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< title > The Inform 7 compiler< / title >
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< / style >
< / head >
< body >
< nav role = "navigation" >
< h1 > < a href = "webs.html" > Sources< / a > < / h1 >
< ul >
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< li > < a href = "compiler.html" > < b > compiler tools< / b > < / a > < / li >
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< li > < a href = "other.html" > other tools< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "extensions.html" > extensions and kits< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "units.html" > unit test tools< / a > < / li >
< / ul >
< h2 > Compiler Webs< / h2 >
< ul >
< li > < a href = "inbuild/index.html" > inbuild< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "inform7/index.html" > inform7< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "inter/index.html" > inter< / a > < / li >
< / ul >
< h2 > Inbuild Modules< / h2 >
< ul >
< li > < a href = "inbuild-module/index.html" > inbuild< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "arch-module/index.html" > arch< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "words-module/index.html" > words< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "syntax-module/index.html" > syntax< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "html-module/index.html" > html< / a > < / li >
< / ul >
< h2 > Inform7 Modules< / h2 >
< ul >
< li > < a href = "core-module/index.html" > core< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "problems-module/index.html" > problems< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "inflections-module/index.html" > inflections< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "linguistics-module/index.html" > linguistics< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "kinds-module/index.html" > kinds< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "if-module/index.html" > if< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "multimedia-module/index.html" > multimedia< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "index-module/index.html" > index< / a > < / li >
< / ul >
< h2 > Inter Modules< / h2 >
< ul >
< li > < a href = "inter-module/index.html" > inter< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "building-module/index.html" > building< / a > < / li >
< li > < a href = "codegen-module/index.html" > codegen< / a > < / li >
< / ul >
< h2 > Foundation< / h2 >
< ul >
< li > < a href = "../../inweb/docs/foundation-module/index.html" > foundation< / a > < / li >
< / ul >
< / nav >
< main role = "main" >
<!-- Weave of 'Complete Program' generated by 7 -->
< ul class = "crumbs" > < li > < b > The Inform 7 compiler< / b > < / li > < / ul > < p class = "inwebparagraph" > < a id = "SP1" > < / a > < b > § 1. < / b > The task of the Inform 7 compiler is to take source text which may be as
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minimal as "The Taj Mahal is a room.", and to turn it into a computer program.
It is properly speaking a "transpiler", in that it compiles down to code for
another compiler to take the rest of the way. Traditionally, that other
compiler is Inform 6 (1996-2003), a reliable generator of "story files"
(programs for virtual machines) from typeless but otherwise C-like code.
< / p >
< p class = "inwebparagraph" > The Inform 7 compiler works in three phases:
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< / p >
< ul class = "items" > < li > (1) A build manager reads in the text, breaks it into sentences, finds the
necessary extensions, merges them in, and generally decides what to do.
< / li > < li > (2) The core of the compiler translates this assemblage of source text into
a low-level abstract language called "inter".
< / li > < li > (3) The code-generator further translates that intermediate code into our
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final output, which will be code for some lower-level compiler.
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< / li > < / ul >
< p class = "inwebparagraph" > < a id = "SP2" > < / a > < b > § 2. < / b > Three ccmmand-line tools are provided: < code class = "display" > < span class = "extract" > inbuild< / span > < / code > , < code class = "display" > < span class = "extract" > inform7< / span > < / code > , and < code class = "display" > < span class = "extract" > inter< / span > < / code > .
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They roughly correspond to the three phases, but < code class = "display" > < span class = "extract" > inbuild< / span > < / code > can also
perform some useful archiving and resource management functions, and < code class = "display" > < span class = "extract" > inter< / span > < / code >
can also perform assimilation on kits, or translate inter code not originated by
Inform. < code class = "display" > < span class = "extract" > inform7< / span > < / code > on its own is capable of performing the complete compilation
process and is the only one of the three included in the GUI apps of Inform
for MacOS, Windows and so on.
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< / p >
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< p class = "inwebparagraph" > Each tool has a tiny CLI (or "command-line interface") but is otherwise
divided up into large segments called "modules", many shared between two or
even all three tools. < code class = "display" > < span class = "extract" > inform7< / span > < / code > contains every module. The following diagram
shows exactly how:
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< / p >
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< pre class = "display" >
< span class = "plain" > +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | < / span > < span class = "functiontext" > INBUILD< / span > < span class = "plain" > | | < / span > < span class = "functiontext" > INFORM7< / span > < span class = "plain" > | | < / span > < span class = "functiontext" > INTER< / span > < span class = "plain" > |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > +---+.............+---+ +---+.............+---+ +---+.............+---+< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | < / span > < span class = "element" > inbuild< / span > < span class = "plain" > (< / span > < span class = "element" > cli< / span > < span class = "plain" > < / span > < span class = "element" > shell< / span > < span class = "plain" > ) | | < / span > < span class = "element" > inform7< / span > < span class = "plain" > (< / span > < span class = "element" > cli< / span > < span class = "plain" > < / span > < span class = "element" > shell< / span > < span class = "plain" > ) | | < / span > < span class = "element" > inter< / span > < span class = "plain" > (< / span > < span class = "element" > cli< / span > < span class = "plain" > < / span > < span class = "element" > shell< / span > < span class = "plain" > ) |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > +---+.............+---+ +---+.............+---+ +---+.............+---+< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > +---+.............+----------+.............+---+ | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | < / span > < span class = "reserved" > inbuild-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | < / span > < span class = "reserved" > syntax-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | < / span > < span class = "reserved" > html-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > +---+.............+----------+.............+---+ | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | +---+.............+---+ | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | < / span > < span class = "reserved" > core-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | < / span > < span class = "reserved" > inflections-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | < / span > < span class = "reserved" > linguistics-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | < / span > < span class = "reserved" > problems-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | < / span > < span class = "reserved" > kinds-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | < / span > < span class = "reserved" > if-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | < / span > < span class = "reserved" > multimedia-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | < / span > < span class = "reserved" > index-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | +---+.............+---+ | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | +---+.............+----------+.............+---+< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | < / span > < span class = "reserved" > inter-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | < / span > < span class = "reserved" > building-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | < / span > < span class = "reserved" > codegen-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | +---+.............+----------+.............+---+< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > +---+.............+----------+.............+----------+.............+---+< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | < / span > < span class = "reserved" > words-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | < / span > < span class = "reserved" > arch-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > +---+.............+----------+.............+----------+.............+---+< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > +---+.............+----------+.............+----------+.............+---+< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | (< / span > < span class = "reserved" > foundation-module< / span > < span class = "plain" > < / span > < span class = "element" > from< / span > < span class = "plain" > < / span > < span class = "element" > inweb< / span > < span class = "plain" > ) |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | (< / span > < span class = "element" > Posix< / span > < span class = "plain" > < / span > < span class = "element" > or< / span > < span class = "plain" > < / span > < span class = "element" > Windows< / span > < span class = "plain" > -< / span > < span class = "element" > related< / span > < span class = "plain" > < / span > < span class = "element" > functions< / span > < span class = "plain" > ) |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | (< / span > < span class = "element" > standard< / span > < span class = "plain" > < / span > < span class = "element" > C< / span > < span class = "plain" > < / span > < span class = "element" > library< / span > < span class = "plain" > ) |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > +---+.............+----------+.............+----------+.............+---+< / span >
< span class = "plain" > | | | | | |< / span >
< span class = "plain" > +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+< / span >
< / pre >
< p class = "inwebparagraph" > < / p >
< p class = "inwebparagraph" > < a id = "SP3" > < / a > < b > § 3. < / b > The three CLIs are to be found in the webs called < code class = "display" > < span class = "extract" > inbuild< / span > < / code > , < code class = "display" > < span class = "extract" > inform7< / span > < / code >
and < code class = "display" > < span class = "extract" > inter< / span > < / code > (and these are the webs which tangle to the three complete tools).
Each module is also a web, and the above chart shows where it is: a module
in the INBUILD column, say < code class = "display" > < span class = "extract" > syntax-module< / span > < / code > , is at the path < code class = "display" > < span class = "extract" > inbuild/syntax-module< / span > < / code > ,
for example. But as the diagram shows, it's shared code and runs in both
< code class = "display" > < span class = "extract" > inbuild< / span > < / code > and < code class = "display" > < span class = "extract" > inform7< / span > < / code > .
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< / p >
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< p class = "inwebparagraph" > All three tools also contain the < code class = "display" > < span class = "extract" > foundation< / span > < / code > module, a library of utility
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code which is present in every Inform tool.
< / p >
<!-- End of weave -->
< / main >
< / body >
< / html >
