1.3 Fasta：The Abstract Syntax Tree Constructor of Dart SDK

In the previous article 1.2 Parser：Bridging Tokens and Syntax with Listeners, we introduced the Parser and Listener, which are the fundamental elements of lexical analysis in compilers.

In this section, we will introduce the Fasta interpreter from the ground up. Although the Fasta interpreter is complex, it is built upon the foundation of the Parser and Listener.

Let's introduce the Fasta parser, a front-end tool in the Dart SDK. It is used for parsing Dart code, conducting syntactic analysis, and converting the code into the Kernel binary format. This format is an intermediate representation (IR) that the Dart VM and Dart compilers, such as dart2js, can understand. Fasta aims to unify Dart's compilation process and increase build and compilation speed.

The Fasta parser performs the following main tasks:

  1. Lexical Analysis: Converts strings of Dart source code into a series of tokens. These tokens correspond to the basic elements of the language, such as identifiers, keywords, and operators. (Already introduced in sections one and two)

  2. Syntactic Analysis: Parses the sequence of tokens according to Dart language's grammatical rules to construct an Abstract Syntax Tree (AST). The AST represents the structure of the source code, reflecting the statements, expressions, and their relationships.

  3. Semantic Analysis: Checks the AST to ensure the logical correctness of the code, including type checking, variable and function scope resolution, etc.

  4. Generating intermediate representation: Converts the AST into a kernel binary format understandable by the Dart VM. This format is an intermediate representation that preserves the structural and semantic information of the code, used in subsequent optimization and code generation phases.

The Fasta parser is a key component of Dart's front-end process, as it provides a unified foundation for the entire Dart toolchain, whether running Dart programs in a development environment or compiling Dart code into JavaScript or AOT (Ahead-Of-Time) compiled native binaries. Through Fasta, the Dart team can more easily optimize the compilation process and provide developers with a fast and reliable compiler front-end.

Alright, that's enough theory for now. Let's continue. In the upcoming articles of the series, we will first take a look at what the Dart AST looks like, and then return to the Listener from section two, analyzing how Fasta gradually creates the AST based on the Listener.

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