Bootstrap compiler

This is a bootstrap compiler that can be used to compile to compiler written in the target language. You can write a compiler in the target language and compile it with this compiler, and create a brand new language

How to use

1. Write a compiler in the target language
2. Compile it with this compiler
3. Run the compiled compiler

You can learn more about this chicken-egg problem in Wikipedia.

To learn more about how to run this code, check this section.

What this compiler can do

The compiler is pretty basic, yet it is capable to do a lot of the hardwork. It can:

• Add & subtract numbers
• Parse params and arguments of function calls
• Parse nested block statements and outputs the result in a tree structure, called Abstract Syntax Tree.
• Parse import and import from statements

You can learn more about abstract syntax trees here

How to extend this compiler

There are some steps to extend this compiler if you want to create your language.

1. In tokenizer (tokenize function, also called the lexer), you need to add the tokens that you want to use in your language. For example, if you want to use namespace as a keyword, you need to add it to the tokens array.
2. In parser (parse function), you need to add the rules for your language. Take the namespace example for instance, you can use the switch case statement at parser.ts:181 to add your own rules, keyword etc.
3. Next up, you need edit the transform function (transform function) to transform the base syntax tree to an abstract syntax tree that your code generator will be able to understand.
4. Finally, you need to edit the code generator (generate function) to output the code to your source language, that the computers will be able to parse.

How to work with this compiler

1. Clone the repo, I recommend using Github Desktop, it has awesome features.
2. Install the dependencies:

yarn install

3. Run the compiler. You can ts-node for this, or you can just use the build output.

On Darwin-like systems:

yarn compile:darwin && node src/parser

On Windows:

yarn compile:win && node src/parser

Further work on this repo

I will be working on this repo to make it more powerful and more understandable. This code really does need a refactoring, but I won't be adding any new features, nor accepting extensions via pull requests.

How to contribute

If you want to contribute, you can fork the repo and make a pull request. I will review it and merge it.

See the CONTRIBUTING.md file for more information.

License

This project is licensed under the Apache License - see the LICENSE file for details