Could you describe the main stages of source code processing in a compiled programming language?
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Answer from AI
The main stages of source code processing in a compiled programming language typically include:
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Lexical analysis (tokenization) — the source code is broken into tokens (keywords, identifiers, operators, etc.).
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Syntax analysis (parsing) — tokens are used to build a syntax tree that reflects the program's structure.
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Semantic analysis — checking the meaning of the program, such as data types, scope, and correct variable usage.
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Optimization — improving the intermediate representation of the code to increase efficiency.
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Code generation — transforming the optimized representation into machine code or bytecode.
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Linking — combining with other modules and libraries to create an executable file.
For example, when compiling Python with Cython, the code is first converted into C, then compiled into machine code, passing through similar stages.