Automatic Generation of Language-based Tools

Many tools have been constructed using different formal methods to process various parts of a language specification (e.g., scanner generators, parser generators and compiler generators). The automatic generation of a complete compiler was the primary goal of such systems, but researchers recognized the possibility that many other language-based tools could be generated from formal language specifications. Such tools can be generated automatically whenever they can be described by a generic fixed part that traverses the appropriate data structures generated by a specific variable part, which can be systematically derivable from the language specifications. This paper identifies generic and specific parts for various language-based tools. Several language-based tools are presented in the paper, which are automatically generated using an attribute grammar-based compiler generator called LISA. The generated tools that are described in the paper include editors, inspectors, debuggers and ...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2002
• Where: ENTCS
• Authors: Pedro Rangel Henriques, Maria João Varanda Pereira, Marjan Mernik, Mitja Lenic, Enis Avdicausevic, Viljem Zumer
• Keywords: Compiler Generator, ENTCS 2002, Language Specifications, Language-based Tools