Some Software Tools Used in the Development of the Prototype York Ada Compiler

Among the various software tools developed in the early stages of the York AdaÔ compiler project 4 are two families of tools described here. Syntax driven generators, distinctive in their inclusion of a mechanism for syntax abstraction and their mode of adaptability, were used to produce a variety of compiler components; interface checkers, automatically generated from specifications of the information intended to pass between components, were used to help isolate and repair faulty components. 1. Introduction The prototype York Ada compiler was developed in a UNIXÔ environment, 1, 3 where the use of standard software tools is normative. UNIX also makes it easy to introduce new tools on a par with standard ones, and this paper is concerned with some of the new tools that were devised for the compiler project. Use of these tools became a primary mode of work during the development of the compiler. The motivating principles behind two particular families of tools will be explained,..