Learn the LLVM C++ API by example.

README.markdown

The easiest way to start using the LLVM C++ API by example is to have LLVM generate the API usage for a given code sample. In this example it will emit the code required to rebuild the test.c sample by using LLVM:

$ clang -c -emit-llvm test.c -o test.ll
$ llc -march=cpp test.ll -o test.cpp

test.c

#include <stdio.h>

int some_function(int input)
{
  return input * 2;
}

int main()
{
  int answer = some_function(21);
  printf("Answer is %d\n", answer);
  return 0;
}

test.cpp

// Generated by llvm2cpp - DO NOT MODIFY!

#include <llvm/Pass.h>
#include <llvm/PassManager.h>
#include <llvm/ADT/SmallVector.h>
#include <llvm/Analysis/Verifier.h>
#include <llvm/Assembly/PrintModulePass.h>
#include <llvm/IR/BasicBlock.h>
#include <llvm/IR/CallingConv.h>
#include <llvm/IR/Constants.h>
#include <llvm/IR/DerivedTypes.h>
#include <llvm/IR/Function.h>
#include <llvm/IR/GlobalVariable.h>
#include <llvm/IR/InlineAsm.h>
#include <llvm/IR/Instructions.h>
#include <llvm/IR/LLVMContext.h>
#include <llvm/IR/Module.h>
#include <llvm/Support/FormattedStream.h>
#include <llvm/Support/MathExtras.h>
#include <algorithm>
using namespace llvm;

Module* makeLLVMModule();

int main(int argc, char**argv) {
  Module* Mod = makeLLVMModule();
  verifyModule(*Mod, PrintMessageAction);
  PassManager PM;
  PM.add(createPrintModulePass(&outs()));
  PM.run(*Mod);
  return 0;
}


Module* makeLLVMModule() {
 // Module Construction
 Module* mod = new Module("test.ll", getGlobalContext());
 mod->setDataLayout("e-p:64:64:64-i1:8:8-i8:8:8-i16:16:16-i32:32:32-i64:64:64-f32:32:32-f64:64:64-v64:64:64-v128:128:128-a0:0:64-s0:64:64-f80:128:128-n8:16:32:64-S128");
 mod->setTargetTriple("x86_64-apple-macosx10.10.0");
 
 // Type Definitions
 ArrayType* ArrayTy_0 = ArrayType::get(IntegerType::get(mod->getContext(), 8), 14);
 
 PointerType* PointerTy_1 = PointerType::get(ArrayTy_0, 0);
 
 std::vector<Type*>FuncTy_2_args;
 FuncTy_2_args.push_back(IntegerType::get(mod->getContext(), 32));
 FunctionType* FuncTy_2 = FunctionType::get(
  /*Result=*/IntegerType::get(mod->getContext(), 32),
  /*Params=*/FuncTy_2_args,
  /*isVarArg=*/false);
 
 PointerType* PointerTy_3 = PointerType::get(IntegerType::get(mod->getContext(), 32), 0);
 
 std::vector<Type*>FuncTy_4_args;
 FunctionType* FuncTy_4 = FunctionType::get(
  /*Result=*/IntegerType::get(mod->getContext(), 32),
  /*Params=*/FuncTy_4_args,
  /*isVarArg=*/false);
 
 PointerType* PointerTy_5 = PointerType::get(FuncTy_2, 0);
 
 PointerType* PointerTy_6 = PointerType::get(IntegerType::get(mod->getContext(), 8), 0);
 
 std::vector<Type*>FuncTy_8_args;
 FuncTy_8_args.push_back(PointerTy_6);
 FunctionType* FuncTy_8 = FunctionType::get(
  /*Result=*/IntegerType::get(mod->getContext(), 32),
  /*Params=*/FuncTy_8_args,
  /*isVarArg=*/true);
 
 PointerType* PointerTy_7 = PointerType::get(FuncTy_8, 0);
 
 
 // Function Declarations
 
 Function* func_some_function = mod->getFunction("some_function");
 if (!func_some_function) {
 func_some_function = Function::Create(
  /*Type=*/FuncTy_2,
  /*Linkage=*/GlobalValue::ExternalLinkage,
  /*Name=*/"some_function", mod); 
 func_some_function->setCallingConv(CallingConv::C);
 }
 AttributeSet func_some_function_PAL;
 {
  SmallVector<AttributeSet, 4> Attrs;
  AttributeSet PAS;
   {
    AttrBuilder B;
    B.addAttribute(Attribute::NoUnwind);
    B.addAttribute(Attribute::StackProtect);
    B.addAttribute(Attribute::UWTable);
    PAS = AttributeSet::get(mod->getContext(), ~0U, B);
   }
  
  Attrs.push_back(PAS);
  func_some_function_PAL = AttributeSet::get(mod->getContext(), Attrs);
  
 }
 func_some_function->setAttributes(func_some_function_PAL);
 
 Function* func_main = mod->getFunction("main");
 if (!func_main) {
 func_main = Function::Create(
  /*Type=*/FuncTy_4,
  /*Linkage=*/GlobalValue::ExternalLinkage,
  /*Name=*/"main", mod); 
 func_main->setCallingConv(CallingConv::C);
 }
 AttributeSet func_main_PAL;
 {
  SmallVector<AttributeSet, 4> Attrs;
  AttributeSet PAS;
   {
    AttrBuilder B;
    B.addAttribute(Attribute::NoUnwind);
    B.addAttribute(Attribute::StackProtect);
    B.addAttribute(Attribute::UWTable);
    PAS = AttributeSet::get(mod->getContext(), ~0U, B);
   }
  
  Attrs.push_back(PAS);
  func_main_PAL = AttributeSet::get(mod->getContext(), Attrs);
  
 }
 func_main->setAttributes(func_main_PAL);
 
 Function* func_printf = mod->getFunction("printf");
 if (!func_printf) {
 func_printf = Function::Create(
  /*Type=*/FuncTy_8,
  /*Linkage=*/GlobalValue::ExternalLinkage,
  /*Name=*/"printf", mod); // (external, no body)
 func_printf->setCallingConv(CallingConv::C);
 }
 AttributeSet func_printf_PAL;
 {
  SmallVector<AttributeSet, 4> Attrs;
  AttributeSet PAS;
   {
    AttrBuilder B;
    PAS = AttributeSet::get(mod->getContext(), ~0U, B);
   }
  
  Attrs.push_back(PAS);
  func_printf_PAL = AttributeSet::get(mod->getContext(), Attrs);
  
 }
 func_printf->setAttributes(func_printf_PAL);
 
 // Global Variable Declarations

 
 GlobalVariable* gvar_array__str = new GlobalVariable(/*Module=*/*mod, 
 /*Type=*/ArrayTy_0,
 /*isConstant=*/true,
 /*Linkage=*/GlobalValue::PrivateLinkage,
 /*Initializer=*/0, // has initializer, specified below
 /*Name=*/".str");
 gvar_array__str->setAlignment(1);
 
 // Constant Definitions
 Constant *const_array_9 = ConstantDataArray::getString(mod->getContext(), "Answer is %d\x0A", true);
 ConstantInt* const_int32_10 = ConstantInt::get(mod->getContext(), APInt(32, StringRef("1"), 10));
 ConstantInt* const_int32_11 = ConstantInt::get(mod->getContext(), APInt(32, StringRef("2"), 10));
 ConstantInt* const_int32_12 = ConstantInt::get(mod->getContext(), APInt(32, StringRef("0"), 10));
 ConstantInt* const_int32_13 = ConstantInt::get(mod->getContext(), APInt(32, StringRef("21"), 10));
 std::vector<Constant*> const_ptr_14_indices;
 const_ptr_14_indices.push_back(const_int32_12);
 const_ptr_14_indices.push_back(const_int32_12);
 Constant* const_ptr_14 = ConstantExpr::getGetElementPtr(gvar_array__str, const_ptr_14_indices);
 
 // Global Variable Definitions
 gvar_array__str->setInitializer(const_array_9);
 
 // Function Definitions
 
 // Function: some_function (func_some_function)
 {
  Function::arg_iterator args = func_some_function->arg_begin();
  Value* int32_input = args++;
  int32_input->setName("input");
  
  BasicBlock* label_entry = BasicBlock::Create(mod->getContext(), "entry",func_some_function,0);
  
  // Block entry (label_entry)
  AllocaInst* ptr_input_addr = new AllocaInst(IntegerType::get(mod->getContext(), 32), "input.addr", label_entry);
  ptr_input_addr->setAlignment(4);
  StoreInst* void_15 = new StoreInst(int32_input, ptr_input_addr, false, label_entry);
  void_15->setAlignment(4);
  LoadInst* int32_16 = new LoadInst(ptr_input_addr, "", false, label_entry);
  int32_16->setAlignment(4);
  BinaryOperator* int32_mul = BinaryOperator::Create(Instruction::Mul, int32_16, const_int32_11, "mul", label_entry);
  ReturnInst::Create(mod->getContext(), int32_mul, label_entry);
  
 }
 
 // Function: main (func_main)
 {
  
  BasicBlock* label_entry_18 = BasicBlock::Create(mod->getContext(), "entry",func_main,0);
  
  // Block entry (label_entry_18)
  AllocaInst* ptr_retval = new AllocaInst(IntegerType::get(mod->getContext(), 32), "retval", label_entry_18);
  ptr_retval->setAlignment(4);
  AllocaInst* ptr_answer = new AllocaInst(IntegerType::get(mod->getContext(), 32), "answer", label_entry_18);
  ptr_answer->setAlignment(4);
  StoreInst* void_19 = new StoreInst(const_int32_12, ptr_retval, false, label_entry_18);
  CallInst* int32_call = CallInst::Create(func_some_function, const_int32_13, "call", label_entry_18);
  int32_call->setCallingConv(CallingConv::C);
  int32_call->setTailCall(false);
  AttributeSet int32_call_PAL;
  int32_call->setAttributes(int32_call_PAL);
  
  StoreInst* void_20 = new StoreInst(int32_call, ptr_answer, false, label_entry_18);
  void_20->setAlignment(4);
  LoadInst* int32_21 = new LoadInst(ptr_answer, "", false, label_entry_18);
  int32_21->setAlignment(4);
  std::vector<Value*> int32_call1_params;
  int32_call1_params.push_back(const_ptr_14);
  int32_call1_params.push_back(int32_21);
  CallInst* int32_call1 = CallInst::Create(func_printf, int32_call1_params, "call1", label_entry_18);
  int32_call1->setCallingConv(CallingConv::C);
  int32_call1->setTailCall(false);
  AttributeSet int32_call1_PAL;
  int32_call1->setAttributes(int32_call1_PAL);
  
  ReturnInst::Create(mod->getContext(), const_int32_12, label_entry_18);
  
 }
 
 return mod;
}

nice post!

The target cpp and c has been removed and is not available anymore since 2016-05-05, r268631.

How did you install the necessary llvm libraries that are necessary to compile the test.cpp file?