#14709: Extend the plugin mechanism to access program representation -------------------------------------+------------------------------------- Reporter: lazac | Owner: (none) Type: feature request | Status: new Priority: normal | Milestone: Component: GHC API | Version: 8.2.2 Resolution: | Keywords: Operating System: Unknown/Multiple | Architecture: | Unknown/Multiple Type of failure: None/Unknown | Test Case: Blocked By: | Blocking: Related Tickets: | Differential Rev(s): Wiki Page: | https://phabricator.haskell.org/D4342 https://ghc.haskell.org/trac/ghc/wiki/ExtendedPluginsProposal| -------------------------------------+------------------------------------- Comment (by lazac): Your tutorial is very useful, I also tried it when I was experimenting of using frontend plugins for the same problem that I would like to solve with the source plugins. I think it is possible to extract the typechecked AST with a frontend plugin and a wrapper program setting up the frontend compiler hook. However for my tool I need other information, including loaded interfaces, renamed AST and splices evaluated. I think other tool developers will find the availability of those useful as well. From a design perspective, I would like to extend GHC in a way that doesn't alter the compilation process, and I think that normal plugins are better for that than frontend plugins. It is also generally easier to setup the build system to use a few compiler flags than to use a different compiler, and the user will not have problems if he has more than one GHC installed. Overall you are right in that the wiki page oversimplifies the matter, I will try to improve it. Thank for pointing out! -- Ticket URL: http://ghc.haskell.org/trac/ghc/ticket/14709#comment:8 GHC http://www.haskell.org/ghc/ The Glasgow Haskell Compiler