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    5.2 Language Translators

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    Ahmed Irfan

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    5.2 Language Translators

    Uploaded by

    Ahmed Irfan
    14 views10 pages

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    © © All Rights Reserved

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    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    14 views10 pages

    5.2 Language Translators

    Uploaded by

    Ahmed Irfan

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
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    5.2 Language
    translators

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    Pre-reading questions

    1.
    A. Name two types of language translator.
    B. Identify a method, other than using a translator, of executing a program written in
    a high-level language.
    2. 2 Most modern language translators offer an Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
    for program development.
    A. Which IDE are you using?
    B. Describe ve features offered by the IDE you use.
    C. Which feature do you nd most useful?Why is it useful to you?

    Zain Merchant
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    Translation and execution of


    programs
    Instructions in a program can only be executed when written in machine code and
    loaded into the main memory of a computer. Programming instructions written in
    any programming language other than machine code must be translated before
    they can be used. The systems software used to translate
    a source program written in any language other than machine code are translators.
    There are three types of translator available, each translator performs a different
    role.

    Assemblers
    Programs written in assembly language are translated into machine code by an
    assembler program. Assemblers either store the program directly in main memory,
    ready for execution, as it is translated, or they store the translated program on a
    storage medium to be used later. If stored for later use, then
    a loader program is also needed to load the stored translated program into main
    memory before it can be executed. The stored translated program can be
    executed many times without being re-translated.
    Every different type of computer/chip has its own machine code and assembly
    language. For example, MASM is an assembler that is used for the X86 family of
    chips, while PIC and GENIE are used for microcontrollers. Assembly language
    programs are machine dependent; they are not portable from one type of
    computer/chip to another.
    Here is a short sample PIC assembly program:

    Assembly language programs are often written for tasks that need to be speedily
    executed, for example, parts of an operating system, central heating system or
    controlling a robot.

    Compilers and interpreters


    Programs written in a high-level language can be either translated into machine
    code by a compiler program, or directly executed line-by-line using an interpreter
    program.
    Compilers usually store the translated program (object program) on a storage
    medium ready to be executed later. A loader program is needed to load the stored
    translated program into main memory before it can be executed.

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    The stored translated program can be executed many times without being
    retranslated. The program will only need to be retranslated when changes are
    made to the source code.
    With an interpreter, no translated program is generated in main memory or stored
    for later use. Every line in a program is interpreted then executed each time the
    program is run.
    High-level language programs are machine independent, portable and can be run
    on any type of computer/chip, provided there is a compiler or interpreter
    available. For example, Java, Python and Visual Basic® (VB) are high-level
    languages often used for teaching programming.

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    Pros and cons of compiling or


    interpreting a program
    Both compilers and interpreters are used for programs written in high-level
    languages. Some integrated development environments (IDEs) have both
    available for programmers, since interpreters are most useful in the early stages of
    development and compilers produce a stand-alone program that can be executed
    many times without needing the compiler.

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    Partial compiling and


    interpreting
    In order to achieve shorter execution times, many high-level languages programs
    use a system that is partially compilation and partially interpretation. The source
    code is checked and translated by a compiler into object code.
    The compiled object code is a low-level machine independent code, called
    intermediate code, p-code or bytecode. To execute the program, the object code
    can be interpreted by an interpreter or compiled using a compiler.
    For example, Java and Python programs can be translated by a compiler into a set
    of instructions for a virtual machine. These instructions, called bytecode, are then
    interpreted by an interpreter.
    Below are examples of Java and Python intermediate code (bytecode):

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    Integrated development
    environment (IDE)
    An integrated development environment (IDE) is used by programmers to
    aid the writing and development of programs. There are many different IDEs
    available; some just support one programming language, others can be used for
    several different programming languages. NetBeans®, PyCharm®, Visual Studio®
    and SharpDevelop are all IDEs currently in use.
    Dynamic syntax checking nds possible syntax errors as the program code
    is being typed in to the source code editor and alerts the programmer at the time,
    before the source code is interpreted. Many errors can therefore be found and
    corrected during program writing and editing before the program is run. Logic
    errors can only be found when the program is run.
    For larger programs that have more than one code block, some code blocks can
    be collapsed to a single line in the editor allowing the programmer to just see the
    code blocks that are currently being developed.

    Compilers and interpreters


    Most IDEs usually provide a compiler and/or an interpreter to run the program.
    The interpreter is often used for developing the program and the compiler to
    produce the nal version of the object code.
    With PyCharm there can be more than one interpreter available for different
    versions of the Python language. The program results are shown using the run-
    time environment provided.

    A run-time environment with a debugger


    A debugger is a program that runs the program under development and aids the
    process of debugging. It allows the programmer to single step through the
    program a line at a time (single stepping) or to set a breakpoint to stop the
    execution of the program at a certain point in the source code. A report window
    then shows the contents of the variables and expressions evaluated at that point in
    the program. This allows the programmer to see if there are any logic errors in the
    program and check that the program works as intended.
    Each variable used is shown in the report window together with the type and the
    contents of the variable at that point in the program. The top variable shown is the
    last one that was used.
    Answers to calculations and other expressions can also be shown.

    Auto-documenter
    Most IDEs usually provide an auto-documenter to explain the function and
    purpose of programming code.

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