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Extended C Language Editor in XText [message #644579]

Mon, 13 December 2010 11:01

Salman

Messages: 2
Registered: December 2010

Junior Member

Hi,

I want to create a text editor which supports syntax highlighting, Outline view etc for a extended version of C language. I have some questions related to XText which are as follows;
1. I need to ask whether it is possible to use XText for creating such type of text Editor?
2. It will take a lot of time to write gammer for C Langauge and then for the extended keywords. Is there any way that I can import the existing grammer of C Language into my xtext DSL?

thanks and regards,
Salman.

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Re: Extended C Language Editor in XText [message #644583 is a reply to message #644579]

Mon, 13 December 2010 11:12

Meinte Boersma

Messages: 434
Registered: July 2009
Location: Leiden, Netherlands

Senior Member

1. Yes. provided the language can be parsed using a (context-free) LL(*) parser.
2. Direct import is not supported and Xtext uses its own grammar definition language which combines productions with definition of/binding to the Semantic Model.

There are C grammars out there and if they happen to use a definition language which you can parse (using Xtext or not), then you might very well be able to generate the required Xtext grammar from there. Be sure to start implementing the grammar with a small, but representative part of that C-language though as else you'll undoubtedly run into the "unknown unknowns" much later on. And be sure to get a good understanding of Xtext as such as it's a little different from standard parser generators since it deals with all kinds of aspects at once.

Xtext blogs: executable models...again? | workshop material | custom scoping with Xtend

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Re: Extended C Language Editor in XText [message #644587 is a reply to message #644583]

Mon, 13 December 2010 11:54

Salman

Messages: 2
Registered: December 2010

Junior Member

thank you Meinte for your response.

Well what I understood from your reponse is that I have to understand the existing C language grammer and then convert it into the DSL of XText.
For example I have found the following grammer for C++ and according to you I have to transform it into DSL in Xtext. Please correct me if I am wrong.
http://www.csci.csusb.edu/dick/c++std/cd2/gram.html

I am also assuming that there is no other way to import the C language grammer into DSL in XText.

thanks and regards,
Salman.

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Re: Extended C Language Editor in XText [message #644588 is a reply to message #644587]

Mon, 13 December 2010 12:16

Meinte Boersma

Messages: 434
Registered: July 2009
Location: Leiden, Netherlands

Senior Member

Again: there are no importing facilities for importing complete, pre-existing grammars (in some other grammar def. language) into Xtext.

What you'll have to consider when picking up an existing grammar (e.g., the one you linked):

Is it actually an LL(*)-parsable language? This rules out left recursion as in the C++ one.
How big is the conceptual distance between a grammar "just for parsing" (as the C++ one) and a grammar which actually produces a model (tree/attribute grammar)?

E.g., I see many productions in the C++ grammar which are just aliases for terminal rules (mostly identifier). This makes no sense in an Xtext grammar, as you'd most like transform this into an assignment like

namespaceName=ID

or something. You'll have to understand both the C(++)-language and both grammar languages quite well to be able to do this. It's certainly possible (and done before), but prepare to dig in into all these aspects.

Xtext blogs: executable models...again? | workshop material | custom scoping with Xtend

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