- Intermediate Code Generation is a step in compiler design where the compiler converts high-level source code into an intermediate form that lies between the source code and the machine code.
- The main purpose of this intermediate code is machine independence, which allows the same front-end of the compiler to be reused for different target machines.
- The intermediate code is usually easier to manipulate and optimize compared to the high-level language, but still closer to human-readable code than machine code.
- The typical or popular forms of intermediate code include syntax trees, three-address code (TAC), quadruples, and Types & Declarations.
- Syntax Tree: A hierarchical tree representation of expressions, statements, and programs.
- Three Address Code (TAC): It is the representation of instructions of the form x = y op z that uses at most three addresses (operands) structure.
- Quadruples: Each TAC instruction is represented in the form of 4 (operator, arg1/op1, arg2/op2, result).
- Types and Declarations: It includes information about variable types, sizes, and memory layout for efficient code generation.
- After this phase of compiler design, code optimization and final machine code generation are easier.
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