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Ceci est le fichier Info bison.info, produit par Makeinfo version 4.0b
à partir bison.texinfo.
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* bison: (bison). GNU Project parser generator (yacc replacement).
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
This file documents the Bison parser generator.
Copyright (C) 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999,
2000, 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
preserved on all copies.
Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also
that the sections entitled "GNU General Public License" and "Conditions
for Using Bison" are included exactly as in the original, and provided
that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms
of a permission notice identical to this one.
Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
versions, except that the sections entitled "GNU General Public
License", "Conditions for Using Bison" and this permission notice may be
included in translations approved by the Free Software Foundation
instead of in the original English.

File: bison.info, Node: Mid-Rule Actions, Prev: Action Types, Up: Semantics
Actions in Mid-Rule
-------------------
Occasionally it is useful to put an action in the middle of a rule.
These actions are written just like usual end-of-rule actions, but they
are executed before the parser even recognizes the following components.
A mid-rule action may refer to the components preceding it using
`$N', but it may not refer to subsequent components because it is run
before they are parsed.
The mid-rule action itself counts as one of the components of the
rule. This makes a difference when there is another action later in
the same rule (and usually there is another at the end): you have to
count the actions along with the symbols when working out which number
N to use in `$N'.
The mid-rule action can also have a semantic value. The action can
set its value with an assignment to `$$', and actions later in the rule
can refer to the value using `$N'. Since there is no symbol to name
the action, there is no way to declare a data type for the value in
advance, so you must use the `$<...>N' construct to specify a data type
each time you refer to this value.
There is no way to set the value of the entire rule with a mid-rule
action, because assignments to `$$' do not have that effect. The only
way to set the value for the entire rule is with an ordinary action at
the end of the rule.
Here is an example from a hypothetical compiler, handling a `let'
statement that looks like `let (VARIABLE) STATEMENT' and serves to
create a variable named VARIABLE temporarily for the duration of
STATEMENT. To parse this construct, we must put VARIABLE into the
symbol table while STATEMENT is parsed, then remove it afterward. Here
is how it is done:
stmt: LET '(' var ')'
{ $<context>$ = push_context ();
declare_variable ($3); }
stmt { $$ = $6;
pop_context ($<context>5); }
As soon as `let (VARIABLE)' has been recognized, the first action is
run. It saves a copy of the current semantic context (the list of
accessible variables) as its semantic value, using alternative
`context' in the data-type union. Then it calls `declare_variable' to
add the new variable to that list. Once the first action is finished,
the embedded statement `stmt' can be parsed. Note that the mid-rule
action is component number 5, so the `stmt' is component number 6.
After the embedded statement is parsed, its semantic value becomes
the value of the entire `let'-statement. Then the semantic value from
the earlier action is used to restore the prior list of variables. This
removes the temporary `let'-variable from the list so that it won't
appear to exist while the rest of the program is parsed.
Taking action before a rule is completely recognized often leads to
conflicts since the parser must commit to a parse in order to execute
the action. For example, the following two rules, without mid-rule
actions, can coexist in a working parser because the parser can shift
the open-brace token and look at what follows before deciding whether
there is a declaration or not:
compound: '{' declarations statements '}'
| '{' statements '}'
;
But when we add a mid-rule action as follows, the rules become
nonfunctional:
compound: { prepare_for_local_variables (); }
'{' declarations statements '}'
| '{' statements '}'
;
Now the parser is forced to decide whether to run the mid-rule action
when it has read no farther than the open-brace. In other words, it
must commit to using one rule or the other, without sufficient
information to do it correctly. (The open-brace token is what is called
the "look-ahead" token at this time, since the parser is still deciding
what to do about it. *Note Look-Ahead Tokens: Look-Ahead.)
You might think that you could correct the problem by putting
identical actions into the two rules, like this:
compound: { prepare_for_local_variables (); }
'{' declarations statements '}'
| { prepare_for_local_variables (); }
'{' statements '}'
;
But this does not help, because Bison does not realize that the two
actions are identical. (Bison never tries to understand the C code in
an action.)
If the grammar is such that a declaration can be distinguished from a
statement by the first token (which is true in C), then one solution
which does work is to put the action after the open-brace, like this:
compound: '{' { prepare_for_local_variables (); }
declarations statements '}'
| '{' statements '}'
;
Now the first token of the following declaration or statement, which
would in any case tell Bison which rule to use, can still do so.
Another solution is to bury the action inside a nonterminal symbol
which serves as a subroutine:
subroutine: /* empty */
{ prepare_for_local_variables (); }
;
compound: subroutine
'{' declarations statements '}'
| subroutine
'{' statements '}'
;
Now Bison can execute the action in the rule for `subroutine' without
deciding which rule for `compound' it will eventually use. Note that
the action is now at the end of its rule. Any mid-rule action can be
converted to an end-of-rule action in this way, and this is what Bison
actually does to implement mid-rule actions.

File: bison.info, Node: Locations, Next: Declarations, Prev: Semantics, Up: Grammar File
Tracking Locations
==================
Though grammar rules and semantic actions are enough to write a fully
functional parser, it can be useful to process some additionnal
informations, especially symbol locations.
The way locations are handled is defined by providing a data type,
and actions to take when rules are matched.
* Menu:
* Location Type:: Specifying a data type for locations.
* Actions and Locations:: Using locations in actions.
* Location Default Action:: Defining a general way to compute locations.

File: bison.info, Node: Location Type, Next: Actions and Locations, Up: Locations
Data Type of Locations
----------------------
Defining a data type for locations is much simpler than for semantic
values, since all tokens and groupings always use the same type.
The type of locations is specified by defining a macro called
`YYLTYPE'. When `YYLTYPE' is not defined, Bison uses a default
structure type with four members:
struct
{
int first_line;
int first_column;
int last_line;
int last_column;
}

File: bison.info, Node: Actions and Locations, Next: Location Default Action, Prev: Location Type, Up: Locations
Actions and Locations
---------------------
Actions are not only useful for defining language semantics, but
also for describing the behavior of the output parser with locations.
The most obvious way for building locations of syntactic groupings
is very similar to the way semantic values are computed. In a given
rule, several constructs can be used to access the locations of the
elements being matched. The location of the Nth component of the right
hand side is `@N', while the location of the left hand side grouping is
`@$'.
Here is a basic example using the default data type for locations:
exp: ...
| exp '/' exp
{
@$.first_column = @1.first_column;
@$.first_line = @1.first_line;
@$.last_column = @3.last_column;
@$.last_line = @3.last_line;
if ($3)
$$ = $1 / $3;
else
{
$$ = 1;
printf("Division by zero, l%d,c%d-l%d,c%d",
@3.first_line, @3.first_column,
@3.last_line, @3.last_column);
}
}
As for semantic values, there is a default action for locations that
is run each time a rule is matched. It sets the beginning of `@$' to the
beginning of the first symbol, and the end of `@$' to the end of the
last symbol.
With this default action, the location tracking can be fully
automatic. The example above simply rewrites this way:
exp: ...
| exp '/' exp
{
if ($3)
$$ = $1 / $3;
else
{
$$ = 1;
printf("Division by zero, l%d,c%d-l%d,c%d",
@3.first_line, @3.first_column,
@3.last_line, @3.last_column);
}
}

File: bison.info, Node: Location Default Action, Prev: Actions and Locations, Up: Locations
Default Action for Locations
----------------------------
Actually, actions are not the best place to compute locations. Since
locations are much more general than semantic values, there is room in
the output parser to redefine the default action to take for each rule.
The `YYLLOC_DEFAULT' macro is called each time a rule is matched,
before the associated action is run.
Most of the time, this macro is general enough to suppress location
dedicated code from semantic actions.
The `YYLLOC_DEFAULT' macro takes three parameters. The first one is
the location of the grouping (the result of the computation). The
second one is an array holding locations of all right hand side
elements of the rule being matched. The last one is the size of the
right hand side rule.
By default, it is defined this way:
#define YYLLOC_DEFAULT(Current, Rhs, N) \
Current.last_line = Rhs[N].last_line; \
Current.last_column = Rhs[N].last_column;
When defining `YYLLOC_DEFAULT', you should consider that:
* All arguments are free of side-effects. However, only the first
one (the result) should be modified by `YYLLOC_DEFAULT'.
* Before `YYLLOC_DEFAULT' is executed, the output parser sets `@$'
to `@1'.
* For consistency with semantic actions, valid indexes for the
location array range from 1 to N.

File: bison.info, Node: Declarations, Next: Multiple Parsers, Prev: Locations, Up: Grammar File
Bison Declarations
==================
The "Bison declarations" section of a Bison grammar defines the
symbols used in formulating the grammar and the data types of semantic
values. *Note Symbols::.
All token type names (but not single-character literal tokens such as
`'+'' and `'*'') must be declared. Nonterminal symbols must be
declared if you need to specify which data type to use for the semantic
value (*note More Than One Value Type: Multiple Types.).
The first rule in the file also specifies the start symbol, by
default. If you want some other symbol to be the start symbol, you
must declare it explicitly (*note Languages and Context-Free Grammars:
Language and Grammar.).
* Menu:
* Token Decl:: Declaring terminal symbols.
* Precedence Decl:: Declaring terminals with precedence and associativity.
* Union Decl:: Declaring the set of all semantic value types.
* Type Decl:: Declaring the choice of type for a nonterminal symbol.
* Expect Decl:: Suppressing warnings about shift/reduce conflicts.
* Start Decl:: Specifying the start symbol.
* Pure Decl:: Requesting a reentrant parser.
* Decl Summary:: Table of all Bison declarations.

File: bison.info, Node: Token Decl, Next: Precedence Decl, Up: Declarations
Token Type Names
----------------
The basic way to declare a token type name (terminal symbol) is as
follows:
%token NAME
Bison will convert this into a `#define' directive in the parser, so
that the function `yylex' (if it is in this file) can use the name NAME
to stand for this token type's code.
Alternatively, you can use `%left', `%right', or `%nonassoc' instead
of `%token', if you wish to specify associativity and precedence.
*Note Operator Precedence: Precedence Decl.
You can explicitly specify the numeric code for a token type by
appending an integer value in the field immediately following the token
name:
%token NUM 300
It is generally best, however, to let Bison choose the numeric codes for
all token types. Bison will automatically select codes that don't
conflict with each other or with ASCII characters.
In the event that the stack type is a union, you must augment the
`%token' or other token declaration to include the data type
alternative delimited by angle-brackets (*note More Than One Value
Type: Multiple Types.).
For example:
%union { /* define stack type */
double val;
symrec *tptr;
}
%token <val> NUM /* define token NUM and its type */
You can associate a literal string token with a token type name by
writing the literal string at the end of a `%token' declaration which
declares the name. For example:
%token arrow "=>"
For example, a grammar for the C language might specify these names with
equivalent literal string tokens:
%token <operator> OR "||"
%token <operator> LE 134 "<="
%left OR "<="
Once you equate the literal string and the token name, you can use them
interchangeably in further declarations or the grammar rules. The
`yylex' function can use the token name or the literal string to obtain
the token type code number (*note Calling Convention::).

File: bison.info, Node: Precedence Decl, Next: Union Decl, Prev: Token Decl, Up: Declarations
Operator Precedence
-------------------
Use the `%left', `%right' or `%nonassoc' declaration to declare a
token and specify its precedence and associativity, all at once. These
are called "precedence declarations". *Note Operator Precedence:
Precedence, for general information on operator precedence.
The syntax of a precedence declaration is the same as that of
`%token': either
%left SYMBOLS...
or
%left <TYPE> SYMBOLS...
And indeed any of these declarations serves the purposes of `%token'.
But in addition, they specify the associativity and relative precedence
for all the SYMBOLS:
* The associativity of an operator OP determines how repeated uses
of the operator nest: whether `X OP Y OP Z' is parsed by grouping
X with Y first or by grouping Y with Z first. `%left' specifies
left-associativity (grouping X with Y first) and `%right'
specifies right-associativity (grouping Y with Z first).
`%nonassoc' specifies no associativity, which means that `X OP Y
OP Z' is considered a syntax error.
* The precedence of an operator determines how it nests with other
operators. All the tokens declared in a single precedence
declaration have equal precedence and nest together according to
their associativity. When two tokens declared in different
precedence declarations associate, the one declared later has the
higher precedence and is grouped first.

File: bison.info, Node: Union Decl, Next: Type Decl, Prev: Precedence Decl, Up: Declarations
The Collection of Value Types
-----------------------------
The `%union' declaration specifies the entire collection of possible
data types for semantic values. The keyword `%union' is followed by a
pair of braces containing the same thing that goes inside a `union' in
C.
For example:
%union {
double val;
symrec *tptr;
}
This says that the two alternative types are `double' and `symrec *'.
They are given names `val' and `tptr'; these names are used in the
`%token' and `%type' declarations to pick one of the types for a
terminal or nonterminal symbol (*note Nonterminal Symbols: Type Decl.).
Note that, unlike making a `union' declaration in C, you do not write
a semicolon after the closing brace.

File: bison.info, Node: Type Decl, Next: Expect Decl, Prev: Union Decl, Up: Declarations
Nonterminal Symbols
-------------------
When you use `%union' to specify multiple value types, you must declare
the value type of each nonterminal symbol for which values are used.
This is done with a `%type' declaration, like this:
%type <TYPE> NONTERMINAL...
Here NONTERMINAL is the name of a nonterminal symbol, and TYPE is the
name given in the `%union' to the alternative that you want (*note The
Collection of Value Types: Union Decl.). You can give any number of
nonterminal symbols in the same `%type' declaration, if they have the
same value type. Use spaces to separate the symbol names.
You can also declare the value type of a terminal symbol. To do
this, use the same `<TYPE>' construction in a declaration for the
terminal symbol. All kinds of token declarations allow `<TYPE>'.

File: bison.info, Node: Expect Decl, Next: Start Decl, Prev: Type Decl, Up: Declarations
Suppressing Conflict Warnings
-----------------------------
Bison normally warns if there are any conflicts in the grammar
(*note Shift/Reduce Conflicts: Shift/Reduce.), but most real grammars
have harmless shift/reduce conflicts which are resolved in a
predictable way and would be difficult to eliminate. It is desirable
to suppress the warning about these conflicts unless the number of
conflicts changes. You can do this with the `%expect' declaration.
The declaration looks like this:
%expect N
Here N is a decimal integer. The declaration says there should be no
warning if there are N shift/reduce conflicts and no reduce/reduce
conflicts. The usual warning is given if there are either more or fewer
conflicts, or if there are any reduce/reduce conflicts.
In general, using `%expect' involves these steps:
* Compile your grammar without `%expect'. Use the `-v' option to
get a verbose list of where the conflicts occur. Bison will also
print the number of conflicts.
* Check each of the conflicts to make sure that Bison's default
resolution is what you really want. If not, rewrite the grammar
and go back to the beginning.
* Add an `%expect' declaration, copying the number N from the number
which Bison printed.
Now Bison will stop annoying you about the conflicts you have
checked, but it will warn you again if changes in the grammar result in
additional conflicts.

File: bison.info, Node: Start Decl, Next: Pure Decl, Prev: Expect Decl, Up: Declarations
The Start-Symbol
----------------
Bison assumes by default that the start symbol for the grammar is
the first nonterminal specified in the grammar specification section.
The programmer may override this restriction with the `%start'
declaration as follows:
%start SYMBOL

File: bison.info, Node: Pure Decl, Next: Decl Summary, Prev: Start Decl, Up: Declarations
A Pure (Reentrant) Parser
-------------------------
A "reentrant" program is one which does not alter in the course of
execution; in other words, it consists entirely of "pure" (read-only)
code. Reentrancy is important whenever asynchronous execution is
possible; for example, a non-reentrant program may not be safe to call
from a signal handler. In systems with multiple threads of control, a
non-reentrant program must be called only within interlocks.
Normally, Bison generates a parser which is not reentrant. This is
suitable for most uses, and it permits compatibility with YACC. (The
standard YACC interfaces are inherently nonreentrant, because they use
statically allocated variables for communication with `yylex',
including `yylval' and `yylloc'.)
Alternatively, you can generate a pure, reentrant parser. The Bison
declaration `%pure_parser' says that you want the parser to be
reentrant. It looks like this:
%pure_parser
The result is that the communication variables `yylval' and `yylloc'
become local variables in `yyparse', and a different calling convention
is used for the lexical analyzer function `yylex'. *Note Calling
Conventions for Pure Parsers: Pure Calling, for the details of this.
The variable `yynerrs' also becomes local in `yyparse' (*note The Error
Reporting Function `yyerror': Error Reporting.). The convention for
calling `yyparse' itself is unchanged.
Whether the parser is pure has nothing to do with the grammar rules.
You can generate either a pure parser or a nonreentrant parser from any
valid grammar.

File: bison.info, Node: Decl Summary, Prev: Pure Decl, Up: Declarations
Bison Declaration Summary
-------------------------
Here is a summary of all Bison declarations:
`%union'
Declare the collection of data types that semantic values may have
(*note The Collection of Value Types: Union Decl.).
`%token'
Declare a terminal symbol (token type name) with no precedence or
associativity specified (*note Token Type Names: Token Decl.).
`%right'
Declare a terminal symbol (token type name) that is
right-associative (*note Operator Precedence: Precedence Decl.).
`%left'
Declare a terminal symbol (token type name) that is
left-associative (*note Operator Precedence: Precedence Decl.).
`%nonassoc'
Declare a terminal symbol (token type name) that is nonassociative
(using it in a way that would be associative is a syntax error)
(*note Operator Precedence: Precedence Decl.).
`%type'
Declare the type of semantic values for a nonterminal symbol
(*note Nonterminal Symbols: Type Decl.).
`%start'
Specify the grammar's start symbol (*note The Start-Symbol: Start
Decl.).
`%expect'
Declare the expected number of shift-reduce conflicts (*note
Suppressing Conflict Warnings: Expect Decl.).
`%yacc'
`%fixed_output_files'
Pretend the option `--yacc' was given, i.e., imitate Yacc,
including its naming conventions. *Note Bison Options::, for more.
`%locations'
Generate the code processing the locations (*note Special Features
for Use in Actions: Action Features.). This mode is enabled as
soon as the grammar uses the special `@N' tokens, but if your
grammar does not use it, using `%locations' allows for more
accurate parse error messages.
`%pure_parser'
Request a pure (reentrant) parser program (*note A Pure
(Reentrant) Parser: Pure Decl.).
`%no_parser'
Do not include any C code in the parser file; generate tables
only. The parser file contains just `#define' directives and
static variable declarations.
This option also tells Bison to write the C code for the grammar
actions into a file named `FILENAME.act', in the form of a
brace-surrounded body fit for a `switch' statement.
`%no_lines'
Don't generate any `#line' preprocessor commands in the parser
file. Ordinarily Bison writes these commands in the parser file
so that the C compiler and debuggers will associate errors and
object code with your source file (the grammar file). This
directive causes them to associate errors with the parser file,
treating it an independent source file in its own right.
`%debug'
Output a definition of the macro `YYDEBUG' into the parser file, so
that the debugging facilities are compiled. *Note Debugging Your
Parser: Debugging.
`%defines'
Write an extra output file containing macro definitions for the
token type names defined in the grammar and the semantic value type
`YYSTYPE', as well as a few `extern' variable declarations.
If the parser output file is named `NAME.c' then this file is
named `NAME.h'.
This output file is essential if you wish to put the definition of
`yylex' in a separate source file, because `yylex' needs to be
able to refer to token type codes and the variable `yylval'.
*Note Semantic Values of Tokens: Token Values.
`%verbose'
Write an extra output file containing verbose descriptions of the
parser states and what is done for each type of look-ahead token in
that state.
This file also describes all the conflicts, both those resolved by
operator precedence and the unresolved ones.
The file's name is made by removing `.tab.c' or `.c' from the
parser output file name, and adding `.output' instead.
Therefore, if the input file is `foo.y', then the parser file is
called `foo.tab.c' by default. As a consequence, the verbose
output file is called `foo.output'.
`%token_table'
Generate an array of token names in the parser file. The name of
the array is `yytname'; `yytname[I]' is the name of the token
whose internal Bison token code number is I. The first three
elements of `yytname' are always `"$"', `"error"', and
`"$illegal"'; after these come the symbols defined in the grammar
file.
For single-character literal tokens and literal string tokens, the
name in the table includes the single-quote or double-quote
characters: for example, `"'+'"' is a single-character literal and
`"\"<=\""' is a literal string token. All the characters of the
literal string token appear verbatim in the string found in the
table; even double-quote characters are not escaped. For example,
if the token consists of three characters `*"*', its string in
`yytname' contains `"*"*"'. (In C, that would be written as
`"\"*\"*\""').
When you specify `%token_table', Bison also generates macro
definitions for macros `YYNTOKENS', `YYNNTS', and `YYNRULES', and
`YYNSTATES':
`YYNTOKENS'
The highest token number, plus one.
`YYNNTS'
The number of nonterminal symbols.
`YYNRULES'
The number of grammar rules,
`YYNSTATES'
The number of parser states (*note Parser States::).

File: bison.info, Node: Multiple Parsers, Prev: Declarations, Up: Grammar File
Multiple Parsers in the Same Program
====================================
Most programs that use Bison parse only one language and therefore
contain only one Bison parser. But what if you want to parse more than
one language with the same program? Then you need to avoid a name
conflict between different definitions of `yyparse', `yylval', and so
on.
The easy way to do this is to use the option `-p PREFIX' (*note
Invoking Bison: Invocation.). This renames the interface functions and
variables of the Bison parser to start with PREFIX instead of `yy'.
You can use this to give each parser distinct names that do not
conflict.
The precise list of symbols renamed is `yyparse', `yylex',
`yyerror', `yynerrs', `yylval', `yychar' and `yydebug'. For example,
if you use `-p c', the names become `cparse', `clex', and so on.
*All the other variables and macros associated with Bison are not
renamed.* These others are not global; there is no conflict if the same
name is used in different parsers. For example, `YYSTYPE' is not
renamed, but defining this in different ways in different parsers causes
no trouble (*note Data Types of Semantic Values: Value Type.).
The `-p' option works by adding macro definitions to the beginning
of the parser source file, defining `yyparse' as `PREFIXparse', and so
on. This effectively substitutes one name for the other in the entire
parser file.

File: bison.info, Node: Interface, Next: Algorithm, Prev: Grammar File, Up: Top
Parser C-Language Interface
***************************
The Bison parser is actually a C function named `yyparse'. Here we
describe the interface conventions of `yyparse' and the other functions
that it needs to use.
Keep in mind that the parser uses many C identifiers starting with
`yy' and `YY' for internal purposes. If you use such an identifier
(aside from those in this manual) in an action or in additional C code
in the grammar file, you are likely to run into trouble.
* Menu:
* Parser Function:: How to call `yyparse' and what it returns.
* Lexical:: You must supply a function `yylex'
which reads tokens.
* Error Reporting:: You must supply a function `yyerror'.
* Action Features:: Special features for use in actions.

File: bison.info, Node: Parser Function, Next: Lexical, Up: Interface
The Parser Function `yyparse'
=============================
You call the function `yyparse' to cause parsing to occur. This
function reads tokens, executes actions, and ultimately returns when it
encounters end-of-input or an unrecoverable syntax error. You can also
write an action which directs `yyparse' to return immediately without
reading further.
The value returned by `yyparse' is 0 if parsing was successful
(return is due to end-of-input).
The value is 1 if parsing failed (return is due to a syntax error).
In an action, you can cause immediate return from `yyparse' by using
these macros:
`YYACCEPT'
Return immediately with value 0 (to report success).
`YYABORT'
Return immediately with value 1 (to report failure).

File: bison.info, Node: Lexical, Next: Error Reporting, Prev: Parser Function, Up: Interface
The Lexical Analyzer Function `yylex'
=====================================
The "lexical analyzer" function, `yylex', recognizes tokens from the
input stream and returns them to the parser. Bison does not create
this function automatically; you must write it so that `yyparse' can
call it. The function is sometimes referred to as a lexical scanner.
In simple programs, `yylex' is often defined at the end of the Bison
grammar file. If `yylex' is defined in a separate source file, you
need to arrange for the token-type macro definitions to be available
there. To do this, use the `-d' option when you run Bison, so that it
will write these macro definitions into a separate header file
`NAME.tab.h' which you can include in the other source files that need
it. *Note Invoking Bison: Invocation.
* Menu:
* Calling Convention:: How `yyparse' calls `yylex'.
* Token Values:: How `yylex' must return the semantic value
of the token it has read.
* Token Positions:: How `yylex' must return the text position
(line number, etc.) of the token, if the
actions want that.
* Pure Calling:: How the calling convention differs
in a pure parser (*note A Pure (Reentrant) Parser: Pure Decl.).

File: bison.info, Node: Calling Convention, Next: Token Values, Up: Lexical
Calling Convention for `yylex'
------------------------------
The value that `yylex' returns must be the numeric code for the type
of token it has just found, or 0 for end-of-input.
When a token is referred to in the grammar rules by a name, that name
in the parser file becomes a C macro whose definition is the proper
numeric code for that token type. So `yylex' can use the name to
indicate that type. *Note Symbols::.
When a token is referred to in the grammar rules by a character
literal, the numeric code for that character is also the code for the
token type. So `yylex' can simply return that character code. The
null character must not be used this way, because its code is zero and
that is what signifies end-of-input.
Here is an example showing these things:
int
yylex (void)
{
...
if (c == EOF) /* Detect end of file. */
return 0;
...
if (c == '+' || c == '-')
return c; /* Assume token type for `+' is '+'. */
...
return INT; /* Return the type of the token. */
...
}
This interface has been designed so that the output from the `lex'
utility can be used without change as the definition of `yylex'.
If the grammar uses literal string tokens, there are two ways that
`yylex' can determine the token type codes for them:
* If the grammar defines symbolic token names as aliases for the
literal string tokens, `yylex' can use these symbolic names like
all others. In this case, the use of the literal string tokens in
the grammar file has no effect on `yylex'.
* `yylex' can find the multicharacter token in the `yytname' table.
The index of the token in the table is the token type's code. The
name of a multicharacter token is recorded in `yytname' with a
double-quote, the token's characters, and another double-quote.
The token's characters are not escaped in any way; they appear
verbatim in the contents of the string in the table.
Here's code for looking up a token in `yytname', assuming that the
characters of the token are stored in `token_buffer'.
for (i = 0; i < YYNTOKENS; i++)
{
if (yytname[i] != 0
&& yytname[i][0] == '"'
&& strncmp (yytname[i] + 1, token_buffer,
strlen (token_buffer))
&& yytname[i][strlen (token_buffer) + 1] == '"'
&& yytname[i][strlen (token_buffer) + 2] == 0)
break;
}
The `yytname' table is generated only if you use the
`%token_table' declaration. *Note Decl Summary::.

File: bison.info, Node: Token Values, Next: Token Positions, Prev: Calling Convention, Up: Lexical
Semantic Values of Tokens
-------------------------
In an ordinary (non-reentrant) parser, the semantic value of the
token must be stored into the global variable `yylval'. When you are
using just one data type for semantic values, `yylval' has that type.
Thus, if the type is `int' (the default), you might write this in
`yylex':
...
yylval = value; /* Put value onto Bison stack. */
return INT; /* Return the type of the token. */
...
When you are using multiple data types, `yylval''s type is a union
made from the `%union' declaration (*note The Collection of Value
Types: Union Decl.). So when you store a token's value, you must use
the proper member of the union. If the `%union' declaration looks like
this:
%union {
int intval;
double val;
symrec *tptr;
}
then the code in `yylex' might look like this:
...
yylval.intval = value; /* Put value onto Bison stack. */
return INT; /* Return the type of the token. */
...

File: bison.info, Node: Token Positions, Next: Pure Calling, Prev: Token Values, Up: Lexical
Textual Positions of Tokens
---------------------------
If you are using the `@N'-feature (*note Tracking Locations:
Locations.) in actions to keep track of the textual locations of tokens
and groupings, then you must provide this information in `yylex'. The
function `yyparse' expects to find the textual location of a token just
parsed in the global variable `yylloc'. So `yylex' must store the
proper data in that variable.
By default, the value of `yylloc' is a structure and you need only
initialize the members that are going to be used by the actions. The
four members are called `first_line', `first_column', `last_line' and
`last_column'. Note that the use of this feature makes the parser
noticeably slower.
The data type of `yylloc' has the name `YYLTYPE'.

File: bison.info, Node: Pure Calling, Prev: Token Positions, Up: Lexical
Calling Conventions for Pure Parsers
------------------------------------
When you use the Bison declaration `%pure_parser' to request a pure,
reentrant parser, the global communication variables `yylval' and
`yylloc' cannot be used. (*Note A Pure (Reentrant) Parser: Pure Decl.)
In such parsers the two global variables are replaced by pointers
passed as arguments to `yylex'. You must declare them as shown here,
and pass the information back by storing it through those pointers.
int
yylex (YYSTYPE *lvalp, YYLTYPE *llocp)
{
...
*lvalp = value; /* Put value onto Bison stack. */
return INT; /* Return the type of the token. */
...
}
If the grammar file does not use the `@' constructs to refer to
textual positions, then the type `YYLTYPE' will not be defined. In
this case, omit the second argument; `yylex' will be called with only
one argument.
If you use a reentrant parser, you can optionally pass additional
parameter information to it in a reentrant way. To do so, define the
macro `YYPARSE_PARAM' as a variable name. This modifies the `yyparse'
function to accept one argument, of type `void *', with that name.
When you call `yyparse', pass the address of an object, casting the
address to `void *'. The grammar actions can refer to the contents of
the object by casting the pointer value back to its proper type and
then dereferencing it. Here's an example. Write this in the parser:
%{
struct parser_control
{
int nastiness;
int randomness;
};
#define YYPARSE_PARAM parm
%}
Then call the parser like this:
struct parser_control
{
int nastiness;
int randomness;
};
...
{
struct parser_control foo;
... /* Store proper data in `foo'. */
value = yyparse ((void *) &foo);
...
}
In the grammar actions, use expressions like this to refer to the data:
((struct parser_control *) parm)->randomness
If you wish to pass the additional parameter data to `yylex', define
the macro `YYLEX_PARAM' just like `YYPARSE_PARAM', as shown here:
%{
struct parser_control
{
int nastiness;
int randomness;
};
#define YYPARSE_PARAM parm
#define YYLEX_PARAM parm
%}
You should then define `yylex' to accept one additional
argument--the value of `parm'. (This makes either two or three
arguments in total, depending on whether an argument of type `YYLTYPE'
is passed.) You can declare the argument as a pointer to the proper
object type, or you can declare it as `void *' and access the contents
as shown above.
You can use `%pure_parser' to request a reentrant parser without
also using `YYPARSE_PARAM'. Then you should call `yyparse' with no
arguments, as usual.

File: bison.info, Node: Error Reporting, Next: Action Features, Prev: Lexical, Up: Interface
The Error Reporting Function `yyerror'
======================================
The Bison parser detects a "parse error" or "syntax error" whenever
it reads a token which cannot satisfy any syntax rule. An action in
the grammar can also explicitly proclaim an error, using the macro
`YYERROR' (*note Special Features for Use in Actions: Action Features.).
The Bison parser expects to report the error by calling an error
reporting function named `yyerror', which you must supply. It is
called by `yyparse' whenever a syntax error is found, and it receives
one argument. For a parse error, the string is normally
`"parse error"'.
If you define the macro `YYERROR_VERBOSE' in the Bison declarations
section (*note The Bison Declarations Section: Bison Declarations.),
then Bison provides a more verbose and specific error message string
instead of just plain `"parse error"'. It doesn't matter what
definition you use for `YYERROR_VERBOSE', just whether you define it.
The parser can detect one other kind of error: stack overflow. This
happens when the input contains constructions that are very deeply
nested. It isn't likely you will encounter this, since the Bison
parser extends its stack automatically up to a very large limit. But
if overflow happens, `yyparse' calls `yyerror' in the usual fashion,
except that the argument string is `"parser stack overflow"'.
The following definition suffices in simple programs:
void
yyerror (char *s)
{
fprintf (stderr, "%s\n", s);
}
After `yyerror' returns to `yyparse', the latter will attempt error
recovery if you have written suitable error recovery grammar rules
(*note Error Recovery::). If recovery is impossible, `yyparse' will
immediately return 1.
The variable `yynerrs' contains the number of syntax errors
encountered so far. Normally this variable is global; but if you
request a pure parser (*note A Pure (Reentrant) Parser: Pure Decl.)
then it is a local variable which only the actions can access.

File: bison.info, Node: Action Features, Prev: Error Reporting, Up: Interface
Special Features for Use in Actions
===================================
Here is a table of Bison constructs, variables and macros that are
useful in actions.
`$$'
Acts like a variable that contains the semantic value for the
grouping made by the current rule. *Note Actions::.
`$N'
Acts like a variable that contains the semantic value for the Nth
component of the current rule. *Note Actions::.
`$<TYPEALT>$'
Like `$$' but specifies alternative TYPEALT in the union specified
by the `%union' declaration. *Note Data Types of Values in
Actions: Action Types.
`$<TYPEALT>N'
Like `$N' but specifies alternative TYPEALT in the union specified
by the `%union' declaration. *Note Data Types of Values in
Actions: Action Types.
`YYABORT;'
Return immediately from `yyparse', indicating failure. *Note The
Parser Function `yyparse': Parser Function.
`YYACCEPT;'
Return immediately from `yyparse', indicating success. *Note The
Parser Function `yyparse': Parser Function.
`YYBACKUP (TOKEN, VALUE);'
Unshift a token. This macro is allowed only for rules that reduce
a single value, and only when there is no look-ahead token. It
installs a look-ahead token with token type TOKEN and semantic
value VALUE; then it discards the value that was going to be
reduced by this rule.
If the macro is used when it is not valid, such as when there is a
look-ahead token already, then it reports a syntax error with a
message `cannot back up' and performs ordinary error recovery.
In either case, the rest of the action is not executed.
`YYEMPTY'
Value stored in `yychar' when there is no look-ahead token.
`YYERROR;'
Cause an immediate syntax error. This statement initiates error
recovery just as if the parser itself had detected an error;
however, it does not call `yyerror', and does not print any
message. If you want to print an error message, call `yyerror'
explicitly before the `YYERROR;' statement. *Note Error
Recovery::.
`YYRECOVERING'
This macro stands for an expression that has the value 1 when the
parser is recovering from a syntax error, and 0 the rest of the
time. *Note Error Recovery::.
`yychar'
Variable containing the current look-ahead token. (In a pure
parser, this is actually a local variable within `yyparse'.) When
there is no look-ahead token, the value `YYEMPTY' is stored in the
variable. *Note Look-Ahead Tokens: Look-Ahead.
`yyclearin;'
Discard the current look-ahead token. This is useful primarily in
error rules. *Note Error Recovery::.
`yyerrok;'
Resume generating error messages immediately for subsequent syntax
errors. This is useful primarily in error rules. *Note Error
Recovery::.
`@$'
Acts like a structure variable containing information on the
textual position of the grouping made by the current rule. *Note
Tracking Locations: Locations.
`@N'
Acts like a structure variable containing information on the
textual position of the Nth component of the current rule. *Note
Tracking Locations: Locations.

File: bison.info, Node: Algorithm, Next: Error Recovery, Prev: Interface, Up: Top
The Bison Parser Algorithm
**************************
As Bison reads tokens, it pushes them onto a stack along with their
semantic values. The stack is called the "parser stack". Pushing a
token is traditionally called "shifting".
For example, suppose the infix calculator has read `1 + 5 *', with a
`3' to come. The stack will have four elements, one for each token
that was shifted.
But the stack does not always have an element for each token read.
When the last N tokens and groupings shifted match the components of a
grammar rule, they can be combined according to that rule. This is
called "reduction". Those tokens and groupings are replaced on the
stack by a single grouping whose symbol is the result (left hand side)
of that rule. Running the rule's action is part of the process of
reduction, because this is what computes the semantic value of the
resulting grouping.
For example, if the infix calculator's parser stack contains this:
1 + 5 * 3
and the next input token is a newline character, then the last three
elements can be reduced to 15 via the rule:
expr: expr '*' expr;
Then the stack contains just these three elements:
1 + 15
At this point, another reduction can be made, resulting in the single
value 16. Then the newline token can be shifted.
The parser tries, by shifts and reductions, to reduce the entire
input down to a single grouping whose symbol is the grammar's
start-symbol (*note Languages and Context-Free Grammars: Language and
Grammar.).
This kind of parser is known in the literature as a bottom-up parser.
* Menu:
* Look-Ahead:: Parser looks one token ahead when deciding what to do.
* Shift/Reduce:: Conflicts: when either shifting or reduction is valid.
* Precedence:: Operator precedence works by resolving conflicts.
* Contextual Precedence:: When an operator's precedence depends on context.
* Parser States:: The parser is a finite-state-machine with stack.
* Reduce/Reduce:: When two rules are applicable in the same situation.
* Mystery Conflicts:: Reduce/reduce conflicts that look unjustified.
* Stack Overflow:: What happens when stack gets full. How to avoid it.

File: bison.info, Node: Look-Ahead, Next: Shift/Reduce, Up: Algorithm
Look-Ahead Tokens
=================
The Bison parser does _not_ always reduce immediately as soon as the
last N tokens and groupings match a rule. This is because such a
simple strategy is inadequate to handle most languages. Instead, when a
reduction is possible, the parser sometimes "looks ahead" at the next
token in order to decide what to do.
When a token is read, it is not immediately shifted; first it
becomes the "look-ahead token", which is not on the stack. Now the
parser can perform one or more reductions of tokens and groupings on
the stack, while the look-ahead token remains off to the side. When no
more reductions should take place, the look-ahead token is shifted onto
the stack. This does not mean that all possible reductions have been
done; depending on the token type of the look-ahead token, some rules
may choose to delay their application.
Here is a simple case where look-ahead is needed. These three rules
define expressions which contain binary addition operators and postfix
unary factorial operators (`!'), and allow parentheses for grouping.
expr: term '+' expr
| term
;
term: '(' expr ')'
| term '!'
| NUMBER
;
Suppose that the tokens `1 + 2' have been read and shifted; what
should be done? If the following token is `)', then the first three
tokens must be reduced to form an `expr'. This is the only valid
course, because shifting the `)' would produce a sequence of symbols
`term ')'', and no rule allows this.
If the following token is `!', then it must be shifted immediately so
that `2 !' can be reduced to make a `term'. If instead the parser were
to reduce before shifting, `1 + 2' would become an `expr'. It would
then be impossible to shift the `!' because doing so would produce on
the stack the sequence of symbols `expr '!''. No rule allows that
sequence.
The current look-ahead token is stored in the variable `yychar'.
*Note Special Features for Use in Actions: Action Features.
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