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authorcolin <colin@cicadas.surf>2023-08-03 06:39:48 -0700
committercolin <colin@cicadas.surf>2023-08-03 06:39:48 -0700
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tree9788c3191ce2d29b694fd7cbd4d30d9b4502ab67 /README.org
parentb0213128f7c0cde618c0c3ca958c6b79f2de4b72 (diff)
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+* Argot: A System For Grammar-Driven Macros
+
+The ~argot~ system provides a macro-defining-macro called
+~deflanguage~. The ~deflanguage~ macro accepts a context-free grammar,
+augmented with parse handlers, and defines a macro whose body is
+parsed and expanded according to that augmented grammar.
+
+** A brief tour
+
+In ~/examples/calc.lisp~ you see the following ~deflanguage~:
+
+#+begin_src lisp
+
+(deflanguage calc (:documentation "A calculator language")
+ (<start>
+ :match (:or
+ (:seq <subexpr> (:eof))
+ (:seq <value> (:eof))
+ (:seq <unop> (:eof))
+ (:seq <binop> (:eof)))
+ :then car)
+ (<expr>
+ :match (:or <subexpr> <value> <unop> <binop>))
+ (<subexpr>
+ :match (:{} calc))
+ (<value>
+ :match (:item)
+ :if numberp)
+ (<binop>
+ :match (:seq
+ (:@ lhs <expr>)
+ (:@ rhs (:+ (:seq (:or= + - / * ^ %) <expr>))))
+ :then (expand-binop lhs rhs))
+ (<unop>
+ :match (:seq (:or= sin cos tan -) <expr>)))
+
+#+end_src
+
+This defines a cacluator language that you can use like so:
+
+#+begin_src lisp
+
+> (calc 1)
+1
+> (calc 1 + 2 + 3)
+6
+> (calc 1 + 2 * 3)
+7
+> (calc (1 + 2) * 3)
+9
+> (calc (1 + 2) * 3 + 1)
+10
+> (calc (1 + 2) * (3 + 1))
+12
+> (calc 2 ^ (2 * (1 + 1)))
+16
+
+#+end_src
+
+The symbol ~calc~ also has a function docstring. If you are in slime,
+you can evoke ~M-x slime-documentation~ with your cursor over the
+~calc~ symbol and see this:
+
+#+begin_src
+
+Documentation for the symbol CALC:
+
+Function:
+ Arglist: (&BODY TOKENS)
+
+ A calculator language
+
+<START> ::= (<SUBEXPR> ::EOF:: | <VALUE> ::EOF:: | <UNOP> ::EOF:: | <BINOP> ::EOF::)
+<EXPR> ::= (<SUBEXPR> | <VALUE> | <UNOP> | <BINOP>)
+<SUBEXPR> ::= {CALC}
+<VALUE> ::= ::TOKEN::
+<BINOP> ::= <EXPR> ('+' | '-' | '/' | '*' | '^' | '%') <EXPR>⁤+
+<UNOP> ::= ('SIN' | 'COS' | 'TAN' | '-') <EXPR>
+
+KEY:
+::TOKEN:: Any ole token
+::EOF:: Explicitly match the end of the input
+{GRAMMAR} Parse a sublist of tokens with GRAMMAR
+(a|b|..) One of the alternavites a b ...
+PATTERN+ One or more PATTERN
+PATTERN* Zero or more PATTERN
+<RULE> A nonterminal symbol - naming a parse rule
+[OPT] Zero or one of OPT
+
+#+end_src
+
+** User Guide
+