Beginners   Introduction   Forward tools   Reverse tools   Simple decompiler   Problems     Intermediate   Architecture   Object formats   Code vs. data   Basic blocks   Control flow graph   Loops   Statements   Data Flow   Expression propagation   The stack   Stack frames   Frameless Functions   Saved Registers   Recovering Types     Advanced   Advanced topics   Switch statements   Code vs. Data 2   Call Optimizations

Prev: Recovering Types Advanced Topics In the Beginner and in the Intermediate sections we have considered the basic algorithms that make up a standard decompiler. In this Advanced section we re-examine some of the topics with a focus on decompiling real-world random programs. Major problems not yet covered In the Intermediate section we have considered how to decompile some basic sequences of isolated code, without considering some of the most difficult problems. Here we look at some of these problems. They are: switch statements indirect jumps indirect calls tail-call optimization stack deallocation coalescing passing parameters in registers inlining call-return optimizations register uncoloring alloca() and setjmp/longjmp C++ constructs other languages We'll consider these problems and propose a solution, with the understanding that there may not be a solution or that some user intervention may be required, since not all of these can be solved in a purely automatic way.  Next: Switch Statements © 2009 Giampiero Caprino, Backer Street Software