ACTION SEMANTICS-DIRECTED PROTOTYPING

We present a methodology for compiler synthesis based on Mosses-Watt's action semantics. Each action in action semantics notation is assigne d specific ''analysis functions'', such as a typing function and a bin ding-time function. When a language is given an action semantics, the typing and binding-time functions for the individual actions compose i nto typing and binding-time analyses for the language; these are imple mented as the type checker and static semantics processor, respectivel y, in the synthesized compiler. Other analyses can be similarly formal ized and implemented. We show a sample language semantics and its synt hesized compiler, and we describe the compiler synthesizer that we hav e developed.