The Mocka compiler

The Mocka compiler is a product of Karlsruhe university's Mathematics department. It is available for just about any UNIX system. Also for Linux and FreeBSD. All Mocka compilers are somewhat commercial, but the versions for Linux and FreeBSD are GPL style FREE.
I used to run version 9903, but it had a drawback: it used the same name as the Midnight Commander: mc. So a lot of work-arounds were required to get both executables working reliably on the same system.

As I told: I used to run 9903. In June 2006 I switched to 9905m. And in August I switched once more: to 0608m. This is a full mocka compiler, partly rewritten by Dr Maurer of the FU Berlin. It differs from standard Mocka as follows:.

• the md and mi file extensions from Mocka are back to def and mod
• all files produced by mocka are placed in a subdirectory called './m2bin'.
• executables are stripped by default
• executables are stored in the base directory and are symlinks in ./m2bin
• it has been compiled with a recent version of the libraries
• it comes with full instructions and a set of scripts for installing
• it is ready to produce GUI programs with X-windows!

Setting up the Mocka 0608m compiler.

This is a lot simpler than getting 9903 or 0605 to run. Dr Maurer did a good job here. Just download some packages from the FU Berlin servers, run some scripts and that's it. Below I will explain what I did to get my system installed. I am running Mocka 0608m on my Beryllium system (Intel P4 operating with Slackware 12.2) and many other computers.

Step 1: get the compiler

All files can be downloaded from the webservers of the FU Berlin. The URL of the Mocka section on FU Berlin is: http://lwb.mi.fu-berlin.de/inf/mocka/installation.shtml (Mocka is a tool to get Murus into existence). This page is in German, so if you don't speak the language keep an eye on my webpages. I am planning to translate as much of it's content as possible.

You can read some more about the Mocka compiler on the webpage http://lwb.mi.fu-berlin.de/inf/mocka/arbeit.shtml and again: this page is in German. The essence of this page is: Mocka is a good and free compiler for Linux and BSD users. In the bottom of this page (just below 'Herunterladen', which is german for 'Download'), you find links to download the three important files:

1. mocka.tgz (the compiler)
2. installation webpage
3. an example webpage how to use Mocka with a compiler run

Step 2: install mocka 0608m

All these actions require you to be root user!

1. Change into the directory where the compiler must be installed. We recommend to install it in /usr/local/mocka:

   cd /usr/local

2. Make sure the file 'mocka.tgz' is in the required directory (this one, to be precise). If it is not here yet, copy it NOW.
3. Unpack the tgz file into the required directory:

   tar xfz mocka.tgz

4. Append the line

   export MOCKA=/usr/local/mocka

   to the end of your '/etc/profile' script.
5. Install the man page in the appropriate place:

   cd /usr/local/mocka/man1
   gzip mc.1
   cp mc.1.gz /usr/local/mocka/man1/mocka.1.gz

6. Now make sure the most important sections are built for your system:

   cd /usr/local/mocka/lib
   ./machen
   ./makemockabin

Mocka 0608m is started with the command $MOCKA/sys/m2. The standard Mocka libraries are now in the directory $MOCKA/lib. You can shorten this command-name with a set of symlinks from /usr/local/bin:

ln -s /usr/local/mocka/sys/m2 /usr/local/bin/mocka
ln -s /usr/local/mocka/sys/m2 /usr/local/bin/m2

Notes:

1. If another editor as 'vi' is used, you need to adapt the files $MOCKA/sys/edit and $MOCKA/sys/list.
2. To keep the working directories tidy, the result files are all stored in the subdirectory ./m2bin. This is a feature compiled in by Dr Maurer.

Step 3: change the editor

Mocka invokes the editor not by a direct call. Instead, it issues the command '$MOCKA/sys/edit %1' which enables the user to choose the editor of his choice. I prefer the jed editor which is fast and friendly. The contents of my $MOCKA/sys/edit file are as follows:

jed $1

#!/bin/sh
#
# (c) GMD Karlsruhe

LIST=/tmp/$1.$$
SRC=$1
ERROR=$2

trap "rm -f $LIST; exit 5" 3
$MOCKA/sys/Lister $SRC $ERROR $LIST
jed $LIST
$MOCKA/sys/Unlister $SRC $LIST
rm -f $LIST $ERROR

Step 4: make a link for m2

After the mockainit script has finished, the actual mocka IDE is called 'm2' and it is located in '$MOCKA/sys/m2'. This is not a very convenient way to start a compiler session. So I added a symlink called 'mocka' in '/usr/local/bin' as follows:

ln -s /usr/local/mocka/sys/m2 /usr/local/bin/mocka

jan@beryllium:~/internet/fruttenboel/mocka$ ls -lh /usr/local/bin/
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root staff   23 2006-08-20 22:18 m2 -> /usr/local/mocka/sys/m2
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root staff   23 2006-08-20 22:02 mocka -> /usr/local/mocka/sys/m2

Step 5: make a purge file

In order to remove jed backup files and errorfiles generated by Mocka, it can be convenient to have a script that reoves those files only. Together with my friend Jan Wagemakers I developed the following file, called 'purge':

#! /bin/sh

if (! rm *~ 2> /dev/null 1> /dev/null)  then
   echo No 'jed' backup files found.
fi

Page created 3 June 2006,

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