A method is provided for modifying a program written in a standard
programming language so that when the program is compiled both an
executable file is produced and an instruction is programmed into a
programmable logic device of a processor system. The method includes
identifying a critical code segment of a program, rewriting the critical
code segment as a function, revising the program, and compiling the
program. Revising the program includes designating the function as code
to be compiled by an extension compiler and replacing the critical code
segment of the program with a statement that calls the function.
Compiling the program includes compiling the code with an extension
compiler to produce a header file and the instruction for the
programmable logic device. Compiling the program also includes using a
standard compiler to compile the remainder of the program together with
the header file to generate the executable file.