Changes

A '''compiler''' is a computer program which translates source code written in a high-level [[programming language]] into executable machine code.  The act of doing this is called [[compilation]].

A '''compiler''' is a [[computer program]] which translates [[source code]] written in a high-level [[programming language]] into executable [[machine code]].  The act of doing this is called [[compilation]].

==Outline of the compilation process==

==Outline of the compilation process==

:'''Intermediate code generation''': use the annotated parse tree to generate code in some simple machine-independent intermediate language.

:'''Intermediate code generation''': use the annotated parse tree to generate code in some simple machine-independent intermediate language.

:'''Register allocation''': map the symbolic names used in the intermediate code on to the registers available in the target machine code.

:'''Register allocation''': map the symbolic names used in the intermediate code on to the registers available in the target machine.

:'''Assembly code generation''': translate the intermediate code into assembly language for the target machine.

:'''Assembly code generation''': translate the intermediate code into [[assembly language]] for the target machine.

:'''Assembly and linking''': translate the assembly language into executable machine code.

:'''Assembly and linking''': translate the assembly language into executable machine code.