compilation process;

maintaining a set of dependencies for the compilation process;

maintaining at least one namespace for storing a plurality of names used in the computer program;

acquiring configuration information; and

maintaining a list of errors related to the computer program.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the computer program is written in the Java®

programming language.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

extending a second language module with the first language module in order to create a new programming language.

7. A machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon to cause a system to:

initializing a compiler framework, a programming language-independent portion of the compilation process that;

controls overall compilation process of the computer program; and

maintains a type cache to store types defined, wherein the type cache allows types defined in different programming languages to be intermixed;

invoke through a language interface a first language module to perform programming language-dependent analysis of the computer program;

retrieve language-specific information about the computer program from the language interface;

interact between the first language module and a second language module through the language interface, wherein the second language is a nested language in the first language;

invoke through the language interface the first language module to perform code generation for the computer program;

provide compilation result to one or more clients based on at least one of the analysis and the code generation.

8. The machine readable medium of claim 7 wherein:

the language interface includes functionality to request the compilation of a specified portion of the computer program using the second language module.

9. The machine readable medium of claim 8 wherein:

the programming language-dependent analysis of the computer program includes at least one of;

lexical analysis, syntactic analysis, name resolution, semantic analysis, and code generation.

10. The machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein the programming language-independent portion of the compilation process includes at least one of:

managing a set of files involved in the compilation process;

persisting a set of paths involved in the compilation process;

maintaining a set of dependencies for the compilation process;

maintaining at least one namespace for storing a plurality of names used in the computer program;

acquiring configuration information; and

maintaining a list of errors related to the computer program.

11. The machine readable medium of claim 8 wherein:

the computer program is written in the Java®

programming language.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions to cause the system to:

extend a second language module with the first language module in order to create a new programming language.