* Value Type:: Specifying one data type for all semantic values.
* Multiple Types:: Specifying several alternative data types.
+* Type Generation:: Generating the semantic value type.
* Union Decl:: Declaring the set of all semantic value types.
* Structured Value Type:: Providing a structured semantic value type.
* Actions:: An action is the semantic definition of a grammar rule.
%@}
@end group
-%define api.value.type double
+%define api.value.type @{double@}
%token NUM
%% /* Grammar rules and actions follow. */
groupings (@pxref{Value Type, ,Data Types of Semantic Values}). The Bison
parser will use whatever type @code{api.value.type} is defined as; if you
don't define it, @code{int} is the default. Because we specify
-@code{double}, each token and each expression has an associated value, which
-is a floating point number. C code can use @code{YYSTYPE} to refer to the
-value @code{api.value.type}.
+@samp{@{double@}}, each token and each expression has an associated value,
+which is a floating point number. C code can use @code{YYSTYPE} to refer to
+the value @code{api.value.type}.
Each terminal symbol that is not a single-character literal must be
declared. (Single-character literals normally don't need to be declared.)
global variable @code{yylval}, which is where the Bison parser will look
for it. (The C data type of @code{yylval} is @code{YYSTYPE}, whose value
was defined at the beginning of the grammar via @samp{%define api.value.type
-double}; @pxref{Rpcalc Declarations,,Declarations for @code{rpcalc}}.)
+@{double@}}; @pxref{Rpcalc Declarations,,Declarations for @code{rpcalc}}.)
A token type code of zero is returned if the end-of-input is encountered.
(Bison recognizes any nonpositive value as indicating end-of-input.)
@group
/* Bison declarations. */
-%define api.value.type double
+%define api.value.type @{double@}
%token NUM
%left '-' '+'
%left '*' '/'
%@}
@end group
-@group
-%union @{
- double val; /* For returning numbers. */
- symrec *tptr; /* For returning symbol-table pointers. */
-@}
-@end group
-%token <val> NUM /* Simple double precision number. */
-%token <tptr> VAR FNCT /* Variable and function. */
-%type <val> exp
+%define api.value.type union /* Generate YYSTYPE from these types: */
+%token <double> NUM /* Simple double precision number. */
+%token <symrec*> VAR FNCT /* Symbol table pointer: variable and function. */
+%type <double> exp
@group
%precedence '='
These features allow semantic values to have various data types
(@pxref{Multiple Types, ,More Than One Value Type}).
-The @code{%union} declaration specifies the entire list of possible types;
-this is instead of defining @code{api.value.type}. The allowable types are now
-double-floats (for @code{exp} and @code{NUM}) and pointers to entries in
-the symbol table. @xref{Union Decl, ,The Union Declaration}.
-
-Since values can now have various types, it is necessary to associate a
-type with each grammar symbol whose semantic value is used. These symbols
-are @code{NUM}, @code{VAR}, @code{FNCT}, and @code{exp}. Their
-declarations are augmented with information about their data type (placed
-between angle brackets).
-
-The Bison construct @code{%type} is used for declaring nonterminal
-symbols, just as @code{%token} is used for declaring token types. We
-have not used @code{%type} before because nonterminal symbols are
-normally declared implicitly by the rules that define them. But
-@code{exp} must be declared explicitly so we can specify its value type.
-@xref{Type Decl, ,Nonterminal Symbols}.
+The special @code{union} value assigned to the @code{%define} variable
+@code{api.value.type} specifies that the symbols are defined with their data
+types. Bison will generate an appropriate definition of @code{YYSTYPE} to
+store these values.
+
+Since values can now have various types, it is necessary to associate a type
+with each grammar symbol whose semantic value is used. These symbols are
+@code{NUM}, @code{VAR}, @code{FNCT}, and @code{exp}. Their declarations are
+augmented with their data type (placed between angle brackets). For
+instance, values of @code{NUM} are stored in @code{double}.
+
+The Bison construct @code{%type} is used for declaring nonterminal symbols,
+just as @code{%token} is used for declaring token types. Previously we did
+not use @code{%type} before because nonterminal symbols are normally
+declared implicitly by the rules that define them. But @code{exp} must be
+declared explicitly so we can specify its value type. @xref{Type Decl,
+,Nonterminal Symbols}.
@node Mfcalc Rules
@subsection Grammar Rules for @code{mfcalc}
if (c == '.' || isdigit (c))
@{
ungetc (c, stdin);
- scanf ("%lf", &yylval.val);
+ scanf ("%lf", &yylval.NUM);
return NUM;
@}
@end group
+@end example
+@noindent
+Bison generated a definition of @code{YYSTYPE} with a member named
+@code{NUM} to store value of @code{NUM} symbols.
+
+@comment file: mfcalc.y: 3
+@example
@group
/* Char starts an identifier => read the name. */
if (isalpha (c))
s = getsym (symbuf);
if (s == 0)
s = putsym (symbuf, VAR);
- yylval.tptr = s;
+ *((symrec**) &yylval) = s;
return s->type;
@}
@menu
* Value Type:: Specifying one data type for all semantic values.
* Multiple Types:: Specifying several alternative data types.
+* Type Generation:: Generating the semantic value type.
* Union Decl:: Declaring the set of all semantic value types.
* Structured Value Type:: Providing a structured semantic value type.
* Actions:: An action is the semantic definition of a grammar rule.
@code{api.value.type} like this:
@example
-%define api.value.type double
+%define api.value.type @{double@}
@end example
@noindent
or
@example
-%define api.value.type "struct semantic_type"
+%define api.value.type @{struct semantic_type@}
@end example
The value of @code{api.value.type} should be a type name that does not
Specify the entire collection of possible data types. There are several
options:
@itemize @bullet
+@item
+let Bison compute the union type from the tags you assign to symbols;
+
@item
use the @code{%union} Bison declaration (@pxref{Union Decl, ,The Union
Declaration});
Decl, ,Nonterminal Symbols}).
@end itemize
+@node Type Generation
+@subsection Generating the Semantic Value Type
+@cindex declaring value types
+@cindex value types, declaring
+@findex %define api.value.type union
+
+The special value @code{union} of the @code{%define} variable
+@code{api.value.type} instructs Bison that the tags used with the
+@code{%token} and @code{%type} directives are genuine types, not names of
+members of @code{YYSTYPE}.
+
+For example:
+
+@example
+%define api.value.type union
+%token <int> INT "integer"
+%token <int> 'n'
+%type <int> expr
+%token <char const *> ID "identifier"
+@end example
+
+@noindent
+generates an appropriate value of @code{YYSTYPE} to support each symbol
+type. The name of the member of @code{YYSTYPE} for tokens than have a
+declared identifier @var{id} (such as @code{INT} and @code{ID} above, but
+not @code{'n'}) is @code{@var{id}}. The other symbols have unspecified
+names on which you should not depend; instead, relying on C casts to access
+the semantic value with the appropriate type:
+
+@example
+/* For an "integer". */
+yylval.INT = 42;
+return INT;
+
+/* For an 'n', also declared as int. */
+*((int*)&yylval) = 42;
+return 'n';
+
+/* For an "identifier". */
+yylval.ID = "42";
+return ID;
+@end example
+
+If the @code{%define} variable @code{api.token.prefix} is defined
+(@pxref{%define Summary,,api.token.prefix}), then it is also used to prefix
+the union member names. For instance, with @samp{%define api.token.prefix
+TOK_}:
+
+@example
+/* For an "integer". */
+yylval.TOK_INT = 42;
+return TOK_INT;
+@end example
+
+This Bison extension cannot work if @code{%yacc} (or
+@option{-y}/@option{--yacc}) is enabled, as POSIX mandates that Yacc
+generate tokens as macros (e.g., @samp{#define INT 258}, or @samp{#define
+TOK_INT 258}).
+
+This feature is new, and user feedback would be most welcome.
+
+A similar feature is provided for C++ that in addition overcomes C++
+limitations (that forbid non-trivial objects to be part of a @code{union}):
+@samp{%define api.value.type variant}, see @ref{C++ Variants}.
+
@node Union Decl
@subsection The Union Declaration
@cindex declaring value types
else
@{
$$ = 1;
- fprintf (stderr,
- "Division by zero, l%d,c%d-l%d,c%d",
+ fprintf (stderr, "%d.%d-%d.%d: division by zero",
@@3.first_line, @@3.first_column,
@@3.last_line, @@3.last_column);
@}
else
@{
$$ = 1;
- fprintf (stderr,
- "Division by zero, l%d,c%d-l%d,c%d",
+ fprintf (stderr, "%d.%d-%d.%d: division by zero",
@@3.first_line, @@3.first_column,
@@3.last_line, @@3.last_column);
@}
@example
%union @{ char *string; @}
-%token <string> STRING1
-%token <string> STRING2
-%type <string> string1
-%type <string> string2
+%token <string> STRING1 STRING2
+%type <string> string1 string2
%union @{ char character; @}
%token <character> CHR
%type <character> chr
@example
%union @{ char *string; @}
-%token <string> STRING1
-%token <string> STRING2
-%type <string> string1
-%type <string> string2
+%token <string> STRING1 STRING2
+%type <string> string1 string2
%union @{ char character; @}
%token <character> CHR
%type <character> chr
scanner must use these prefixed token names, while the grammar itself
may still use the short names (as in the sample rule given above). The
generated informational files (@file{*.output}, @file{*.xml},
-@file{*.dot}) are not modified by this prefix. See @ref{Calc++ Parser}
-and @ref{Calc++ Scanner}, for a complete example.
+@file{*.dot}) are not modified by this prefix.
+
+Bison also prefixes the generated member names of the semantic value union.
+@xref{Type Generation,, Generating the Semantic Value Type}, for more
+details.
+
+See @ref{Calc++ Parser} and @ref{Calc++ Scanner}, for a complete example.
@item Accepted Values:
Any string. Should be a valid identifier prefix in the target language,
/* Formatting semantic values. */
%printer @{ fprintf (yyoutput, "%s", $$->name); @} VAR;
%printer @{ fprintf (yyoutput, "%s()", $$->name); @} FNCT;
-%printer @{ fprintf (yyoutput, "%g", $$); @} <val>;
+%printer @{ fprintf (yyoutput, "%g", $$); @} <double>;
@end example
The @code{%define} directive instructs Bison to generate run-time trace
The set of @code{%printer} directives demonstrates how to format the
semantic value in the traces. Note that the specification can be done
either on the symbol type (e.g., @code{VAR} or @code{FNCT}), or on the type
-tag: since @code{<val>} is the type for both @code{NUM} and @code{exp}, this
-printer will be used for them.
+tag: since @code{<double>} is the type for both @code{NUM} and @code{exp},
+this printer will be used for them.
Here is a sample of the information provided by run-time traces. The traces
are sent onto standard error.
@noindent
The previous reduction demonstrates the @code{%printer} directive for
-@code{<val>}: both the token @code{NUM} and the resulting nonterminal
+@code{<double>}: both the token @code{NUM} and the resulting nonterminal
@code{exp} have @samp{1} as value.
@example