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https://github.com/MLton/mlton

The MLton repository
https://github.com/MLton/mlton

compiler functional-programming mlton sml standard-ml

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The MLton repository

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README 

        
= http://mlton.org[MLton]



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image:https://github.com/MLton/mlton/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg[CI, link = https://github.com/MLton/mlton/actions/workflows/ci.yml]

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****

MLton is a whole-program optimizing compiler for the Standard{nbsp}ML

programming language.  MLton generates small executables with

excellent runtime performance, utilizing untagged and unboxed native

integers, reals, and words, unboxed native arrays, fast

arbitrary-precision arithmetic based on GMP, and multiple code

generation and garbage collection strategies.  In addition, MLton

provides a feature rich Standard{nbsp}ML programming environment, with

full support for SML97 as given in The Definition of Standard{nbsp}ML

(Revised), a number of useful language extensions, a complete

implementation of the Standard ML Basis Library, various useful

libraries, a simple and fast C foreign function interface, the ML

Basis system for programming with source libraries, and tools such as

a lexer generator, a parser generator, and a profiler.

****



== Features



 * Robustness.



   - Supports the full SML{nbsp}97 language as given in The Definition of Standard{nbsp}ML (Revised).

   - A complete implementation of the http://sml-family.org/Basis/[Basis Library].

   - Generates standalone executables.

   - Compiles large programs.

   - Support for large amounts of memory (up to 4G on 32-bit systems;

     more on 64-bit systems).

   - Support for large array lengths (up to 2^31^ - 1 on 32-bit systems;

     up to 2^63^-1 on 64-bit systems).

   - Support for large files, using 64-bit file positions.



 * Performance.



   - Executables have excellent runtime performance.

   - Generates small executables.

   - Untagged and unboxed native integers, reals, and words.

   - Unboxed native arrays.

   - Multiple garbage collection strategies.

   - Fast arbitrary-precision arithmetic based on https://gmplib.org[GMP].



 * Tools.



   - Source-level http://mlton.org/Profiling[profiling] for both time and allocation.

   - MLLex lexer generator.

   - MLYacc parser generator.

   - MLNLFFIGEN foreign-function-interface generator.



 * Extensions.



   - The http://mlton.org/MLBasis[ML Basis system] for programming with source libraries.

   - A number of useful http://mlton.org/SuccessorML[language extensions].

   - A simple and fast http://mlton.org/ForeignFunctionInterface[C FFI] that supports calling from SML to C and from C to SML.

   - Libraries for http://mlton.org/MLtonWeak[weak pointers] and http://mlton.org/MLtonFinalizable[finalization], http://mlton.org/MLtonThread[threads], http://mlton.org/MLtonCont[continuations], http://mlton.org/MLtonItimer[interval timers] and http://mlton.org/MLtonSignal[signal handlers], http://mlton.org/MLtonWorld[world save and restore], and http://mlton.org/MLtonStructure[more].



 * Portability.



   - Runs on a wide variety of platforms.



== Build and Install (from source)



=== Requirements



==== Software



 * http://gcc.gnu.org/[GCC] or http://clang.llvm.org[Clang] (The C compiler must support `-std=gnu11`.)

 * http://gmplib.org[GMP] (GNU Multiple Precision arithmetic library)

 * http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/make[GNU Make]

 * http://www.gnu.org/software/bash/[GNU Bash]

 * binutils (`ar`, `ranlib`, `strip`, ...)

 * miscellaneous Unix utilities (`diff`, `find`, `grep`, `gzip`, `patch`, `sed`, `tar`, ...)

 * Standard{nbsp}ML compiler to bootstrap:

   - http://mlton.org[MLton] (`mlton`) recommended.  Pre-built binary packages for MLton can be installed via an OS package manager or (for select platforms) obtained from `http://mlton.org`.

   - http://www.smlnj.org[SML/NJ] (`sml`) supported, but not recommended.

   - https://polyml.org[Poly/ML] (`polyc`) supported, but not recommended.

   - https://elsman.com/mlkit[MLKit] (`mlkit`) supported, but not recommended.

 * (optional, for documentation only) https://ctan.org/tex/[TeX], http://asciidoctor.org/[AsciiDoctor], http://rouge.jneen.net/[Rouge], http://www.graphicsmagick.org/[GraphicsMagick] or https://www.imagemagick.org/[ImageMagick], ...



==== Hardware



 * ≥ 1GB RAM (for 32-bit platforms) or ≥ 2GB RAM (for 64-bit platforms)



=== Build Instructions



On typical platforms, building MLton requires no configuration and can be

accomplished via:



[source,shell]

----

$ make all

----



A small set of `Makefile` variables can be used to customize the build:



 * `CC`: Specify C compiler.  Can be used for alternative tools (e.g.,

   `CC=clang` or `CC=gcc-7`).

 * `WITH_GMP_DIR`, `WITH_GMP_INC_DIR`, `WITH_GMP_LIB_DIR`: Specify GMP include

   and library paths, if not on default search paths.  (If `WITH_GMP_DIR` is

   set, then `WITH_GMP_INC_DIR` defaults to `$(WITH_GMP_DIR)/include` and

   `WITH_GMP_LIB_DIR` defaults to `$(WITH_GMP_DIR)/lib`.)

 * `MLTON_RUNTIME_ARGS`, `MLTON_COMPILE_ARGS`: Specify runtime and compile

   arguments given to (the to-be-built) `mlton` when compiling distributed

   executables ((self-compiled) `mlton`, `mllex`, `mlyacc`, `mlprof`, and

   `mlnlffigen`). Can be used for testing (e.g., `MLTON_COMPILE_ARGS="-codegen

   c"`) or for downstream packaging.

 * `OLD_MLTON_RUNTIME_ARGS`, `OLD_MLTON_COMPILE_ARGS`: Specify runtime and

   compile arguments given to "old" `mlton` when compiling "new" `mlton`. Can be

   used to work around bugs in "old" `mlton` when compiling "new" `mlton`.



For example:



[source,shell]

----

$ make CC=clang WITH_GMP_DIR=/opt/gmp MLTON_COMPILE_ARGS="-codegen c" all

----



The build artifacts are located under `./build`.  The just-built `mlton` can be

executed via `./build/bin/mlton`.



Building documentation can be accomplished via:



[source,shell]

----

$ make docs

----



=== Install Instructions



On typical platforms, installing MLton (after performing `make all` and,

optionally, `make docs`) to `/usr/local` can be accomplished via:



[source,shell]

----

$ make install

----



A small set of `Makefile` variables can be used to customize the installation:



 * `PREFIX`: Specify the installation prefix.



For example:



[source,shell]

----

$ make PREFIX=/opt/mlton install

----



== Install (from binary package)



=== Requirements



==== Software



 * http://gcc.gnu.org/[GCC] or http://clang.llvm.org[Clang] (The C compiler must support `-std=gnu11`.)

 * http://gmplib.org[GMP] (GNU Multiple Precision arithmetic library)

 * http://savannah.gnu.org/projects/make[GNU Make]

 * miscellaneous Unix utilities (`bzip2`, `gzip`, `sed`, `tar`, ...)



=== Binary Package



A `.tgz` or `.tbz` binary package can be extracted at any location, yielding

`README.adoc` (this file), `CHANGELOG.adoc`, `LICENSE`, `Makefile`, `bin/`,

`lib/`, and `share/`.  The compiler and tools can be executed in-place (e.g.,

`./bin/mlton`).



A small set of `Makefile` variables can be used to customize the binary package

via `make update`:



 * `CC`: Specify C compiler.  Can be used for alternative tools (e.g.,

   `CC=clang` or `CC=gcc-7`).

 * `WITH_GMP_DIR`, `WITH_GMP_INC_DIR`, `WITH_GMP_LIB_DIR`: Specify GMP include

   and library paths, if not on default search paths.  (If `WITH_GMP_DIR` is

   set, then `WITH_GMP_INC_DIR` defaults to `$(WITH_GMP_DIR)/include` and

   `WITH_GMP_LIB_DIR` defaults to `$(WITH_GMP_DIR)/lib`.)



For example:



[source,shell]

----

$ make CC=clang WITH_GMP_DIR=/opt/gmp update

----



=== Install Instructions



On typical platforms, installing MLton (after optionally performing

`make update`) to `/usr/local` can be accomplished via:



[source,shell]

----

$ make install

----



A small set of `Makefile` variables can be used to customize the installation:



 * `PREFIX`: Specify the installation prefix.



For example:



[source,shell]

----

$ make PREFIX=/opt/mlton install

----



== Resources



 * `http://mlton.org`

 * Development

   - `https://github.com/MLton/mlton`

   - https://github.com/MLton/mlton/pulls[pull requests]

   - https://github.com/MLton/mlton/issues[issue tracker]

 * Mailing lists

   - `[email protected]` -- MLton developers

     (https://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/forum.php?forum_name=mlton-devel[archive],

     https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/mlton-devel[subscribe])

   - `[email protected]` -- MLton user community

     (https://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/forum.php?forum_name=mlton-user[archive],

     https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/mlton-user[subscribe])



== Support and Contributing



To report bugs or suggest new features, use the

https://github.com/MLton/mlton/issues[issue tracker] or ask on the

mailto:[email protected][mailing list].



https://github.com/MLton/mlton/pulls[Pull requests] with bug fixes or

changes are welcome.