The STEP Preprocessor

glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu>
Tue, 12 Jul 2011 06:39:37 +0000 (UTC)

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From: glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.compilers
Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2011 06:39:37 +0000 (UTC)
Organization: Aioe.org NNTP Server
Keywords: interpreter, history
Posted-Date: 12 Jul 2011 07:05:06 EDT

Many years ago I worked with the STEP Preprocessor.


It was first described to me as a form of Compiler-Compiler,
but it seems more like a Preprocessor-Compiler. (It runs more
like an interpreter than is usual for a compiler.)


In case anyone is interested, the manual is now online at:


http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/stanford/slac/The_STEP_Processor.pdf


Unlike many preprocessors, the macro form can describe the
exact grammar required, process appropriately or print error
messages, and generate any required output.


I now have the source code (in Fortran-66, and in an extended
Fortran processed by STEP macros.) I hope soon to send it to
the software archive of bitsavers.


Not that I follow preprocessors so carefully, but I don't know
of anything at all similar done since then (about 1977).


-- glen


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