NetC Compiler

NetC is a domain-specific language designed with a focus on logic-flow and network-like structures. This project implements a lightweight compiler pipeline—including a Scanner, Parser, and Semantic Analyzer—designed to transform NetC source into a validated Abstract Syntax Tree (AST).

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Project Architecture

The compiler is built in C++17 and follows a classic three-phase analysis:

1. Lexical Analysis (Scanner): Converts source code into a stream of tokens.
2. Syntax Analysis (Parser): Generates an Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) using Recursive Descent.
3. Semantic Analysis: Enforces scope rules, type checking, and variable initialization invariants.

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NetC Syntax at a Glance

Data Types (The Primitives)

NetC uses a strict type system to ensure memory safety.

Keyword	Logical Type	C++ Equivalent	Memory Logic
dnum	Discrete Number	int	Integer values for indexing and counting.
cnum	Continuous Number	float	Real numbers for calculations and weights.
text	String Literal	std::string	Sequence of characters for messages.
flag	Boolean Logic	bool	Binary state: true or false.

Key Instructions

• network: Defines a function or logic block.
• init: The main entry point of the program (similar to main in C++).
• yield: Returns a value from a network function.
• feed / forward: Input and Output operations.
• iterate / until: Loop structures for repetitive logic.

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Usage

Command Line Interface

Run the compiler against a .netc file using the following syntax:

./bin/netc tests/example.netc [options]

Available Options:

• --show-ast: Prints the Abstract Syntax Tree to the console.
• --show-symbols: Displays the Symbol Table and Function Table.
• -s / --scan-only: Executes only the Lexical Analysis phase.
• -p / --parse-only: Executes only the Syntax Analysis phase.

Graphical User Interface

To use the interactive Streamlit-based GUI:

1. Install streamlit

pip install streamlit

2. Navigate to the project root then run the app:

streamlit run src/netc_streamlit.py

Project Structure

NetC-Compiler/
├── bin/             # Compiled executable binaries
├── docs/            # Documentation for the language and compiler
├── include/         # Header files (.h)
├── output/          # Generated token lists and analysis results
├── src/             # Source code files (.cpp)
├── tests/           # Sample NetC source files (.netc)
├── .gitignore       # Files and folders to be ignored by Git
└── README.md        # Project overview and documentation