[cfe-dev] C++ TODOs

[Devang Patel]

On Dec 21, 2007, at 1:00 PM, Bjørn Roald wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I am new to the list and have been lurking a few days.  I am  
> interested
> in clang mainly as a possible component for tools supporting the C++
> language.  As I may spend some spare time on the C++ support I would
> like to know more about what it involves.  If there are any  
> suggestions
> for small tasks (TODOs) that may give me  a good introduction to
> developing for clang, that would be nice.  Do you have some sort of
> roadmap for the C++ support that we plan to follow?

C is the focus right now.  What if I say C++ roadmap begins and ends  
at "Eventually we want to support C++" ? :)

Seriously, there is no simple answer. Until most of active developers  
shift their focus to C++, it is unlikely that C++ roadmap with enough  
details will emerge. However that should not stop you moving forward.

  Where do you want to start,

	- depends on your skill set ... do you consider yourself a C++  
language lawyer ? power C++ developer ? programming language tools  
guy ? software designer ? skilled programmer interested in C++ ?   
newbie ? etc...

	- depends on your end goal ... develop C++ compiler, develop tools to  
analyze C++ code, tools to manage C++ project etc..

clang's well designed architecture includes separate preprocessor,  
lexer, parser, semantic analysis, AST, code generation modules. IMO,  
this will make your life easier once you decide where to start.

To get your feet wet, you may want to initially focus on areas where C  
and C++ language do not agree with each other. For example, http://david.tribble.com/text/cdiffs.htm 
  .

Again it is up to you. Where ever you start, you want to follow  
incremental development model.

-
Devang