Difference between revisions of "Parser"
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| − | A '''parser''' is a piece of [[software]] which takes a stream of input and turns it into a sequence of 'tokens' which have a higher-level | + | A '''parser''' is a piece of [[software]] which takes a stream of input with a known [[syntax]] and turns it into a sequence of 'tokens' which have a higher-level [[semantics]]. The output may be a simple list of tokens, or, more usually, a structured [[tree]]. The input is usually a simple stream of [[character]]s, but may be some other form of data. |
The most common forms of parsers are 'recursive descent', in which a series of [[function]]s may call each other, and 'table-driven', in which a formal grammar table is used to do the parsing. | The most common forms of parsers are 'recursive descent', in which a series of [[function]]s may call each other, and 'table-driven', in which a formal grammar table is used to do the parsing. | ||
Latest revision as of 14:46, 29 April 2022
A parser is a piece of software which takes a stream of input with a known syntax and turns it into a sequence of 'tokens' which have a higher-level semantics. The output may be a simple list of tokens, or, more usually, a structured tree. The input is usually a simple stream of characters, but may be some other form of data.
The most common forms of parsers are 'recursive descent', in which a series of functions may call each other, and 'table-driven', in which a formal grammar table is used to do the parsing.
