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MichalStrehovsky/chibil

 masterBranchesTagsGo to fileCodeOpen more actions menuFolders and filesNameNameLast commit messageLast commit dateLatest commit History105 Commits105 Commits.github/workflows.github/workflows  chibilchibil  crtcrt  docsdocs  samples/doomsamples/doom  scenariosscenarios  tests/Chibil.Teststests/Chibil.Tests  toolstools  .gitignore.gitignore  .gitmodules.gitmodules  README.mdREADME.md  THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.mdTHIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.md  View all filesRepository files navigationREADMEChibil C compiler
What is chibil
Chibil is a C compiler based on chibicc rewritten in C# and updated to target .NET IL (MSIL).
It is complete enough to run DOOM (PureDOOM).
Pipeline
Chibil takes C source files and generates COFF OBJ files. These OBJ files are binary-compatible with OBJ files produced by the MSVC compiler in /clr mode. link.exe from Visual Studio is used to link the object files together and produce final executables. One can actually mix and match C++/CLI and chibil-produced object files.
Chibil will probably have its own linker later, if for no other reason, just so we don't need Windows.
Debugging
Line numbers and locals work as expected. You can step through the C code in a .NET debugger.
Standard C library
There isn't one.
There is a minimal stub of a C runtime library in the crt directory. This provides a runnable main that takes string[] of arguments and dispatches to the C-standard main with argc and argv. The produced assembly is converted to a COFF object file using the asm2obj utility and can be linked together with the C code to form something with a runnable main.
Consuming C code from .NET code
This is not complete yet. The code is generated into global namespace so if you want to consume the compiled code from elsewhere (i.e. don't intend to just run the EXE), you'll need to use reflection such as Module.GetMethod to find the methods and reflection-invoke them.
Useful tools
The tools/coffobjdumper.cs file contains a COFF OBJ dumper that dumps .NET OBJ files. It's a good complement for ILDASM (the desktop CLR ILDASM!) that can dump the .NET metadata from COFF OBJ files, but doesn't show method bodies, and dumpbin.exe that can dump various things from COFF objects, but not much in terms of .NET metadata.

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The chibil project is a C compiler implemented in C sharp, derived from chibicc, which is specifically updated to target .NET Intermediate Language (MSIL). The compiler is designed to be functional enough to execute applications such as PureDOOM, establishing a foundation for compiling C code within a .NET environment. The compilation pipeline involves the process of taking C source files and generating COFF OBJ files, which are made binary-compatible with OBJ files produced by the MSVC compiler when operating in /clr mode. These generated object files can then be linked using link.exe from Visual Studio to produce final executable files, offering flexibility in mixing and matching object files generated by chibil with those from C++/CLI.

Debugging capabilities are supported within the framework; the system maintains functionality for line numbers and local variables, allowing users to step through the C code using a .NET debugger. To facilitate the creation of runnable programs, chibil includes a minimal stub of a C runtime library located in the crt directory, which provides a necessary main function mechanism to dispatch to the standard C main function with argc and argv. Furthermore, assembly generated during the process is converted into COFF object files via the asm2obj utility, enabling these assembled components to be linked with the C runtime code to construct executables with a functional entry point.

Regarding the consumption of C code from .NET code, the functionality is not yet complete. Currently, the compiled code is generated into the global namespace, which presents a challenge for external consumption. To access the compiled code outside the direct execution context, methods such as reflection, specifically utilizing Module.GetMethod, are required to locate and invoke the compiled methods. Supplementary tools are provided to assist in handling the compiled output, including coffobjdumper.cs, which serves as a COFF OBJ dumper for .NET OBJ files, offering a complement to tools like ILDASM for extracting .NET metadata from COFF OBJ files, and dumpbin.exe, which can extract various attributes from COFF objects.