colinwahl / example-functional-compiler

flub-example-compiler

This project is an example compiler frontend for a straightforward, statically-typed, functional language called Flub (functional Blub). It should illustrate an architecture for "real-world" language demands (ranges, error reporting, actual versus expected, etc.) while still being readable over a weekend.

Flub is syntactically a mashup between ML, Scala, and Haskell. It supports parametric polymorphism, higher-kinded types, type-in-type, recursive-let, and not much else.

Running the compiler

First, run the build:

spago build

Output formatted core:

node index.js example.flub

Normalize the "module" (the last declared expression):

node index.js example.flub -n

Walkthrough

Lexing

• Syntax.Token
• Syntax.Lexer

The lexer parses the non-recursive syntax (tokens). Lexical parsing is generally very straightforward, but is where the majority of parsing time is spent. Separating the language parser from the lexer, while optimizing the lexer, is a great way to improve overall parsing performance.

This lexer is not optimized, but illustrates how one can implement a lazy token stream with accurate source annotations for tokens. Lazy token streams have a nice property of only parsing on demand, while also sharing work if the language parser must backtrack.

Parsing

• Syntax.Tree
• Syntax.Parser

The syntax tree is the concrete language syntax. Every token is represented in the tree, and every token is annotated with positions, comments, and whitespace. This means our original source is fully represented in this tree, and can be printed back out exactly. This is a nice property since it means we can implement transformations on input syntax while potentially retaining the original formatting.

Elaboration

• Check.Core
• Check.Elaborate

The elaborator takes the concrete syntax, and transforms it into an internal core language (known as System Fω). In Core, all polymorphism is represented as explicit type-abstractions and type-applications. Additionally, every term and argument is assigned an explicit type. Unification variables are used to track unknown types, which we later solve as part of type-checking.

While elaborating into Core, we also emit type-checking constraints, which assert equalities between types. At specific points, we will then invoke the solver, which processes these constraints and yields a substitution (solutions) for our unknowns. Applying the substitution will yield Core without any unknowns.

Solving

• Check.Solver
• Check.Unify

The solver takes pending equality constraints from the elaborator and attempts to solve them one-by-one through a process called unification. Unification walks structurally over the two operands, and when a unification variable meets some other type, records it as a solution. Types that are not equivalent result in an error.

Normalization

• Eval.Normalize

Normalization reduces a term until it can't be reduced anymore. Generally, System F is strongly normalizing (always reduces in finite time), but because we allow recursive bindings, it's possible for normalization to loop forever.

In this implementation, it's done through a process called normalization-by-evaluation. Terms are evaluated against their closure environment, and then syntax is reifed from that environment.

Printing

• Print
• Print.Precedence

It's always nice to see our output in a human-readable manner. The most confusing part about pretty-printing is handling fixity and precedence such that parentheses are inserted in the appropriate places.

There are many ways to tackle this problem, but one of the more straightforward ways is through an intermediate data structure that annotates syntax with its fixity.