Reachability and error diagnosis in LR(1) parsers

Given an LR(1) automaton, what are the states in which an error can be detected? For each such “error state”, what is a minimal input sentence that causes an error in this state? We propose an algorithm that answers these questions. This allows building a collection of pairs of an erroneous input sentence and a (handwritten) diagnostic message, ensuring that this collection covers every error state, and maintaining this property as the grammar evolves. We report on an application of this technique to the CompCert ISO C99 parser, and discuss its strengths and limitations. Categories and Subject Descriptors D.3.4 [Programming Languages]: Processors—Parsing Keywords Compilers, parsing, error diagnosis, reachability

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2016
• Where: CC
• Authors: François Pottier
• Keywords: CC 2016, System Software