Clang Tooling

Clang Tooling refers to the powerful set of libraries and APIs built upon the Clang compiler infrastructure, which allows developers to write custom tools that programmatically analyze and transform C, C++, and Objective-C source code. By providing direct access to the Abstract Syntax Tree (AST)—a detailed, tree-like representation of the code's structure—it enables the creation of sophisticated utilities for tasks such as automated refactoring, static analysis, and code formatting. This framework is the foundation for widely-used tools like `clang-tidy`, which enforces coding standards and finds potential bugs, and `clang-format`, which automatically styles code, making it a cornerstone of modern C++ development workflows.

1. Introduction to Clang and LLVM
   1. LLVM Project Overview
      1. History and Evolution
      2. Project Goals and Philosophy
      3. Community and Development Model
   2. LLVM Architecture
      1. Modular Design Principles
      2. Three-Phase Compiler Design
      3. Intermediate Representation
      4. Optimization Framework
      5. Code Generation
   3. Core LLVM Components
      1. LLVM Core Libraries
      2. Code Generation Backends
      3. Linker Tools
      4. Assembler Tools
      5. Debugging Tools
      6. Analysis Tools
   4. Clang Frontend
      1. Supported Languages
         1. C Language Support
         2. C++ Language Support
         3. Objective-C Support
         4. Objective-C++ Support
      2. Clang's Role in Compilation
         1. Source Code Processing
         2. LLVM IR Generation
         3. Diagnostic Generation
         4. Error Reporting
      3. Frontend-Backend Separation
         1. Frontend Responsibilities
         2. Backend Responsibilities
         3. Interface Between Components
   5. Clang Architecture
      1. Lexical Analysis Phase
      2. Parsing Phase
      3. Semantic Analysis Phase
      4. Code Generation Interface
      5. Modular Component Design