Patent ID: 6247174
Filing Date: 2001-06-12
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method for enabling a compiler to generate preselected machine instructions responsive to source level specification thereof, the method comprising the steps of:(a) predefining a series of source level intrinsics each having arguments and return values selectively associable therewith, each intrinsic indexed to preselected machine instructions, said machine instructions to be generated upon compiler recognition of the corresponding intrinsic, said series of intrinsics further being extensible to facilitate table-driven addition of supplemental intrinsics thereto;(b) selectively specifying said intrinsics in source code;(c) selectively associating arguments with ones of said specified intrinsics, ones of said arguments representing serialization constraints to be honored by the compiler when optimizing said generated machine instructions;(d) compiling the source code, said step (d) including the substeps of:(i) recognizing said specified intrinsics in the source code; and(ii) generating machine instructions corresponding to said recognized intrinsics, said generated machine instructions operating on user-selectable operands of unrestricted type, said substep (d)(ii) further including inlining library functions, the library functions invoked by the source code and containing machine instructions;(e) optimizing said generated machine instructions according to serialization constraints represented by arguments associated with said recognized intrinsics; and(f) when said generated machine instructions are floating-point instructions, selectively accessing the full range and precision of internal floating-point register representations corresponding thereto.