What is the function of a compiler in programming?

The function of a compiler in programming is to translate high-level programming languages into machine language. High-level languages, such as Java, C++, or Python, are designed to be more user-friendly and understandable to programmers, allowing them to write code in a way that is closer to human language. However, computers operate using machine language, which consists of binary code that the computer's hardware can execute.

The compiler plays a crucial role in bridging this gap. It takes the high-level code and converts it into machine code or intermediate code that the computer can understand and execute. This process involves several steps, including lexical analysis, syntactic analysis, semantic analysis, optimization, and code generation. The result is an executable program that can run on the target machine.

The other options describe different processes: executing code line by line is typically the function of an interpreter, which directly executes the high-level code without a separate compilation step. Debugging is a separate activity focused on identifying and correcting errors in code, often performed alongside compilation and execution. Converting machine language into high-level language does not align with the role of a compiler, as that process is typically not necessary or standard in programming.