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<title>The Inform 7 compiler</title>
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<h1><a href="index.html">
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<img src="docs-assets/Inform.png" height=72">
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</a></h1>
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<ul><li><span class="unlink">compiler tools</span></li>
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<li><a href="other.html">other tools</a></li>
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<li><a href="extensions.html">extensions and kits</a></li>
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<li><a href="units.html">unit test tools</a></li>
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</ul><h2>Compiler Webs</h2><ul>
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<li><a href="inbuild/index.html">inbuild</a></li>
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<li><a href="inform7/index.html">inform7</a></li>
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<li><a href="inter/index.html">inter</a></li>
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</ul><h2>Inbuild Modules</h2><ul>
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<li><a href="supervisor-module/index.html">supervisor</a></li>
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</ul><h2>Inform7 Modules</h2><ul>
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<li><a href="core-module/index.html">core</a></li>
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<li><a href="kinds-module/index.html">kinds</a></li>
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<li><a href="if-module/index.html">if</a></li>
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<li><a href="multimedia-module/index.html">multimedia</a></li>
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<li><a href="index-module/index.html">index</a></li>
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</ul><h2>Inter Modules</h2><ul>
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<li><a href="bytecode-module/index.html">bytecode</a></li>
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<li><a href="building-module/index.html">building</a></li>
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<li><a href="codegen-module/index.html">codegen</a></li>
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</ul><h2>Services</h2><ul>
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<li><a href="arch-module/index.html">arch</a></li>
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<li><a href="syntax-module/index.html">syntax</a></li>
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<li><a href="words-module/index.html">words</a></li>
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<li><a href="html-module/index.html">html</a></li>
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<li><a href="inflections-module/index.html">inflections</a></li>
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<li><a href="linguistics-module/index.html">linguistics</a></li>
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<li><a href="problems-module/index.html">problems</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../inweb/docs/foundation-module/index.html">foundation</a></li>
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</ul>
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<main role="main">
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<!--Weave of 'The Inform 7 compiler' generated by Inweb-->
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<div class="breadcrumbs">
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<ul class="crumbs"><li><a href="index.html">Home</a></li><li><b>The Inform 7 compiler</b></li></ul></div>
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<p class="commentary firstcommentary"><a id="SP1"></a><b>§1. </b>The task of the Inform 7 compiler is to take natural-language source text
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and "transpile" it down to lower-level, more orthodox code which another
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compiler can take the rest of the way. Usually, but not necessarily, that
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other compiler is the typeless but otherwise C-like Inform 6 (1996-2003).
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</p>
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<p class="commentary">Inform offers three compiler tools: <a href="inbuild/index.html" class="internal">inbuild</a>, <a href="inform7/index.html" class="internal">inform7</a>
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and <a href="inter/index.html" class="internal">inter</a>. These represent the front end (build control, resource
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management), the middle part (actual compilation), and the back end (code
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generation, assimilation of kits), but really they are three points of access
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to the same code base. See <a href="inbuild/M-ui.html" class="internal">Manual (in inbuild)</a>, <a href="inform7/M-cu.html" class="internal">Manual (in inform7)</a>, <a href="inter/M-ui.html" class="internal">Manual (in inter)</a>
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and <a href="inbuild/M-rc.html" class="internal">Reference Card (in inbuild)</a>, <a href="inform7/M-rc.html" class="internal">Reference Card (in inform7)</a>, <a href="inter/M-rc.html" class="internal">Reference Card (in inter)</a>.
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</p>
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<p class="commentary">Each tool has its own CLI (or "command-line interface") but is otherwise
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divided up into "modules", many shared between two or even all three tools.
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</p>
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<pre class="displayed-code all-displayed-code code-font">
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<span class="plain-syntax"> </span><span class="function-syntax">INBUILD</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><span class="function-syntax">INFORM7</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><span class="function-syntax">INTER</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax"> +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax"> | </span><a href="inbuild/index.html" class="internal">inbuild</a><span class="plain-syntax"> | | </span><a href="inform7/index.html" class="internal">inform7</a><span class="plain-syntax"> | | </span><a href="inter/index.html" class="internal">inter</a><span class="plain-syntax"> |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax"> | (</span><span class="element-syntax">cli</span><span class="plain-syntax">) | | (</span><span class="element-syntax">cli</span><span class="plain-syntax">) | | (</span><span class="element-syntax">cli</span><span class="plain-syntax">) |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax"> +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">+----------------------------------------------+ . .</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">| </span><a href="supervisor-module/index.html" class="internal">supervisor</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> | . .</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">+----------------------------------------------+ . .</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax"> . . +---------------------+ . .</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax"> . . | </span><a href="core-module/index.html" class="internal">core</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> | . .</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax"> . . | </span><a href="if-module/index.html" class="internal">if</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> | . .</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax"> . . | </span><a href="multimedia-module/index.html" class="internal">multimedia</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> | . .</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax"> . . | </span><a href="index-module/index.html" class="internal">index</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> | . .</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax"> . . +---------------------+ . .</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax"> . . +----------------------------------------------+</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax"> . . | </span><a href="bytecode-module/index.html" class="internal">bytecode</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax"> . . | </span><a href="building-module/index.html" class="internal">building</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax"> . . | </span><a href="codegen-module/index.html" class="internal">codegen</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax"> . . +----------------------------------------------+</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">| </span><span class="function-syntax">SERVICES</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><span class="element-syntax">shared</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><a href="linguistics-module/index.html" class="internal">linguistics</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">| </span><span class="element-syntax">shared</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><a href="kinds-module/index.html" class="internal">kinds</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">| </span><span class="element-syntax">shared</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><a href="lexicon-module/index.html" class="internal">lexicon</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">| </span><span class="element-syntax">shared</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><a href="inflections-module/index.html" class="internal">inflections</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">| </span><span class="element-syntax">shared</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><a href="problems-module/index.html" class="internal">problems</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">| </span><span class="element-syntax">shared</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><a href="syntax-module/index.html" class="internal">syntax</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">| </span><span class="element-syntax">shared</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><a href="words-module/index.html" class="internal">words</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">| </span><span class="element-syntax">shared</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><a href="arch-module/index.html" class="internal">arch</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">| </span><span class="element-syntax">shared</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><a href="html-module/index.html" class="internal">html</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">| </span><span class="function-syntax">FOUNDATION</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><a href="../../inweb/docs/foundation-module/index.html" class="internal">foundation</a><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">module</span><span class="plain-syntax"> (</span><span class="element-syntax">in</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><span class="element-syntax">inweb</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><span class="element-syntax">repository</span><span class="plain-syntax">) |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">| (</span><span class="element-syntax">Posix</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><span class="element-syntax">or</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><span class="element-syntax">Windows</span><span class="plain-syntax">-</span><span class="element-syntax">related</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><span class="element-syntax">functions</span><span class="plain-syntax">) |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">| (</span><span class="element-syntax">standard</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><span class="element-syntax">C</span><span class="plain-syntax"> </span><span class="element-syntax">library</span><span class="plain-syntax">) |</span>
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<span class="plain-syntax">+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+</span>
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</pre>
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<p class="commentary">The three tools each use a "services" library, made up of a variety of modules
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providing services useful for natural language-based programs (though only
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<a href="inform7/index.html" class="internal">inform7</a> needs them all). At one time this was going to be called "Second
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Foundation" or possibly "Foundation and Empire", because there is also
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<a href="../../inweb/docs/foundation-module/index.html" class="internal">foundation</a> underneath, a library of utility functions provided by <a href="../../inweb/docs/index.html" class="internal">inweb</a>.
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</p>
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<p class="commentary firstcommentary"><a id="SP2"></a><b>§2. </b>That's a lot: for code-spelunkers, this is a veritable limestone hillside
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of points of entry. Where to begin? Here are some suggested entrances:
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</p>
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<ul class="items"><li>(a) See <a href="supervisor-module/P-wtmd.html" class="internal">What This Module Does (in supervisor)</a> for an overview of the
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build-management process.
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</li><li>(b) Or take that on trust, and see <a href="core-module/P-wtmd.html" class="internal">What This Module Does (in core)</a> for
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an overview of how Inform 7 basically works.
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</li><li>(c) If you're more interested in the low-level representation of Inter code,
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and how to generate from it, see <a href="bytecode-module/P-wtmd.html" class="internal">What This Module Does (in bytecode)</a>.
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</li></ul>
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