Handling context-sensitive syntactic issues in the design of a front-end for a MATLAB compiler

Abstract

tIn recent times, the MATLAB language has emerged as a popular alternative for programming in diverse application domains such as signal processing and meteorology. The language has a powerful array syntax with a large set of pre-defined operators and functions that operate on ax_rays or array sections, making it an ideal candidate for applications involving substantial ax_tay-based processing.Yet, for all the programming convenience that the language offers, designing a parser and scanner capable of mimicldng the language's syntax has proven to be an acutely difficult task. The language has many context-sensitive constructions, and though numerous front-end implementations of MATLAB and MATLAB-Iike languages exist, not much has been discussed regarding the effident compile-ume parsing of such languages or how its syntax impacts the patsJug process.In this paper, we present the design and implementation of a compiler front-end for the MATLAB language. We discuss in detail both the indigenously designed grammar responsible for syntax analysis as wen as the lex/cal specification that comp]ements the Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage, and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, to republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. APL00, 07/00, Berlin, Germany ~001 ACM 1-58113-398-7 / 00/0007 5.00 g~.mmar. In the course of ore: attempts to emulate M_A_TLAB's syntax, we were able to un~vel certain key issues relating to its syntax, such as the complications arising in parsing command-form function invocations within a compile-time cnvitonrnent, the context-sensitive interpretation of the single quote charactor, and the "translation of white space 'within matrices into dement separators.The front-end effects a conversion of the original source to an inte.tmediate form in which statements are represented as abstract syntax trees and the flow of control between statements by z control-flow graph. .All subsequent compiler passes work on this intermediate representation.The front-end was designed and implemented as part of the MATCH project, which addresses the translation of a MATLAB program by a compiler onto a heterogeneous target consisting of embedded and commezdd-off-the-shelf processors.