Programmers run into parsing problems all the time. Whether it's a data
format like JSON, a network protocol like SMTP, a server configuration
file for Apache, a PostScript/PDF file, or a simple spreadsheet macro
language--ANTLR v4 and this book will demystify the process. ANTLR v4
has been rewritten from scratch to make it easier than ever to build
parsers and the language applications built on top. This completely
rewritten new edition of the bestselling Definitive ANTLR Reference
shows you how to take advantage of these new features.
Build your own languages with ANTLR v4, using ANTLR's new advanced
parsing technology. In this book, you'll learn how ANTLR automatically
builds a data structure representing the input (parse tree) and
generates code that can walk the tree (visitor). You can use that
combination to implement data readers, language interpreters, and
translators.
You'll start by learning how to identify grammar patterns in language
reference manuals and then slowly start building increasingly complex
grammars. Next, you'll build applications based upon those grammars by
walking the automatically generated parse trees. Then you'll tackle some
nasty language problems by parsing files containing more than one
language (such as XML, Java, and Javadoc). You'll also see how to take
absolute control over parsing by embedding Java actions into the
grammar.
You'll learn directly from well-known parsing expert Terence Parr, the
ANTLR creator and project lead. You'll master ANTLR grammar construction
and learn how to build language tools using the built-in parse tree
visitor mechanism. The book teaches using real-world examples and shows
you how to use ANTLR to build such things as a data file reader, a JSON
to XML translator, an R parser, and a Java class->interface extractor.
This book is your ticket to becoming a parsing guru!
What You Need:
ANTLR 4.0 and above. Java development tools. Ant build system
optional(needed for building ANTLR from source)
