From: Richard Cole <rcole@...>
Date: 2005-05-03T15:46:48+09:00
Subject: Re: Thinking of creating a small mini-language-interpreter using Ruby

Glenn Smith wrote:

>Always something I've wanted to write - an interpreter of my own.  Now
>I'm not likely to produce the next 'Ruby', but the recent announcement
>of Fu's 'TAO', and other languages, make me wonder if I could write
>something similar.  Just for me, so to speak.  A bit of fun.
>
>I did look at the possibility of going down the traditional route of
>[F]Lex/Yacc[Bison] and 'C', but it would be nice to write it in Ruby. 
>Alright, it would be one interpreted language interpreting another,
>but as I said, 'a bit of fun'.  That's if two small children and a
>scary wife allow me the time of course!!
>
>I see there are ruby-lex and ruby-yacc modules on RAA - anybody used
>these in anger and are they complete/good-enough?
>
>Has anybody done this kind of thing before?  Not being a) a genius, b)
>Matz, or c) the owner of a fine beard, can anybody recommend any good
>URL's/tutorials/perhaps even books?
>
>I could grow a beard of course...
>  
>
I played a bit with RACC but found the documentation a little terse so I 
wrote a quick description you may find of some small help.

  http://kvo.itee.uq.edu.au/twiki/bin/view/Main/RjBlog41

I think you'll find writing parsers in a YACC like system (e.g. RACC) a 
lot of fun. RACC is much easier to use to YACC/BISON.

regards,

Richard.