Abstract

Code generation is a basic concept in computer programming, and is widely used in various areas of research work as well as software development. There is so-called “boilerplate code” everywhere in programs, which stands for “the code sections that have to be included in many places with little or no alternation” (Wiki). Nonetheless, with some templates or patterns provided, the generated code can significantly save a lot of tedious work by hand, and hence improve the productivity. Such templates are reusable, and easy to maintain.

In this talk, I’ll start with the projects that I’ve been working on since last year, to illustrate how code generation takes place, and why it matters in programming. There are several approaches to achieve code generation, each having its strengths and weaknesses correspondingly. Some applications of code generation in mainstream programming languages will also be included during the talk.