Is it possible to translate ada program to C using GCC or othertools?

Hi all,
I would like to investigate on how ada's protected object and
tasking features are implemented with C/pthread. Is it possible to use
gcc(or other tools) to do the translation?

thanks.

tony

climber.cui@gmail.com wrote:
>
> I would like to investigate on how ada's protected object and
> tasking features are implemented with C/pthread. Is it possible to use
> gcc(or other tools) to do the translation?

What makes you think these features are implemented in C?

gcc will not translate Ada to C.

SofCheck has a compiler that uses ANSI C as its intermediate language, but I
suspect what you're interested in is part of their runtime code, not the code
produced by the compiler.

--
Jeff Carter
"It's symbolic of his struggle against reality."
Monty Python's Life of Brian
78

No!

In GNAT the compiler generates assembly code. With one exception that is
"GNATBIND" program. Using the "-C" option, GNATBIND with produce its
binder program in C. But that does very little for what most people want.

A thesis, back in 1991 by Jeffrey Skinner, was in titled "Ada2C: An
ADA-To-C Program Translator" but it seams that today, most "Ada2C"
programs have more to do with homework assignments than actual working
programs.


In <334c1c0a-0c49-49d3-b03b-867c2288159c@25g2000hsx.googlegroups.com>, climber.cui@gmail.com writes:
>Hi all,
> I would like to investigate on how ada's protected object and
>tasking features are implemented with C/pthread. Is it possible to use
>gcc(or other tools) to do the translation?
>
> thanks.
>
>tony

On Jul 22, 8:15 pm, "Jeffrey R. Carter"
<spam.jrcarter....@spam.acm.org> wrote:
> climber....@gmail.com wrote:
>
> > I would like to investigate on how ada's protected object and
> > tasking features are implemented with C/pthread. Is it possible to use
> > gcc(or other tools) to do the translation?
>
> What makes you think these features are implemented in C?
>
> gcc will not translate Ada to C.
>
> SofCheck has a compiler that uses ANSI C as its intermediate language, but I
> suspect what you're interested in is part of their runtime code, not the code
> produced by the compiler.
>
> --
> Jeff Carter
> "It's symbolic of his struggle against reality."
> Monty Python's Life of Brian
> 78

yes, you are right. It is the Gnat runtime code that implements the
concurrent features. But I first want to see what runtime calls is
made for certain ADA constructs. When i try to read gcc source code, i
got lost at the beginning.

On Jul 22, 8:45 pm, a...@anon.org (anon) wrote:
> No!
>
> In GNAT the compiler generates assembly code. With one exception that is
> "GNATBIND" program. Using the "-C" option, GNATBIND with produce its
> binder program in C. But that does very little for what most people want.
>
> A thesis, back in 1991 by Jeffrey Skinner, was in titled "Ada2C: An
> ADA-To-C Program Translator" but it seams that today, most "Ada2C"
> programs have more to do with homework assignments than actual working
> programs.
>
Any chance to get ADA to be translated to something readable, like ADA
code plus run-time calls to its runtime system and pthread library?
By the way, how to use GNAT to compile ada program into assembly code?
I use gcc with -S option, but did not get anything but an assembly
program with no body.

tony

climber.cui@gmail.com writes:

> Hi all,
> I would like to investigate on how ada's protected object and
> tasking features are implemented with C/pthread. Is it possible to use
> gcc(or other tools) to do the translation?

You might be interested in the -gnatD or -gnatG switches.
See the docs for details.

Or just look at the sources for the runtime libs.

- Bob

<climber.cui@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:334c1c0a-0c49-49d3-b03b-867c2288159c@25g2000hsx.googlegroups.com...
> Hi all,
> I would like to investigate on how ada's protected object and
> tasking features are implemented with C/pthread. Is it possible to use
> gcc(or other tools) to do the translation?
>

Hi,

pthread isn't C. pthread is machine code. The source code may have been
in C (or any other programming language for that matter) but you don't
execute C. Back in the olden days they used to document OS interface calls
in a programming language independent manner, that made it a little clearer.

At any rate, while the following information is somewhat outdated, you may
find it useful:

http://www.iuma.ulpgc.es/users/jmiranda/

Regards,
Steve

> thanks.
>
> tony

Steve schrieb:
> At any rate, while the following information is somewhat outdated, you may
> find it useful:
>
> http://www.iuma.ulpgc.es/users/jmiranda/

There is an improved version:

https://www2.adacore.com/gap-static/...html/index.htm

First to clarify, the compiling process. Normally to compile a program

step 1. gnat compile <filename>.adb

step 2. gnat bind <filename>.ali or gnatbind <filename>.ali
this program creates two files:
1. b~<filename>.adb
2. b~<filename>.ads

step 3. gnat link <filename>.ali or gnatlink <filename>.ali
this program compiles the package
b~<filename>.adb
and then finishes the linking process.
Note: After linking the b~<filename>.* files are deleted.


but in step two and three you can use

step 2. gnat bind -C <filename>.ali or gnatbind -C <filename>.ali
this creates one file:
1. b_<filename>.c
this file is equivalence to the package file:
b~<filename>.adb

step 3. gnat link -C <filename>.ali or gnatlink -C <filename>.ali
this program compiles the C binder file
b_<filename>.c
and then finishes the linking process.
Note: After linking the b_<filename>.* files are deleted.


As for the thesis, I am not sure, you might be able to find it. There is
a "Jeffrey Skinner" that is into web designing. Maybe he is the same
guy, so I would suggest, that you email and ask him. The only problem I
see will be that the Ada translator and source code will be based on Ada
83 specs.


www.jeffreyskinner.com
Jeffrey Skinner. email: jeff [at] jeffreyskinner
aka
jeff@jeffreyskinner


In <822c5e24-bd20-458d-8346-ba22994aa850@d45g2000hsc.googlegroups.com>, climber.cui@gmail.com writes:
>On Jul 22, 8:45 pm, a...@anon.org (anon) wrote:
>> No!
>>
>> In GNAT the compiler generates assembly code. With one exception that is
>> "GNATBIND" program. Using the "-C" option, GNATBIND with produce its
>> binder program in C. But that does very little for what most people want.
>>
>> A thesis, back in 1991 by Jeffrey Skinner, was in titled "Ada2C: An
>> ADA-To-C Program Translator" but it seams that today, most "Ada2C"
>> programs have more to do with homework assignments than actual working
>> programs.
>>
>Any chance to get ADA to be translated to something readable, like ADA
>code plus run-time calls to its runtime system and pthread library?
>By the way, how to use GNAT to compile ada program into assembly code?
>I use gcc with -S option, but did not get anything but an assembly
>program with no body.
>
>tony
>

climber.cui@gmail.com wrote:
> Hi all,
> I would like to investigate on how ada's protected object and
> tasking features are implemented with C/pthread. Is it possible to use
> gcc(or other tools) to do the translation?

You'd need an Ada compiler that will translate Ada to C and
use C and pthreads for protected objects. I think Sofcheck
has such a compiler.