Design and Implementation of an Interpreter Using Software Engineering Concepts

Abstract—In this paper, an interpreter design and implementation for a small subset of C Language using software engineering concepts are presented. This paper reinforces an argument for the application of software engineering concepts in the area of interpreter design but it also focuses on the relevance of the paper to undergraduate computer science curricula. The design and development of the interpreter is also important to software engineering. Some of its components form the basis for different engineering tools. This paper also demonstrates that some of the standard software engineering concepts such as object-oriented design, design patterns, UML diagrams, etc., can provide a useful track of the evolution of an interpreter, as well as enhancing confidence in its correctness Keywords—Interpreter; Software Engineering; Computer Science Curricul