Basics of Language Processor

Spectrum of Language Processors

Programming languages are classified in 3 cadres.

Preprocessor

Its input is source and target language is same language. The target code is modified (preprocessed) version of the source code.

Translator

Translators translates any code form top to down in hierarchy of programming language.

Compiler and Assembler are two such translators.

Compiler convers high level language to Mid level language.

Assemble convers mid level language to low level language.

Detranslator

Detranslator is reverse of translator. It converts the language from bottom to top in hierarchy.

Migrator

Migrator takes the source language of any level and converts into the different language of same level.

For example migrator can convert C++ code to java code. Both are high level languages.