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02

The compiler

An overview of zakac, the compiler that turns Zaka sentences into ops for the Zaka VM.

zakac reads a Zaka program, checks it, and turns it into the ops that the Zaka VM runs. It is built as a chain of small stages. Each stage takes what the one before it made, adds its own checks, and passes the result on; a stage that finds an error ends the chain, and the program does not run.

source text
    │
    ▼
segmenter ──► lexer ──► parser ──► naturalness ──► names and kinds
 pieces       tokens    tree       warnings ZK05    ZK03, ZK04
              ZK01      ZK02
                                                        │
    ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
    ▼
IR builder ──► constant folding ──► borrow check ──► codegen ──► the VM
 the IR         ZK06                 ZK07             the ops      runs the ops

The segmenter and the lexer work as one step in practice, and so do the IR builder and constant folding. Each stage can also be run alone, up to itself, with its own command, and write an artifact to look at.

PageCovers
Commandseach zakac command and option, with sessions to run
Stageswhat each stage takes in and gives out, and one sentence followed through all of them
Diagnosticshow a message is set out, levels, codes, and what stops the chain
Pointer checksthe settings that tune how pointer mistakes are reported

Running a program

One command takes a source file through all the stages and runs it:

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Expected output

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$ zakac run hello.zaka
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When the compiler finds an error it prints a message with a code (ZK0401) and the exit code is 1; the error messages page lists each code.