C-lisp and Flexible Macro Programming with S-expressions

TL;DR

This paper introduces a macro system for the Llama.lisp compiler framework, which uses S-expressions for device-agnostic IRs, facilitating easier generation and extension of compiler features.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel macro system for Llama.lisp that enables flexible FFI bindings and simplifies IR manipulation using S-expressions.

Findings

Macro system enhances IR flexibility

FFI bindings implemented successfully

Simplifies IR generation and extension

Abstract

Llama$.$lisp is a compiler framework intended to target offload processor backends such as GPUs, using intermediate representation languages (IRs) that are device-agnostic. The Llama$.$lisp IRs are formulated as S-expressions. This makes them easy to generate using higher level programming languages, which is one of the primary goals for Llama$.$lisp. The highest IR layer currently implemented in Llama$.$lisp is C-Lisp. In this paper, we describe the macro system developed for the Llama$.$lisp compiler framework. We show how we implemented FFI bindings as an example of this system.