Re: Request: COBOL grammar in ANTLR

joiner@pico.cs.umn.edu (Jay K. Joiner) writes:
|> Request pointers for a grammar for COBOL (full language) for the
|> ANTLR compiler-compiler of the Purdue Compiler Construction Tool Set?
|> It is needed for a software maintenance project.


|> [Don't hold your breath. Many requests for a free Cobol grammar in yacc
|> have never turned one up. I'd think it'd be straightforward but tedious to
|> create one. The enormous set of reserved words blows away a lot of parser
|> generators. -John]


A full COBOL parser can be (and has been) generated with lex and yacc. A
few modifications are needed for the lex & yacc table sizes and John is
write about the complexity of the parser. The parser is rather large
though.... very large if the full 85 standard is supported and with
Intrinsic functions added in now...and Object-Oriented coming
soon.....Ugh!


The one gotcha is the AT END/NOT AT END phrases with the I/O statements
can be a little tricky. Semantic checking is where much of the difficulty
lies.


Now that I've said this, let me add that the parser I'm referring to is
not free nor can it be purchased. Sorry.
--
Michael von Foerster Internet: foerster@dg-rtp.dg.com
DG/UX Core Development UUCP: {world}!mcnc!rti!dg-rtp!foerster
Data General Corporation
62 T.W. Alexander Drive
RTP, NC 27709 Phone: 919-248-6327
[There's a Cobol-85 parser provided with the commercial Abraxas pcyacc. -John]
--

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