Yhc API

I was reading some stuff about GHC's API today - I may end up using it for my PhD. There are also a couple of other utilities I want to write - such as:

• Type annotator, put explicit type signatures on every top level declaration
• Minimal import calculation, to remove unneeded import statements
• Call graph generator
• Module dependancy graph generator
• Tab -> Space convertor, respecting Haskell's rules
• Haskell warnings, when you do something a bit dodgy
• Salmon, a Haddock replacement [this is Bob's]
• etc.

The reason I will never do any of these is it would take days to get from Haskell to an appropriate form where the stuff can be done. The actual code is probably trivial, the Haskell boilerplate parsing, type checking etc. would be horrendous. Unless there was a Yhc API :)

And hence, initial motivation for a Yhc API is born. The compiler could do with refactoring lots (and lots and lots), and working towards a publically visible API may help the internals solidify a bit. I have set up an initial wiki page here, comments welcome.

Of course, there is a Ghc API, but Ghc is a lot bigger platform. Yhc is aiming to be small, simple and straightforward - exactly the qualities I want in an API!