Re: Compiler Compiler Compiler

Daniel Wang asked:
> Just curious, but has there been any research done on
> parser-generators generators? i.e. some magic tool that will take a
> specification of my favorite programming language and produce a yacc
> like parser generator.


Actually, most parser generators are not that far from parser
generator-generators, especially those in the table driven camp. In
that camp, a relatively fixed skeleton is copied to the output with
some tables that the skeleton uses to control its actions. The only
effort to targetting a new language is rewriting the skeleton (and
perhaps mildly reformatting the output tables).


Note, one tool LALR (by Paul Mann) actually was a parser generator-
generator because the tool used a template language to control its
output. The language had special sequences like %n, which output the
number of states.


At the other end of the spectrum, I believe TWS (Deremer and Penello)
did not write out the skeleton at all, just the tables. In one
variant I believe the skeleton read the tables in.


The other side of the coin is that writing a minimal parser generator
is a fairly trivial task, perhaps as little as a couple hours work (if
you've done it a few times before). Therefore, it is quite easy to
conjure up a new parser generator and have a leg-up on the parsing
process.


Hope this helps,
-Chris


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Chris Clark Internet : compres@world.std.com
Compiler Resources, Inc. Web Site : http://world.std.com/~compres
3 Proctor Street voice : (508) 435-5016
Hopkinton, MA 01748 USA fax : (508) 435-4847 (24 hours)

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