Compilers - any experience with PLY?

Author

any experience with PLY?

Mark T

2007-05-13, 7:18 pm

I'm contemplating using PLY to create a source to source translator -
one assembler language (custom CPU) to another assembler language
(standard CPU). I have some limited lex/yacc experience.

Are there any other parser-generator tools I should consider? or
should I just hand code everything?

thanks

Mark

Nicola Musatti

2007-05-16, 4:20 am

On May 13, 9:08 pm, Mark T <mark...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I'm contemplating using PLY to create a source to source translator -
> one assembler language (custom CPU) to another assembler language
> (standard CPU). I have some limited lex/yacc experience.

PLY was actually my first experience with a lex/yacc style generator
and I found it extremely convenient. Some theoretical background helps
in avoiding mistakes and diagnosing bugs, but one can always resort to
good ol' trial & error ;-)

I used PLY to parse a subset of SQL DDL. I already had a hand coded C+
+ parser for an even smaller subset, but I'm convinced that it took me
less to rewrite it in Python with PLY than it would have taken to
modify my C++ one.

Another advantage that should not be overlooked is the number of
libraries that are available to Python programmers, which may come
handy for other parts of one's application.

> Are there any other parser-generator tools I should consider? or
> should I just hand code everything?

Just about everybody around here is in a better position to answer
this question than I am.

Cheers,
Nicola Musatti

Jason

2007-05-16, 4:20 am

On May 13, 12:08 pm, Mark T <mark...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I'm contemplating using PLY to create a source to source translator -
> one assembler language (custom CPU) to another assembler language
> (standard CPU). I have some limited lex/yacc experience.
>
> Are there any other parser-generator tools I should consider? or
> should I just hand code everything?

I am certainly biased, but I think that Parsing is the greatest thing
since sliced bread, at least as far as Python-based parser generators
go. Parsing is an LR(1) parser generator, and it includes both CFSM
("LR") and GLR parser drivers.

Parsing: http://www.canonware.com/download/Parsing/Parsing.py
Example: http://www.canonware.com/download/P...les/example1.py

Don't let the simplicity of the example fool you into thinking that
Parsing is a toy -- I have used it for some very large grammars, with
great success.

Jason

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