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nescript/docs/architecture.md
Claude 548787ac8a
W0110 inline fallback warning + docs refresh
W0110: when a function marked `inline` has a body shape the IR
lowerer can't splice (conditional early return, loops, nested
control flow, empty void body), the analyzer now emits a
warning at the declaration site so the declined hint is
visible instead of silently falling back to a regular JSR.

Implementation:
  - New `W0110` error code in `src/errors/diagnostic.rs` (warning level).
  - New `pub fn can_inline_fun(return_type, body) -> bool` in
    `src/ir/lowering.rs`, extracted from the existing capture
    logic so the analyzer and the IR lowerer share the same
    eligibility rules and can never drift.
  - New `check_inline_declinability` analyzer pass called from
    the tail of `analyze_program`, mirroring the existing
    `check_sprite_scanline_budget` / `check_unreachable_states`
    passes. Emits W0110 with help + note text pointing at the
    two accepted body shapes.
  - `capture_inline_bodies` now defers to `can_inline_fun`
    instead of duplicating the match pattern, so the two sides
    stay in lockstep by construction.

Four regression tests in `src/analyzer/tests.rs` cover the
conditional-return and while-loop declines plus the two
accepted shapes (single-return expression, void sequence).

Example source cleanups: `wrap52` in `examples/war/deck.ne`
and `abs_diff` in both `examples/arrays_and_functions.ne` and
`examples/loop_break_continue.ne` drop the `inline` keyword.
All three were dead hints — the `inline` was being silently
declined before this change, so removing it is source-only;
the three ROMs are byte-identical, all 32 emulator goldens
still match.

Docs refresh
  - `docs/language-guide.md`: rewrote the Inline Functions section
    (real behaviour + W0110), added W0105/W0106/W0107/W0108/W0109/
    W0110 to the warnings table, added the `debug.sprite_overflow*`
    builtins + sprite-per-scanline mitigations section to the
    Debug Mode docs, added a `cycle_sprites` statement entry and
    cross-referenced it from `draw`.
  - `docs/nes-reference.md`: fleshed out the "NEScript Memory
    Usage" block with the full ZP + high-RAM layout, including
    the new `$07EF` / `$07FC` / `$07FD` slots for sprite cycling
    and the debug sprite-overflow telemetry.
  - `docs/future-work.md`: documented all four debug query
    builtins in the "What ships today" block; updated the open
    "OAM allocation strategy" question to reference the shipped
    `cycle_sprites` path and ask about an automatic-flicker
    game attribute as a follow-up.
  - `docs/architecture.md`: updated the `ir/` and `optimizer/`
    module summaries to describe real inline splicing (now
    in lowering, not the optimizer).
  - `README.md`: reframed the `inline` bullet from "hint" to
    "real splicing for single-return / void-body shapes";
    expanded the debug-support bullet to mention the four
    query builtins and their stripping in release builds; added
    a new bullet for the three-layer sprite-per-scanline
    mitigations; bumped the test count from 497 → 694; updated
    the war.ne entry to mention the seven compiler bugs are all
    fixed and point readers at `git log` (instead of the
    deleted COMPILER_BUGS.md).
  - `examples/README.md`: same `git log`-pointing rewrite for
    the war.ne entry.

Deletions
  - `examples/war/COMPILER_BUGS.md` is removed. All seven
    catalogued bugs are fixed; the file's historical value
    lives in `git log` now. Every source-code comment and doc
    reference to the file has been updated to either point at
    `git log` or just describe the bug in place.

Test count: 616 unit + 75 integration + 3 doctests = 694 total.
Clippy / fmt clean. 32/32 emulator goldens match.

https://claude.ai/code/session_0143dTgh3UeRrtfHgQwzcv5z
2026-04-15 23:19:07 +00:00

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7.2 KiB
Markdown

# Compiler Architecture
An overview of the NEScript compiler internals for contributors and maintainers.
---
## Pipeline
```
Source (.ne) --> Lexer --> Parser --> Analyzer --> IR Lowering --> Optimizer --> Codegen --> Peephole --> Linker --> ROM (.nes)
```
Each phase is a pure function (input to output) with no global state, making every stage independently testable.
### Phase Summary
| Phase | Input | Output | Responsibility |
|-----------------|----------------------|------------------------|------------------------------------------------------|
| **Lexer** | Source text | Token stream | Tokenization, number/string literal parsing |
| **Parser** | Token stream | AST | Syntax validation, tree construction |
| **Analyzer** | AST | Annotated AST | Type checking, scope resolution, call graph analysis |
| **IR Lowering** | Annotated AST | NEScript IR | Flatten expressions, expand u16 ops, desugar |
| **Optimizer** | IR | Optimized IR | Constant folding, dead code, strength reduction, inlining |
| **Codegen** | Optimized IR | 6502 instruction list | Slot allocation, instruction selection |
| **Peephole** | 6502 instructions | 6502 instructions | Dead-load elimination, branch folding, INC/DEC fold |
| **Linker** | Instructions + assets | .nes file | Bank layout, vectors, iNES header |
---
## Modules
Each module has a `mod.rs` (implementation) and a co-located `tests.rs` with unit tests.
### `lexer/`
`mod.rs`, `token.rs`, `tests.rs`. Tokenizes NEScript source into a stream of typed tokens with source spans. Handles decimal/hex/binary integer literals, string literals, keywords, operators, and the raw-capture mode for `asm { ... }` bodies.
### `parser/`
`mod.rs`, `ast.rs`, `preprocess.rs`, `tests.rs`. Recursive descent parser that converts the token stream into an AST. `ast.rs` defines every AST node type (expressions, statements, declarations). `preprocess.rs` inlines `include "path.ne"` directives before parsing.
### `analyzer/`
`mod.rs`, `tests.rs`. Performs semantic analysis on the AST: type checking, scope and symbol table management, call graph construction with depth analysis, state reachability, unused-variable detection, and dead-code-after-terminator warnings. Emits all user-facing diagnostics beyond lexer/parser syntax errors.
### `ir/`
`mod.rs` (types), `lowering.rs` (AST → IR), `tests.rs`. The IR is a flat, register-agnostic representation built from virtual temps and basic blocks. Lowering flattens nested expressions, expands 16-bit operations, desugars `for` into `while`, resolves constant expressions early, and performs real `inline fun` splicing — functions marked `inline` whose bodies match one of the two splicable shapes (single `return <expr>` or void statement sequence) are captured before lowering begins and substituted at every call site. Bodies that don't match (conditional returns, loops, nested control flow) fall back to regular out-of-line calls and the analyzer emits `W0110` at the declaration.
### `optimizer/`
`mod.rs`, `tests.rs`. Runs passes over the IR in order: strength reduction (mul/div by powers of two, mod by powers of two, ShiftVar → ShiftLeft/Right), constant folding (arithmetic + comparisons + shifts), copy propagation, and dead code elimination. The `inline fun` splicing happens one phase earlier in `ir/lowering.rs` so the optimizer sees already-inlined call sites.
### `codegen/`
`ir_codegen.rs`, `peephole.rs`, `mod.rs`. `ir_codegen.rs` walks the optimized IR and emits 6502 instructions; variables land in allocated addresses and IR temps land in a recycling zero-page slot pool. `peephole.rs` runs after codegen to clean up the temp-heavy output (dead-load elimination, branch folding, INC/DEC fold, copy propagation).
### `asm/`
`mod.rs`, `opcodes.rs`, `inline_parser.rs`, `tests.rs`. The built-in assembler and the inline-asm parser. `opcodes.rs` defines the 6502 opcode table with addressing modes. `inline_parser.rs` parses the body of `asm { ... }` blocks so codegen can splice real instructions in-line.
### `linker/`
`mod.rs`, `tests.rs`. Assigns addresses to code and data segments, resolves label/symbol fixups, lays out banks for banked mappers (MMC1/UxROM/MMC3), and emits the final iNES byte stream via `rom::RomBuilder`.
### `rom/`
`mod.rs`, `tests.rs`. Builds the final iNES ROM file. Generates the 16-byte iNES header and places the NMI/RESET/IRQ vector table.
### `runtime/`
`mod.rs`, `tests.rs`. Contains built-in runtime code emitted into every ROM: NES hardware init, NMI handler, controller reads, OAM DMA, software multiply/divide, the frame-walking audio driver (`gen_audio_tick`, `gen_period_table`, `gen_data_block`), and the MMC1/UxROM/MMC3 mapper init and bank-switch helpers.
### `assets/`
`mod.rs`, `chr.rs`, `palette.rs`, `resolve.rs`, `audio.rs`, `tests.rs`. The asset pipeline. `chr.rs` converts PNGs to CHR tile data. `palette.rs` maps RGB to NES palette indices. `resolve.rs` resolves `sprite` declarations into tile-indexed CHR blocks. `audio.rs` compiles `sfx`/`music` declarations into ROM-ready envelope and note-stream byte tables, plus the builtin effect/track tables used when programs reference audio names they haven't declared.
### `errors/`
`mod.rs`, `diagnostic.rs`, `render.rs`. Defines the `Diagnostic` struct (error codes, severity, spans, labels, help text). Renders diagnostics with color and source context for terminal output using ariadne.
---
## Testing
### Test Organization
Tests are co-located with each module in `tests.rs` files under `src/`:
```
src/lexer/tests.rs -- lexer unit tests
src/parser/tests.rs -- parser unit tests
src/analyzer/tests.rs -- semantic analysis tests
src/ir/tests.rs -- IR lowering tests
src/optimizer/tests.rs -- optimizer tests
src/asm/tests.rs -- assembler tests
src/linker/tests.rs -- linker tests
src/rom/tests.rs -- ROM builder tests
src/runtime/tests.rs -- runtime code emission tests
src/assets/tests.rs -- asset pipeline tests
```
End-to-end and error-code tests live in `tests/integration_test.rs`, which compiles representative `.ne` snippets through the full pipeline and asserts on ROM/diagnostic shape. The emulator smoke test (`tests/emulator/run_examples.mjs`) runs every example through `jsnes` and byte-compares the resulting screenshot and audio hash against goldens in `tests/emulator/goldens/`.
### Running Tests
```bash
# Run all tests
cargo test
# Run tests for a specific module
cargo test --lib lexer
cargo test --lib parser
cargo test --lib analyzer
# Run integration tests only
cargo test --test integration_test
# Run a specific test by name
cargo test test_name
```
### Test Strategy
Each compiler phase is a pure function, so unit tests provide isolated input and verify output without side effects. Integration tests compile complete `.ne` programs and either assert on shape (length, presence of specific labels) or byte-compare output against checked-in goldens. Emulator goldens catch regressions that pass type-check but corrupt the final executable image.