Parser function declarations

Quick examples:

parser parse :: Root {
  grammar:one;
  grammar:two;
  some:other:grammar;
}

Parser declarations have three parts: a name for the newly created parse function, the starting nonterminal, and a list of grammar to include in what’s sent to the parser generator.

parser name :: start nonterminal
{
  grammars...;
}

The resulting parse function has type (ParseResult<StartNT> ::= String String). For example, the example parser at the top of this page has type (ParseResult<Root> ::= String String).

The two parameters are (1) the string to actually parse and (2) the name of the “file” being parsed. (e.g. This will appear in the filename attribute of terminal locations.)

ParseResult is a standard library data structure indicating either parseSuccess or parseFailure along with the errors or syntax tree result.

All concrete syntax in the listed grammars in included in what’s sent to the parser generator, including those grammars they export. Silver will use Copper to construct an LALR(1) parser.

Not yet.

By default the layout terminals of the root nonterminal are used as the layout before and after the root nonterminal. This can also be overridden by in the parser declaration block, by specifying e.g. layout { WhiteSpace, Comment }; or layout {};.