Of the thousands of programming languages that exist today, only a few dozen are widely used and used to develop computer programs. Despite this, their number is increasing every year. A programming language can be created by both an enthusiast who satisfies the thirst for creativity in this way, and a large corporation pursuing the goal of creating new products on its basis.
Instructions
Step 1
Consider the basic concepts of the programming language you are creating. Highlight its main features and intended functionality. Choose the paradigm (object-oriented, logical, etc.) that the language will follow and its computational model. Clearly answer the questions about how it will differ from existing analogs, what features to borrow.
Step 2
Consider a data type system. Answer the question of whether it will be a statically or dynamically typed programming language. Indicate a list of built-in types and ways to define new types. Declare methods for defining data structures. Describe other possibilities. So, if you are creating an object-oriented programming language, highlight the possible inheritance methods (for example, direct implementation inheritance, aggregation, etc.).
Step 3
Think thoroughly about the concept of organizing computations. Act with knowledge of the paradigm and computational model. So, for example, for a procedural-oriented language, it will be necessary to identify ways of transferring control (function calls, constructions of conditional transitions, loops, etc.), principles of evaluating expressions (list of operations, their priority), etc.
Step 4
Completely describe the syntax of the language. Based on the knowledge gained in the previous design steps, formally specify the syntax of all possible constructs. For example, the syntax for defining data types and their structures, control structures, writing arithmetic expressions, literally defining data objects. Use the Backus-Naur (BNF) or Regular Grammar notation.
Step 5
Define the character set of the source document in the programming language you are creating. Indicate possible rules and restrictions on the use of symbols. So, for example, the writing of language constructions can be limited only to characters from the ASCII set, but at the same time, characters of the entire UTF range can be used in comments and string literals.
Step 6
Create a set of specifications that fully describe the programming language. Include information about the syntax and semantics of all constructs. Use formal writing and detailed explanations.
