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How does the lexical analyzer handle whitespace and errors?
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The lexical analyzer removes white spaces and identifies syntactic errors during tokenization.
Describe the role of a lexical analyzer in the compilation process.
The lexical analyzer reads a stream of characters from the source code, groups them into meaningful sequences called lexemes, and outputs a sequence of tokens.
Identify a key difference between analysis phase and synthesis phase.
The analysis phase is focused on the source language and is machine independent, while the synthesis phase focuses on the machine language and is machine dependent.
What are tokens, and how are they related to lexemes in lexical analysis?
Tokens are symbolic representations of lexemes produced by the lexical analyzer, representing elements such as identifiers, operators, and numbers.
Why is it crucial for the lexical analysis phase to be both accurate and efficient?
Accuracy ensures correct tokenization of source characters into lexemes without errors, while efficiency minimizes the time and processing power needed in the early stages of compilation.
What is the significance of the symbol table manager in a compiler?
The symbol table manager stores information related to symbols encountered in the source code and manages error handling across compiler phases.
What is the primary purpose of the analysis phase in a compiler?
The analysis phase is machine independent and focuses on processing the source language, breaking down the high-level code into an intermediate form.
Describe a situation where lexical analysis can identify an error.
Lexical analysis can identify errors such as invalid character sequences or malformed tokens that do not match the syntax rules of the language.
What transformation occurs during the intermediate code generation phase?
During intermediate code generation, the compiler translates parsed source code into an intermediate language that facilitates easier optimization and generation of target code.
What characteristics distinguish the synthesis phase from the analysis phase?
The synthesis phase is machine dependent and language independent, as its primary focus is generating the target machine code from the intermediate representation.
How is a 'target program' defined within the context of a compiler?
A target program is the low-level machine code that is produced after the final synthesis phase of compilation from the intermediate representations.
Explain the concept of a 'phase' in the context of compiler design.
A phase in compiler design is a logically interrelated operation that transforms a program from one representation to another.
In lexical analysis, how are assignment operators represented as tokens?
Assignment operators, like '=', are represented as specific operator tokens indicating variable assignment operations.
What are the two major phases of compilation?
The two major phases of compilation are the Analysis Phase and the Synthesis Phase.
What is the significance of grouping characters into lexemes?
Grouping characters into lexemes is essential for syntactic analysis, as lexemes represent the meaningful components (like keywords, identifiers) of the source code.
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