Test out various compiler technology with a toy compiler for a toy language in between rust and OCaml.

Reference Material

Book

• Modern Compiler Implementation in ML
• Engineering a Compiler
• Programming Language Concepts
• Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools

Paper

• Typing Haskell in Haskell
• Type classes: an exploration of the design space
• Type Classes with Functional Dependencies

Design Decisions

1. ML syntax with Rust characteristics
   • That means, {} for block, => for pattern match, fn for function, () for function call, = for assign, == for equal, != for not equal, |a, b| a + b for closure
   • not whitespace sensitive, but without mandatory semicolons; if there's ambiguity, prefer line break
   • break/continue/return/struct/enum keyword
2. ML semantic with Rust characteristics
   • HM type inference with trait and operator overloading
   • c style function declaration that are hoisted and cannot capture environment
   • internal mutable
   • impl block and trait, but user need to import them
   • string is UTF8 and char is UTF32
3. Pratically functional
   • provide immutable std lib and tail call optimization
   • but also mutable std lib and control keyword
4. Focus on performance and optimization
   • no auto boxing, provide general reference type(s) tracked by GC
   • no object header, no object identity
   • rust doesn't assume anything, ADF assumes memory allocation tracked by GC
   • user can roll their own container like in Rust
5. suffix is .adf which stands for Advanced Dominance Functional language

Major TODO

Design decisions

• effect system, immtuable, pure, lazy
• region
• const generic
• refinement type
• ABI
• GC
• macro
• Fn trait

Implementation

• cross module type check
• type class
  • multi parameter type class
  • functional dependency
  • number type class
  • field selection
  • existential type
  • TRIE based resolution
  • lower
• pattern match
  • coverage
  • lower
• fixed size array
• IR lower
  • function call
  • generic
• SSA
• optimization
  • LVN
  • DCE
  • SCCP

Code Architecture

1. plain ADT for AST

   AST

2. hand written recursive descendant parser

   Parser

3. HM type inference with trait

   Semantic

4. FLIR, which stands for First Linear Intermediate Representation

   FLIR

   • three address code, basic block, SSA
   • eliminates ADT, operator overloading, assign operator and pattern
   • lambda lifting
   • monotyped

Syntax Construct

Module :: [ModuleItem]
ModuleItem :: <Visbility> Declaration
Visibility :: pub | intl
Declaration :: Function | Let | Const | Struct | Enum | TypeAlias | Use
Function :: fn IDENTIFIER ( [Argument, ] ) < -> Type > Block
Statement :: Declaration | Expression
Let :: let Pattern < : Type > = Expression
Const :: const IDENTIFIER < : Type > = Expression
Struct :: struct IDENTIFIER { [ IDENTIFIER: Type ] }
Enum :: enum IDENTIFIER { [ IDENTIFIER < ( [Type, ] ) > ] }
TypeAlias :: type IDENTIFIER = Type
Expression :: If | Match | Call | Binary | Unary | Field | Index | Assign
            | Closure | StructInit | Tuple | Array | Block
            | Range | For | While | Continue | Break | Return
            | Identifier | Literal | Path | Self
Block :: { [Statement (; | NewLine ) ] }
If :: if IfCond Block [else if Condition Block] <else Block>
Condition :: Expression | let Pattern = Expression
Match :: match { [ Pattern <if Expression> => Expression, ] }
Call :: Expression ( [Expression, ] )
Binary :: Expression BinaryOp Expression
Unary :: UNARY Expression
Field :: Expression . IDENTIFIER
Index :: Expression [ Expression ]
Assign :: LValue ASSIGN Expression
Closure :: < <[ TypeParam, ]> > | [ Argument, ] | < -> Type > Expression
StructInit :: IDENTIFIER { [ IDENTIFIER: Expression, ] < ...Expression > }
Tuple :: ( [ Expression, ] )
Array :: [ [ Expression, ] ] | [ Expression; Expression ]
Range :: <Expression>..<Expression>
For :: for <Pattner> in <Expression> Block
While :: While Condition Block
Continue :: continue
Break :: break
Return :: return < Expression >
Identifier :: IDENTIFIER
Literal :: IntLiteral | FloatLiteral | BoolLiteral | StringLiteral | CharLiteral
Self :: self

IDENTIFIER :: \uXID_Start[\uXID_Continue]
ASSIGN :: += -= *= /= &= |= ^= <<= >>=
BINARY :: + - * / & | ^ && || << >> == >= <= != < > |> as
Unary :: - * &