A syntax directed processor writing system

Abstract

This paper introduces MPL/1, a processor writing system. It has two components: the MPL/1 language in which the processor specifications are written, and the translator which effects the translation of MPL/1 processor specifications into executable code. We emphasize processor writing system since the target programs produced by the system may do a variety of things, of which compilation is only a special case. There are numerous problems in linguistic analysis, artificial intelligence, data base conversion, and so on, where syntactic analysis and complex programs executed as semantic actions are deeply intertwined. The tasks to be performed usually require the availability of character and bit manipulation, file handing and list processing facilities. Two examples from the authors' field of interest follow.