User friendly compiler-compiler tools

Many of the tools for constructing compilers (like yacc and such) are
focussing on the problem of generating fast parsers and scanners. I
do not believe that this is a big problem nowadays any more (please
do not flame me, or start a thread on this subject).


Are there also compiler construction tools that focus on
user-friendliness? For example I would like to write:


expr := "(" expr ")"
            | expr "*" expr PRIO 1 L
            | expr "/" expr PRIO 1 L
            | expr "+" expr PRIO 2 L
            | expr "&&" expr PRIO 3 R
            | var_ident.


Such that "(a && b) * c / d + e && f && g" is read as:
    ((((a && b) * c) / d) + e) && (f && g)


These tools should also have a intuitive way for making Abstract
Syntax Trees and the handling of identifier definition and usages.
Possibly, type checking should also be included.


Any ideas or suggestions? I feel that tools like yacc and lex are not
anymore acceptable in this age of user-friendlyness. I also think
that there is no reason why a parser should not be allowed to
back-track once in a while.


Frans


--
Frans J. Faase
Vakgroep Informatiesystemen Tel : +31-53-894232
Faculteit der Informatica secr. : +31-53-893690
Universiteit Twente Fax : +31-53-339605
Postbus 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands Email : faase@cs.utwente.nl
--------------- http://www.cs.utwente.nl/~faase/ ---------------------
[There are a lot newer tools than lex and yacc available that do more for
yo, allow backtracking, etc. Although I do note that your proposed syntax is
almost exactly that of yacc. -John]
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