Abstract

In combinator parsing, the text of parsers resembles BNF notation. We present the basic method, and a number of extensions. We address the special problems presented by white-- space, and parsers with separate lexical and syntactic phases. In particular, a combining form for handling the "offside rule" is given. Other extensions to the basic method include an "into" combining form with many useful applications, and a simple means by which combinator parsers can produce more informative error messages. 1 Introduction Broadly speaking, a parser may be defined as a program which analyses text to determine its logical structure. For example, the parsing phase in a compiler takes a program text, and produces a parse tree which expounds the structure of the program. Many programs can be improved by having their input parsed. The form of input which is acceptable is usually defined by a context--free grammar, using BNF notation. Parsers themselves may be built by hand, but are most often ge...

Citations

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