COP5621 Exam and Grading Information

Grade Breakdown

*Laboratory assignments include homework exercises and programming assignments.

Textbook chapters 1, 2 (2.1-2.9), and 3 (3.1-3.9).
JVM Specification 2nd ed. Sections 1.1-1.2, 3.1-3.6, 3.11, 4.1-4.9, and 6.1-6.4.
Lecture notes.

The knowledge and techniques you should master include (but are not limited to) the following:

The structure of a compiler: compiler phases and passes
The analysis-synthesis model
Definition of a context-free grammar: terminals, nonterminals, productions, start symbols
Derivations and sentential forms
Parse trees
Ambiguity problem, operator associativity, and operator precedence
Syntax-directed translation: attributes and semantic rules
Translation schemes with semantic actions
Recursive descent (predictive) parsing
Using FIRST to write a recursive descent parser
Left factoring and left-recursion elimination
Handling identifiers and keywords with symbol tables
Abstract stack machines
The basics of the JVM
Interaction between the lexical analyzer and parser
Definition of tokens, token attributes, patterns, lexemes, alphabets, strings, and languages
Operations on languages
Regular expressions and notational shorthand
Regular definitions
Transition diagrams: how to construct and code a scanner based on regular definitions
The Lex/Flex specification
Definition of NFA, DFA, transition graph, transition table
Thompson's construction algorithm
NFA simulation with e-closure and move
Subset construction algorithm
Minimizing the number of states of a DFA using the partition algorithm
Converting a regular expression into a DFA directly
NFA/DFA time-space tradeoffs

Textbook chapter 4, excluding (1st ed) section 4.6 "Operator Precedence Parsing" and (1st ed) section 4.7 parts "efficient construction of LALR parsing tables" and "compaction of LR parsing tables".
Lecture notes.

The 2005 exam is available here.

The knowledge and techniques you should master include (but are not limited to) the following:

Position of the parser in the front-end of the compiler model
Importance of error handling, the viable prefix property, and error recovery strategies
Grammars, deriviations, parse trees, and the Chomsky Hierarchy
General and immediate left-recursion elimination
Left factoring
FIRST and FOLLOW
Constructing an LL(1) parse table
LL parsing and error recovery
Shift-reduce parsing
Constructing the set of LR(0) items using closure and goto
Constructing an SLR parse table
Constructing the set of LR(1) items using closure and goto (for canonical LR(1) and LALR(1) parse tables)
Constructing canonical LR(1) and LALR(1) parse tables
LR parsing and error recovery
Subset relationship between LL(1), SLR(1), LR(1), and LALR(1) grammars
Proving that a grammar is LL(1), SLR(1), LR(1), or LALR(1)
Resolving shift/reduce conflicts with operator precedence and associativity
The Yacc specification of a grammar
Combining Yacc/Bison with Lex/Flex

The 2005 exam is available here.

The knowledge and techniques you should master include (but are not limited to) the following:

Syntax directed definitions.
Attribute grammars.
Attribute dependence graphs.
Parse tree evaluation methods for attributes.
S- and L-attributed grammars.
Top-down parsing with S- and L-attributed grammars.
Bottom-up parsing with S- and L-attributed grammars.
Translation schemes.
Using marker nonterminals in translation schemes.
Eliminating left recursion from translation schemes.
Static checking versus dynamic checking.
Type checks, flow-of-control checks, uniqueness checks, name-related checks.
Type expressions and type representations.
Structural equivalence versus name equivalence of types.
Using Post systems to define type rules (don't need to memorize specific type rules).
Syntax-directed definitions for constructing type graphs.
Syntax-directed definitions for type checking.
Syntax-directed definitions for type coercion.
Syntax-directed definitions to compute lvalue/rvalue properties.
Intermediate code representations, pros and cons.
Symbol tables and data structures to support scoping rules.
Three address code generation of expressions in scope.
Three address code generation of array indexing.
Three address code generation of function calls.
Three address code generation of relational operators.
Backpatch lists to support code generation of short-circuit operators.

The 2005 exam is available here.

The knowledge and techniques you should master include (but are not limited to) the following: