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User•Turn #1
I want to understand how compilers work by building a simple one that compiles arithmetic expressions like 3 plus 4 times 5 to machine code. Where do I start?
1 turns • 158 chars
Assistant•Turn #2
Perfect project to learn compilers! Let's build this in stages:
STAGE 1: LEXER (tokenizer). Converts text to tokens.
Input: 3 plus 4 times 5
Output: NUMBER(3), PLUS, NUMBER(4), MULTIPLY, NUMBER(5)
...
2 turns • 916 chars
User•Turn #3
Yes! But I'm confused about how the parser handles operator precedence. How does it know to multiply before adding?
3 turns • 1031 chars
Assistant•Turn #4
THIS IS THE BRILLIANT PART OF PARSING!
There are two main approaches:
1. PRATT PARSING (my favorite for expressions): Each operator has a binding power (precedence).
How it handles 3 plus 4 times 5...
4 turns • 1655 chars
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