nim-wiki/Compiler-module-reference.md

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Module

aliases.nim - Alias Analysis

Used for term-rewriting macros. Buggy for this purpose because it has been rewritten with something completely different in mind. Analysis is both value and type based. Looks for areas

ast.nim

Tree structure

astalgo

contains helpers and debug procedures, which work on symbols, types, and node.

babel.cmd

helper for compilers babel support

bitsets

Helpers for code generator. Set representation as an array of bits

nimsets.nim -

The complement to bitsets. Set representation as an AST

Canonicalizer

Will be the future. Used to make the C code generator generate code in a much more deterministic fashion.

ccgcalls

C code generator calls. Generates a call expression in C, objective c, and C++ syntax. What needs to be done is that we often need to translate the result type into a hidden parameter.

cggexpr

C code generation for expressions. Divide between stmts and expr mostly historical

ccgmerge

A merger for C files which is used for the symbol files feature.

ccgstmts

Code generation for statements. See ccgexprs. NOt for for loops, b/c they are eliminated.

ccthreadvars

Thread variable emulation.

ccgtypes

complex, b/c deals with types. The PNode's are not cyclic. You can recurse them without any recursion checks. Type generation for the c backend, as well as run time type generation.

ccgutils

Misc. utilities for C generation code. Contains hash string. Has to be same as system hash string, generate hashes at compile time. Also contains getUniqueType, to be deprecated in place of the canonicalization module.

cgen.nim

Main file for the C code generation. Includes things like DLL generation, foreign function interface, dispatches to. Cgendata is the main structure.

cgmeth.nim

code generation for methods. Performs AST to AST transformations. Analysis away method look up.

commands.nim

Command line argument processing.

condsyms

conditional symbols

crc.nim

cyclic redundancy check algorithm. Used by symbol files, recom

depends.nim

Pass which computes dependancies between modules. Able to generate a dot file which can be used.

docgen.nim

Old documentation generator, which doesn't use the semantic pass. Doesn't know about symbols and identifiers.

docgen2.nim

New documenation generator

effects.nim -

evalffi.nim -

evals.nim

old evaluation engine, not used anymore

exccomp

external compiler, describes how the c compiler is invoked.

filter_template

hashbang filter

filters

helper for common stuff which source code filter.

syntaxes.nim -

guards -

Growing module. Flow sensitive analysis, mainly for values. Used for not nil checking

hlo -

High level optimizer. Part of the term-rewriting macro engine.

idents.nim -

PIdents. Hash identifiers into a single global hash table

idgen -

ID generator. Used to create persistant IDs for the symbol files mechanism

imports.nim -

The module which has the helpers which deal with the module import mechanism.

jsgen -

Javascript code generator

lambdalifting -

Pass which changes closures into pairs of function pointers and environments

lexer -

the lexer

lists -

Linked list implementation

llstream -

low level stream which contains some features which the compiler needs.

lookups.nim -

helpers for symbol lookup. Quite involved due to templates, overloading, etc.

lowerings -

Quite new module which implements common AST to AST helpers.

magicsyms -

compilerproc symbol is used by code generator whic inse

modules.nim -

Module handling

message.nim -

Messages, warnings, hints.

nimconf -

configuration file handling

nimeval -

the upcoming virtual machine to evaluate code.

nimlexbase -

Old lexbase. Buffer handling fo rthe lexer.

nimrod.nim -

Main nimrod file which produces the nimrod executable.

options -

Contains commandline options and checks.

parampatterns -

Related to overloading based on AST

parseaux -

auxileries for the parser. Contains verbosity handling.

sempass2 -

additional semantic checking.

patterns -

related to term rewriting macros

pbraces -

start of braces parser

platform.nim -

contains information for cross compiling (data type information)

pragmas.nim -

Contains all the pragmas that the compiler support. Use a set approach. Contains one big procedure which parses all the possible pragmas.

pretty.nim -

Prettifier. Used for case consistancy

procfind -

used to find the header of a procedure. Used to determine if

renderer -

able to give a string representation in the AST.

rodread -

Reader of rod files, the symbol file mechanism. It also does module dependency tracking to decide whether a rod file can be used or whether the module needs to be recompiled

rodutils -

utilities for above

ropes -

Used throughout the code generator

seterate.nim -

Implements saturated arithmatic for integers.

sem.nim -

Main file for the semantic checker

semcall -

semantic checking for calls

semdata -

contains the main data structures for semantic checking.

semdestruct -

semantic checking for destructors.

semexprs -

semantic checking for expressions.

semfold -

semantic checking for constant folding. Needed in the semantic pass, since things like bounds checking etc rely on such data.

semgnrc -

pass which implements symbol lookups for generics.

seminst -

instantiation of generics

macrosanity -

generates semantic ast checking for macros

semmagic -

magics that need special treatment after overloading resolution.

semparallel -

semantic checking for the upcoming parallel statement

sempass2 -

Effect tracking

service.nim -

IDE Tool stuff

sigmatch -

very important module. Overloading resolution procedures.

suggest.nim -

helper for IDE tools

syntaxes -

dispatching for what parser or sourcecodefilter to invoke.

transf -

old transformation pass. Prepass before the code generator. Mostly deals with for loops into while loops

trees.nim -

Helper for ast (should get rid of)

treetab -

hashtable which works with trees

types -

helper for types

typesrenderer -

new. Used for the documentation generator so we get names

vm.nim -

new virtual machine for compile time evaluation