ISBN/ISSN: 1-85032-298-8, 512 pages, 7.5 x 9.5 inches, paperbound
Price: US $36.95
Price: UK £26.95
Price: Canada $51.95
The book is, unfortunately, now out of print. International
Thomson decided to drop their Computer Press division, and this title was
one of those to be dropped after copies ran out. The copyright was returned to
the author, who has now created this online version.
Written to support a practically oriented course in programming language
translation, this book combines theory, practical applications and the
use of compiler writing tools to give students a solid introduction to
the subject.
Key features of the book:
-
Highly accessible in approach, it provides a sufficient level of theory
without overwhelming the reader with too much mathematical detail
-
Extensive case studies of translators are interspersed throughout, allowing
the reader to view the theory in practice
-
C++ is used for the illustrations in the text, whilst source code for all
of them is provided on the accompanying disk in C++, Modula-2 and Pascal.
-
Stressing the importance of compiler tools in modern practice, the book
describes the use of a powerful tool (also provided on the disk) for generating
recursive descent compilers in C++, Modula-2 or Pascal. A compiler generator,
Coco/R, is used, as this is simple, fast and clean
and very understandable for this level of student.
-
Recognising both the importance and complexity of object-oriented programming
at this level of instruction, the author has made a careful choice of limited
OOP features
-
A comprehensive set of exercises allows the reader to develop the material
further at many different levels
Table of Contents:
1 Introduction 2 Translator Classification and Structure 3 Compiler Construction
and Bootstrapping 4 Machine Emulation 5 Language Specification 6 Simple
Assemblers 7 Advanced Assembler Features 8 Grammars and their Classification
9 Deterministic Top Down Parsing 10 Parser and Scanner Construction 11
Syntax Directed Translation 12 Using Coco/R -Overview 13 Using Coco/R -
Case Studies 14 A Simple Compiler - The Front End 15 A Simple Compiler
- The Back End 16 Simple Block Structure 17 Parameters and Functions 18
Concurrent Programming.
(A more detailed list of the contents may be obtained here).
Preface
The preface to the book, giving a fuller overview and rationale, may be
read here.
Errata and Feedback
The author maintains a list of errata detected
since the book was published.
If you have read this book, the author would like to have your opinions,
favourable or otherwise. He would also appreciate learning of other errata
that you may discover. Contact him at the address above, or by email.