Attribute grammars and data-flow languages

Abstract

This paper examines the similarity between attribute grammars and data-flow languages. For any attribute grammar there is a data-flow program that is an evaluator for it, and we describe how to build this data-flow program. The design of semantic functions for an attribute grammar is seen to be a problem of programming in a data-flow language. Reinterpreting our experience writing attribute grammars, we suggest some techniques to use in data-flow programming and propose language features that will support them. We also propose using data-flow notation to specify the semantic functions of attribute grammars and implementing attribute evaluators in a data-flow language.