Concept assignment as a debugging technique for code generators

Code generators are notoriously difficult to debug, yet their correctness is crucial. This paper demonstrates that concept assignment can be performed in an entirely syntax-directed manner for code generators and other highly structured program modules. Anomalies in this concept assignment indicate the possible existence of bugs. These insights enable the formulation of a new debugging technique for code generators. This paper describes the procedure, a practical implementation, and results from the application of this debugging technique to an experimental code generator.