C++

2.2    Translation Phases

To ultimately turn the source code you write into an executable program, the compiler suite performs several phases. Nowadays, the suite is often just one program that takes care of everything. It may also be divided into frontend and backend pieces. In the past, the phases were more or less executed by separate programs. The most important phases are as follows:

• PreprocessorReads the include files and expands C macros—that is, textually inserts a previous definition instead of the macro name

• Lexer and parserTranslates the character strings into tokens—that is, groups characters into semantic units and recognizes, for example, whether a unit is a string, a number, or a function

• C++ semanticsTurns templates into ...