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Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2005 13:42:03 +1000 (EST)
Subject: Re: some comments on ocaml{lex,yacc} from a novice's POV
From: "Jack Andrews" <effbiae@ivorykite.com>
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Jack Andrews said:
> have used ply (python lex-yacc) most recently for parsing and believe it
> to be one of the more elegant mechanisms i've seen.
> http://systems.cs.uchicago.edu/ply/ply.html
>
> elegant because there are no lex and yacc input files, but rather the
> tokens and grammar rules are defined in python code -- succinctly!

i've now found the most elegant parser generator i have seen (scheme):
 http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/~boucherd/Lalr/documentation/lalr.html

here's the usual calc example that generates a parser:

 (define expr-parser
  (lalr-parser
   ; Terminal symbols
   (ID + - * /)
   ; Productions
   (e (e + t)    : (+ $1 $3)
      (e - t)    : (- $1 $3)
      (t)        : $1)
   (t (t * f)    : (* $1 $3)
      (t / f)    : (/ $1 $3)
      (f)        : $1)
   (f (ID)       : $1)))

isn't that nice?!?  this is an example of the power of lisp macros that
paul graham talks about.

compare with caml solutions? compare with any other solution?

i'm genuinely trying to choose my next language.  i was drawn to ocaml
because it's a fast, functional language: i want that power without having
to optimize to C.  i'm told there are good scheme compilers.  i was drawn
to ocaml because of it's score in the "language shootout"(s) and because
of it's high placing in the programming contest.

so this post is a troll, i guess, but i want to make an informed choice.

tia,   jack