Compiler Design Quiz: Intermediate Code Generation

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

What happens to blanks separating lexemes during lexical analysis?

They are discarded by the lexical analyzer (correct)

They are mapped into tokens

They are stored in the symbol table

They are used to create a syntax tree

What information does the semantic analyzer gather during semantic analysis?

Symbol table information

Type information (correct)

Parser output

Lexical analysis results

What is the purpose of the syntax tree in syntax analysis?

To store type information

To perform lexical analysis

To depict the grammatical structure of the token stream (correct)

To generate intermediate code

What is the primary purpose of the code-optimization phase?

To improve the intermediate code for better target code Signup and view all the answers

What is an important part of semantic analysis?

Type checking Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the symbol table in compiler design?

To store records of variable names and their attributes Signup and view all the answers

What property should the intermediate representation have?

It should be easy to produce and easy to translate into the target machine Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the symbol table in the compilation process?

To store symbol information Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of syntax and semantic analysis of the source program?

To identify syntax and semantic errors in the source program Signup and view all the answers

What is the output of the lexical analyzer?

A sequence of tokens Signup and view all the answers

What is three-address code?

A sequence of assembly-like instructions with three operands per instruction Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of a symbol table in a compiler?

To store information about the names in the program for efficient lookup and retrieval Signup and view all the answers

What is the benefit of performing code optimization?

Improving the running time of the target program Signup and view all the answers

What is the output of the scanner phase in a compiler?

Token string Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the parser phase in a compiler?

To perform syntax analysis on the token string Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the semantic analyzer in a compiler?

To perform type checking and other semantic checks on the parse tree Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of a linker in a compiler system?

To link object modules into a single object file Signup and view all the answers

In which phase of the compiler does tokenization take place?

Scanner phase Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Compiler Design

In many programming languages, assignment statements require both sides to have the same data type.

Intermediate Code Generation

After syntax and semantic analysis, compilers generate a low-level, machine-like intermediate representation (IR) of the source program.
The IR should be easy to produce and translate into the target machine code.
Three-address code is a common IR form, consisting of a sequence of assembly-like instructions with three operands per instruction.

Code Optimization

The machine-independent code-optimization phase improves the intermediate code to produce better target code.
Optimizations aim to generate faster, shorter, or more power-efficient code.
Simple optimizations can significantly improve the running time of the target program without slowing down compilation.

Symbol-Table Management

The symbol table is a data structure containing records for each variable name, with attributes such as storage allocation, type, scope, and argument information.
Each record in the symbol table provides quick access and storage/retrieval of data.

Lexical Analysis

The lexical analyzer maps lexemes to tokens, discarding irrelevant characters like blanks.
Tokens are composed of a lexeme and an attribute, such as a pointer to the symbol-table entry.

Syntax Analysis (Parser)

The parser uses the tokens produced by the lexical analyzer to create a syntax tree, depicting the grammatical structure of the token stream.
Each interior node in the syntax tree represents an operation, with its children representing the operation's arguments.

Semantic Analysis

Semantic analysis uses the syntax tree and symbol table to check the source program against the language definition.
Type checking is a crucial part of semantic analysis, ensuring that each operator has matching operands.

Compiler Phases

The phases of a compiler are:
- Scanner (lexical analysis)
- Parser (syntax analysis)
- Semantic analyzer (type checking, etc.)
- Intermediate code generator
- Optimizer
- Code generator
- Peephole optimizer
- Linker (linking object modules into a single file)

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Description

Learn about the importance of intermediate code generation in compiler design, including its properties and purposes. Test your understanding of compiler design principles and intermediate representations.

Compiler Design: Intermediate Code Generation

Choose a study mode