IL2C - A translator for ECMA-335 CIL/MSIL to C language.

What's this?

IL2C is a translator (transpiler) of ECMA-335 CIL/MSIL to C language.
We're aiming for:
- Better predictability of runtime costs
  Better human readability of C source code translated by IL2C.
- Very tiny footprint requirements
  We're thinking about how to fit from large system with many resources to tiny embedded system. (KB order for the non-OSes system)
- Better code/runtime portability
  Minimum requirement is only C99 compiler. The runtime minimum requires only the heap, CAS instructions, (POSIX) signal and setjmp/longjmp. Additional better feature is threading API (Win32, pthreads and FreeRTOS.)
- Better interoperabilities for existed C libraries
  You can use the standard .NET interop technics (like P/Invoke.)
- Containing seamless building systems for major C toolkits
  for example: CMake system, Arduino IDE, VC++ ...

Simple hello-world like code

Original C# source code:

public static class HelloWorld
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Hello world with IL2C!");
    }
}

Translated to C source code (all comments are stripped):

IL2C_CONST_STRING(string0__, L"Hello world with IL2C!");

void HelloWorld_Main()
{
    struct
    {
        const IL2C_EXECUTION_FRAME* pNext__;
        const uint16_t objRefCount__;
        const uint16_t valueCount__;
        System_String* stack0_0__;
    } frame__ = { NULL, 1, 0 };
    il2c_link_execution_frame(&frame__);

    frame__.stack0_0__ = string0__;
    System_Console_WriteLine_10(frame__.stack0_0__);
    il2c_unlink_execution_frame(&frame__);
    return;
}

View with comments / other sample translation results (contain complex results)

Getting started

IL2C current status is experimental, read a simple "Getting started" for first step.

If you need understanding deep knowledge for IL2C, see "Inside IL2C" .

Project status

Following lists are auto-generated by unit test.

Supported features (old)

Packages

| Packages | master | devel | |:---|:---|:---| | IL2C.Build | | | | IL2C.Interop | | | | IL2C.Core | | | | IL2C.Runtime | | | | IL2C.Runtime.msvc | | | | IL2C.Runtime.Arduino | (Constructing) | (Constructing) |

Build status

License

Under Apache v2.

Related information

Slide: Making archive IL2C
- Covers overall information about internal IL2C.
- #6-52 session in dotNET 600 2018 conference.
Slide: Write common, run anywhere
- #6-51 session in dotNET 600 2017 conference
- Session video (Japanese)
Polish notation calculator: Minimum, but useful impls for "Win32", "UEFI" and "M5Stack(ESP32)"
Slide: How to make the calculator / Making archive IL2C
- #6-52 session in .NET Fringe Japan 2018
Slide: Making archive IL2C
- #6-53 session in MVP Summit F# Meetup / SEATTLE F# USERS GROUP
Slide: Making archive IL2C
- #6-54 session in Microsoft MVP Global Summit 2018 – VS HACKATHON"
Session video (Japanese): "Making archive IL2C play list"
- "How to create IL2C or a tool similar to IL2CPP? You see just the pure design process includes the concept."
- #1 session in Center CLR #6
Video letter (Japanese): Tested IL2C on micro:bit and arduino platform
Session video (Japanese): Making archive IL2C
- #6-28 session in .NET Conf 2017 in Tokyo Room B
Milestone 2+ informations (Japanese): Extensive Xamarin - Xamaritans
- included in the booklet "Extensive Xamarin - Techbook Fest part 3"

Photos of design process

#6-6: Near milestones
#6-14: Data flow analysis
Milestone 1: Test on VC++ and check how C compiler's optimizer works.
#6-48: How mark-and-sweep garbage collection works on a translated code.
How overload/override/virtual method symbol calculus work.
How to translate exception handlers when combined the local unwind and global unwind.
- We are thinking about at Center CLR Try! development meetup (11/10/2018, Japanese)
This is the strcuture graph for the exection-frame and exception-frame.