Bison

Bison

Bison is a general-purpose parser generator that converts an annotated context-free grammar into a deterministic LR or generalized LR (GLR) parser employing LALR(1) parser tables.
Bison screenshot

Bison: General-Purpose Parser Generator

A software tool for converting annotated context-free grammars into deterministic LR or GLR parsers, utilizing LALR(1) parser tables

What is Bison?

Bison is a parser generator that is commonly used with Flex to develop compilers and interpreters. It takes as input a context-free grammar specification with embedded actions and generates LALR(1) parser code in C, C++, or Java.

Some key features of Bison include:

  • Generates deterministic LALR(1) parsers
  • Supports disambiguating rules in the grammar to handle shift/reduce and reduce/reduce conflicts
  • Generates a parser usable as a C/C++ library
  • The parser interacts with user code by invoking actions at grammar rule matches
  • Can integrate with the Lex lexer generator Flex
  • Supports parser debugging through traces

Bison is well suited for recognizing and processing complex syntax. It is used to develop the parsers in many popular compilers and interpreters. The combination of Bison and Flex provides a robust parser development framework used by many large open source projects.

Bison Features

Features

  1. Generates parsers for context-free grammars
  2. Supports LALR(1) and GLR parsing
  3. Allows for extensive customization and control over the parser generation
  4. Generates efficient and fast parsers
  5. Provides error handling and recovery mechanisms
  6. Supports semantic actions and abstract syntax trees

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Powerful and flexible parser generation

Generates efficient and fast parsers

Extensive customization options

Widely used and well-documented

Cons

Steep learning curve for beginners

Requires understanding of context-free grammars and parsing concepts

Generates low-level C code that may require additional integration work

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