This file contains information on DIANA 
and how to obtain the DIANA reference
manual.
(Ada IC point of contact: Ransom Jones)

DIANA - Descriptive Intermediate Attributed Notation For Ada


       During preliminary Ada compiler development projects, two
intermediate languages were developed for representing Ada programs between 
the front-end and the back-end of the compiler.  In January of 1981, the
merging of these two intermediate languages (called AIDA and TCOL) 
resulted in the design of DIANA (Descriptive Intermediate Attributed 
Notation for Ada).  Teams which participated in the design of DIANA
include Karlsruhe, Carnegie-Mellon University, Intermetrics, and 
SofTech.

      "This intermediate language... is normally the output of the 
front end of the compiler, containing all the essential syntactic and 
semantic information for a given program unit." (Booch, Grady, 
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING WITH Ada, California:  The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing 
Company, Inc., 1983, p. 356.)  In compiler development, DIANA has been used 
as a machine independent representation of an Ada program, to link 
parts of the compiler.  DIANA also provides a medium for communication
between other tools in the environment as required in the STONEMAN 
document for a MAPSE (Minimal Ada Programming Support Environment).

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The following is part of a release by Intermetrics.

... here is an update as to the progress of our activities with Naval Research
Lab (NRL) on the DIANA and IDL Standardization effort.
     Under this contract, we are currently supporting the Navy  in the 
standardization of IDL and DIANA.  We:

     - Have conducted an IDL Workshop, attended by DIANA/IDL users, for the 
       purpose of discussing possible standardization of IDL, as well as 
       possible  modifications to IDL itself.
     - Created and delivered an IDL Introductory Tutorial.
     - Created and are to deliver to NRL in March a draft revision to the 
       DIANA Reference Manual. 
     - Are maintaining a database of change proposals for DIANA and IDL. 
     - Are examining various implementation strategies for IDL and DIANA 
       to determine tradeoffs for users between efficiency and portability.

     Any requests for information or delivered documents should be directed
to Dr. Rudy Krutar at NRL (301)767-2197.

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A DIANA reference entitled "DIANA - An Intermediate Language for Ada" can be
purchased from:

     Springer-Verlag
     175 Fifth Avenue
     New York, NY 10010
     (800)526-7254