Alternating semantic evaluator

Abstract

In order to make the use of attribute grammars practical in (automatic) compiler generation, restricted attribute grammars are introduced. A membership test is given which determines whether a given attribute grammar satisfies the required restrictions. The major advantage of the restricted attribute grammars is that they are non-circular. The given membership test can be embedded in a compiler writing system which accepts an attribute grammar as input and outputs a compiler for the associated language provided the grammar meets the restrictions. The technique is also applicable to translation grammars of [15]. It is assumed that the reader is familiar with context free grammars but not necessarily with attribute grammars.