pt::pgen(n) Parser Tools pt::pgen(n) 







pt::pgen - Parser Generator








package require Tcl 8.5


package require pt::pgen ?1?


::pt::pgen inputformat text
    resultformat ?options...?












Are you lost ? Do you have trouble understanding this document ?
    In that case please read the overview provided by the Introduction to
    Parser Tools. This document is the entrypoint to the whole system the
    current package is a part of.


This package provides a command implementing a parser
    generator taking parsing expression grammars as input.


It is the implementation of method generate of pt,
    the Parser Tools Application.


As such the intended audience of this document are people wishing
    to modify and/or extend this part of pt's functionality. Users of
    pt on the other hand are hereby refered to the applications' manpage,
    i.e. Parser Tools Application.


It resides in the User Package Layer of Parser Tools.


IMAGE: arch_user_pkg









  
::pt::pgen inputformat text resultformat
    ?options...?

  
This command takes the parsing expression grammar in text (in the
      format specified by inputformat), and returns the same grammar in
      the format resultformat as the result of the command.
    
The two known input formats are peg and json.
        Introductions to them, including their formal specifications, can be
        found in the PEG Language Tutorial and The JSON Grammar
        Exchange Format. The packages used to parse these formats are

  







  

  
pt::peg::from::peg

  

  
pt::peg::from::json






On the output side the known formats, and the packages used to
    generate them are





  

  
pt::peg::to::cparam

  

  
pt::peg::to::container

  

  
pt::peg::to::cparam + pt::cparam::configuration::critcl

  

  
pt::peg::to::json

  

  
pt::peg::to::tclparam +
    pt::tclparam::configuration::tcloo

  

  
pt::peg::to::peg

  

  
pt::peg::to::tclparam +
    pt::tclparam::configuration::snit





The options supported by each of these formats are documented with their
  respective packages.







In this section we are working a complete example, starting with a
    PEG grammar and ending with running the parser generated from it over some
    input, following the outline shown in the figure below:


IMAGE: flow


Our grammar, assumed to the stored in the file
    "calculator.peg" is


PEG calculator (Expression)


    Digit      <- '0'/'1'/'2'/'3'/'4'/'5'/'6'/'7'/'8'/'9'	;


    Sign       <- '-' / '+'					;


    Number     <- Sign? Digit+					;


    Expression <- '(' Expression ')' / (Factor (MulOp Factor)*)	;


    MulOp      <- '*' / '/'					;


    Factor     <- Term (AddOp Term)*				;


    AddOp      <- '+'/'-'					;


    Term       <- Number					;
END;


From this we create a snit-based parser using the script "gen"

package require Tcl 8.5
package require fileutil
package require pt::pgen
lassign $argv name
set grammar [fileutil::cat $name.peg]
set plass [pt::pgen


              peg $gr  snit  -class $name      -file  $name.peg  -name  $name]
fileutil::writeFile $name.tcl $pclass
exit 0


calling it like



 tclsh8.5 gen calculator

which leaves us with the parser package and class written to the file
  "calculator.tcl". Assuming that this package is then properly
  installed in a place where Tcl can find it we can now use this class via a
  script like



    package require calculator


    lassign $argv input


    set channel [open $input r]


    set parser [calculator]


    set ast [$parser parse $channel]


    $parser destroy


    close $channel


    ... now process the returned abstract syntax tree ...


where the abstract syntax tree stored in the variable will look like



set ast {Expression 0 4


    {Factor 0 4


        {Term 0 2


            {Number 0 2


                {Digit 0 0}


                {Digit 1 1}


                {Digit 2 2}


            }


        }


        {AddOp 3 3}


        {Term 4 4


            {Number 4 4


                {Digit 4 4}


            }


        }


    }
}



assuming that the input file and channel contained the text




 120+5

A more graphical representation of the tree would be

IMAGE: expr_ast


Regardless, at this point it is the user's responsibility to work
    with the tree to reach whatever goal she desires. I.e. analyze it, transform
    it, etc. The package pt::ast should be of help here, providing
    commands to walk such ASTs structures in various ways.


One important thing to note is that the parsers used here return a
    data structure representing the structure of the input per the grammar
    underlying the parser. There are no callbacks during the parsing
    process, i.e. no parsing actions, as most other parsers will
  have.


Going back to the last snippet of code, the execution of the
    parser for some input, note how the parser instance follows the specified
    Parser API.








This document, and the package it describes, will undoubtedly
    contain bugs and other problems. Please report such in the category
    pt of the Tcllib SF Trackers
    [http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=12883]. Please also report any
    ideas for enhancements you may have for either package and/or
  documentation.








EBNF, LL(k), PEG, TDPL, context-free languages, expression,
    grammar, matching, parser, parsing expression, parsing expression grammar,
    push down automaton, recursive descent, state, top-down parsing languages,
    transducer








Parsing and Grammars








Copyright (c) 2009 Andreas Kupries <andreas_kupries@users.sourceforge.net>








  

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    pt