/S7-Compiler-Lab

S7 Compiler Lab KTU

Primary LanguageC

In the context of lexical analysis and parsing using tools like Flex (Lex) and Bison (Yacc) in C or C++ programs, several predefined identifiers and functions play key roles. Here are explanations for the identifiers you've mentioned:

1. yytext:

  • Explanation: yytext is a character array that holds the text of the most recently matched token by the lexical analyzer (lexer or scanner). In other words, when the lexical analyzer identifies a token in the input, yytext contains the actual characters that make up that token.

2. yyin:

  • Explanation: yyin is a file pointer (of type FILE*) used by the lexical analyzer to read input from a file. By default, it points to the standard input (stdin). However, it can be redirected to read from a different file using the yyin variable. This is useful when you want to parse input from a file rather than from the console.

3. yyparse:

  • Explanation: yyparse is a function generated by Bison (Yacc) that performs the parsing of the input according to the grammar rules specified in the Bison file. It manages the parsing process, including calling the lexer (yylex) to get tokens, handling reduction actions, and constructing the abstract syntax tree (AST) of the input.

4. yylex:

  • Explanation: yylex is a function generated by Flex (Lex) that serves as the lexical analyzer or scanner. It reads characters from the input source (typically yyin), identifies tokens based on the specified regular expressions in the Flex file, and returns the corresponding token to the parser (yyparse). The parser calls yylex to get the next token during the parsing process.

5. yyerror:

  • Explanation: yyerror is a function that can be provided by the user to customize error handling during parsing. When the parser encounters a syntax error, it calls yyerror and passes an error message as an argument. Users often define their own yyerror function to control how error messages are displayed or logged.

In summary, these identifiers and functions are integral to the functioning of the Lex and Yacc tools, providing a framework for building lexical analyzers and parsers for processing structured input based on specified grammar rules.