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Combinators for parsing expressions

Part of: JFP Research Articles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2008

Steve Hill
Steve Hill
Affiliation:
University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
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Abstract

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This paper describes a scheme for constructing parsers based on the top-down combinator approach. In particular, it describes a set of combinators for parsing expressions described by ambiguous grammars with precedence and associativity rules. The new combinators embody the mechanical grammar manipulations typically employed to remove left-recursion and hence help to avoid the possibility of a non-terminating parser. A number of approaches to the problem are described—the most elegant and efficient method is based on continuation passing. As a practical demonstration, a parser for the expression part of the C programming language is presented. The expression combinators are general, and may be constructed from any suitable set of top-down combinators. A comparison with parser generators shows that the combinator approach is most applicable for rapid development.

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Functional Programming , Volume 6 , Issue 3 , May 1996 , pp. 445 - 464
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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