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version 1.2, 2002/05/28 08:54:28 version 1.3, 2002/06/02 10:31:29
Line 156  In this framework, vmgen supports buildi Line 156  In this framework, vmgen supports buildi
 other component dealing with VM instructions.  It does not have any  other component dealing with VM instructions.  It does not have any
 support for the front end, apart from VM code generation support.  The  support for the front end, apart from VM code generation support.  The
 front end can be implemented with classical compiler front-end  front end can be implemented with classical compiler front-end
 techniques, which are supported by tools like @command{flex} and  techniques, supported by tools like @command{flex} and @command{bison}.
 @command{bison}.  
   
 The intermediate representation is usually just internal to the  The intermediate representation is usually just internal to the
 interpreter, but some systems also support saving it to a file, either  interpreter, but some systems also support saving it to a file, either
Line 166  Vmgen currently has no special support f Line 165  Vmgen currently has no special support f
 information in the instruction descriptions can be helpful, and we are  information in the instruction descriptions can be helpful, and we are
 open for feature requests and suggestions.  open for feature requests and suggestions.
   
   @section Data handling
   
   @cindex stack machine
   @cindex register machine
   Most VMs use one or more stacks for passing temporary data between VM
   instructions.  Another option is to use a register machine architecture
   for the virtual machine; however, this option is either slower or
   significantly more complex to implement than a stack machine architecture.
   
   Vmgen has special support and optimizations for stack VMs, making their
   implementation easy and efficient.
   
   You can also implement a register VM with vmgen (@pxref{Register
   Machines}), and you will still profit from most vmgen features.
   
   @cindex stack item size
   @cindex size, stack items
   Stack items all have the same size, so they typically will be as wide as
   an integer, pointer, or floating-point value.  Vmgen supports treating
   two consecutive stack items as a single value, but anything larger is
   best kept in some other memory area (e.g., the heap), with pointers to
   the data on the stack.
   
   @cindex instruction stream
   @cindex immediate arguments
   Another source of data is immediate arguments VM instructions (in the VM
   instruction stream).  The VM instruction stream is handled similar to a
   stack in vmgen.
   
   @cindex garbage collection
   @cindex reference counting
   Vmgen has no built-in support for nor restrictions against @emph{garbage
   collection}.  If you need garbage collection, you need to provide it in
   your run-time libraries.  Using @emph{reference counting} is probably
   harder, but might be possible (contact us if you are interested).
   @c reference counting might be possible by including counting code in 
   @c the conversion macros.
   
   @c *************************************************************
   @chapter Invoking vmgen
   
   The usual way to invoke vmgen is as follows:
   
   @example
   vmgen @var{infile}
   @end example
   
   Here @var{infile} is the VM instruction description file, which usually
   ends in @file{.vmg}.  The output filenames are made by taking the
   basename of @file{infile} (i.e., the output files will be created in the
   current working directory) and replacing @file{.vmg} with @file{-vm.i},
   @file{-disasm.i}, @file{-gen.i}, @file{-labels.i}, @file{-profile.i},
   and @file{-peephole.i}.  E.g., @command{bison hack/foo.vmg} will create
   @file{foo-vm.i} etc.
   
   The command-line options supported by vmgen are
   
   @table @option
   
   @cindex -h, command-line option
   @cindex --help, command-line option
   @item --help
   @itemx -h
   Print a message about the command-line options
   
   @cindex -v, command-line option
   @cindex --version, command-line option
   @item --version
   @itemx -v
   Print version and exit
   @end table
   
   @c env vars GFORTHDIR GFORTHDATADIR
   
   @c ***************************************************************
   @chapter Input File Format
   
   Vmgen takes as input a file containing specifications of virtual machine
   instructions.  This file usually has a name ending in @file{.vmg}.
   
   The examples are taken from the example in @file{vmgen-ex}.
   
   @section Input File Grammar
   
   The grammar is in EBNF format, with @code{@var{a}|@var{b}} meaning
   ``@var{a} or @var{b}'', @code{@{@var{c}@}} meaning 0 or more repetitions
   of @var{c} and @code{[@var{d}]} meaning 0 or 1 repetitions of @var{d}.
   
   Vmgen input is not free-format, so you have to take care where you put
   spaces and especially newlines; it's not as bad as makefiles, though:
   any sequence of spaces and tabs is equivalent to a single space.
   
   @example
   description: {instruction|comment|eval-escape}
   
   instruction: simple-inst|superinst
   
   simple-inst: ident " (" stack-effect " )" newline c-code newline newline
   
   stack-effect: {ident} " --" {ident}
   
   super-inst: ident " =" ident {ident}  
   
   comment:      "\ "  text newline
   
   eval-escape:  "\e " text newline
   @end example
   @c \+ \- \g \f \c
   
   Note that the @code{\}s in this grammar are meant literally, not as
   C-style encodings for no-printable characters.
   
   The C code in @code{simple-inst} must not contain empty lines (because
   vmgen would mistake that as the end of the simple-inst.  The text in
   @code{comment} and @code{eval-escape} must not contain a newline.
   @code{Ident} must conform to the usual conventions of C identifiers
   (otherwise the C compiler would choke on the vmgen output).
   
   Vmgen understands a few extensions beyond the grammar given here, but
   these extensions are only useful for building Gforth.  You can find a
   description of the format used for Gforth in @file{prim}.
   
   @subsection
   @c woanders?
   The text in @code{eval-escape} is Forth code that is evaluated when
   vmgen reads the line.  If you do not know (and do not want to learn)
   Forth, you can build the text according to the following grammar; these
   rules are normally all Forth you need for using vmgen:
   
   @example
   text: stack-decl|type-prefix-decl|stack-prefix-decl
   
   stack-decl: "stack " ident ident ident
   type-prefix-decl: 
       's" ' string '" ' ("single"|"double") ident "type-prefix" ident
   stack-prefix-decl:  ident "stack-prefix" string
   @end example
   
   Note that the syntax of this code is not checked thoroughly (there are
   many other Forth program fragments that could be written there).
   
   If you know Forth, the stack effects of the non-standard words involved
   are:
   
   @example
   stack        ( "name" "pointer" "type" -- )
                ( name execution: -- stack )
   type-prefix  ( addr u xt1 xt2 n stack "prefix" -- )
   single       ( -- xt1 xt2 n )
   double       ( -- xt1 xt2 n )
   stack-prefix ( stack "prefix" -- )
   @end example
   
   @section Simple instructions
   
   We will use the following simple VM instruction description as example:
   
   @example
   sub ( i1 i2 -- i )
   i = i1-i2;
   @end example
   
   The first line specifies the name of the VM instruction (@code{sub}) and
   its stack effect (@code{i1 i2 -- i}).  The rest of the description is
   just plain C code.
   
   @cindex stack effect
   The stack effect specifies that @code{sub} pulls two integers from the
   data stack and puts them in the C variable @code{i1} and @code{i2} (with
   the rightmost item (@code{i2}) taken from the top of stack) and later
   pushes one integer (@code{i)) on the data stack (the rightmost item is
   on the top afterwards).
   
   How do we know the type and stack of the stack items?  Vmgen uses
   prefixes, similar to Fortran; in contrast to Fortran, you have to
   define the prefix first:
   
   @example
   \E s" Cell"   single data-stack type-prefix i
   @end example
   
   This defines the prefix @code{i} to refer to the type @code{Cell}
   (defined as @code{long} in @file{mini.h}) and, by default, to the
   @code{data-stack}.  It also specifies that this type takes one stack
   item (@code{single}).  The type prefix is part of the variable name.
   
   Before we can use @code{data-stack} in this way, we have to define it:
   
   @example
   \E stack data-stack sp Cell
   @end example
   @c !! use something other than Cell
   
   This line defines the stack @code{data-stack}, which uses the stack
   pointer @code{sp}, and each item has the basic type @code{Cell}; other
   types have to fit into one or two @code{Cell}s (depending on whether the
   type is @code{single} or @code{double} wide), and are converted from and
   to Cells on accessing the @code{data-stack) with conversion macros
   (@pxref{Conversion macros}).  Stacks grow towards lower addresses in
   vmgen.
   
   We can override the default stack of a stack item by using a stack
   prefix.  E.g., consider the following instruction:
   
   @example
   lit ( #i -- i )
   @end example
   
   The VM instruction @code{lit} takes the item @code{i} from the
   instruction stream (indicated by the prefix @code{#}, and pushes it on
   the (default) data stack.  The stack prefix is not part of the variable
   name.  Stack prefixes are defined like this:
   
   @example
   \E inst-stream stack-prefix #
   @end example
   
   This definition defines that the stack prefix @code{#} to specifies the
   ``stack'' @code{inst-stream}.  Since the instruction stream behaves a
   little differently than an ordinary stack, it is predefined, and you do
   not need to define it.
   
   The instruction stream contains instructions and their immediate
   arguments, so specifying that an argument comes from the instruction
   stream indicates an immediate argument.  Of course, instruction stream
   arguments can only appear to the left of @code{--} in the stack effect.
   If there are multiple instruction stream arguments, the leftmost is the
   first one (just as the intuition suggests).
   
   @section Superinstructions
   
   @section Stacks, types, and prefixes
   
   
   
 Invocation  Invocation
Removed from v.1.2  
changed lines
  Added in v.1.3

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