X-Git-Url: https://git.saurik.com/bison.git/blobdiff_plain/f3bc338643cf15f345fa3a63811bd92869a42b89..d0a304384f4207bdf7f8b1038c2226c312f5e954:/doc/bison.texi

diff --git a/doc/bison.texi b/doc/bison.texi
index 674aef70..3b9f2da2 100644
--- a/doc/bison.texi
+++ b/doc/bison.texi
@@ -298,6 +298,7 @@ Handling Context Dependencies
 Debugging Your Parser
 
 * Understanding::     Understanding the structure of your parser.
+* Graphviz::          Getting a visual representation of the parser.
 * Tracing::           Tracing the execution of your parser.
 
 Tracing Your Parser
@@ -5479,7 +5480,7 @@ The parser namespace is @code{foo} and @code{yylex} is referenced as
 @findex %define api.location.type
 
 @itemize @bullet
-@item Language(s): C++
+@item Language(s): C++, Java
 
 @item Purpose: Define the location type.
 @xref{User Defined Location Type}.
@@ -8422,6 +8423,7 @@ automaton, and how to enable and understand the parser run-time traces.
 
 @menu
 * Understanding::     Understanding the structure of your parser.
+* Graphviz::          Getting a visual representation of the parser.
 * Tracing::           Tracing the execution of your parser.
 @end menu
 
@@ -8838,6 +8840,114 @@ precedence of @samp{/} with respect to @samp{+}, @samp{-}, and
 @samp{*}, but also because the
 associativity of @samp{/} is not specified.
 
+@c ================================================= Graphical Representation
+
+@node Graphviz
+@section Visualizing Your Parser
+@cindex dot
+
+As another means to gain better understanding of the shift/reduce
+automaton corresponding to the Bison parser, a DOT file can be generated. Note
+that debugging a real grammar with this is tedious at best, and impractical
+most of the times, because the generated files are huge (the generation of
+a PDF or PNG file from it will take very long, and more often than not it will
+fail due to memory exhaustion). This option was rather designed for beginners,
+to help them understand LR parsers.
+
+This file is generated when the @option{--graph} option is specified (see
+@pxref{Invocation, , Invoking Bison}).  Its name is made by removing
+@samp{.tab.c} or @samp{.c} from the parser implementation file name, and
+adding @samp{.dot} instead.  If the grammar file is @file{foo.y}, the
+Graphviz output file is called @file{foo.dot}.
+
+The following grammar file, @file{rr.y}, will be used in the sequel:
+
+@example
+%%
+@group
+exp: a ";" | b ".";
+a: "0";
+b: "0";
+@end group
+@end example
+
+The graphical output is very similar to the textual one, and as such it is
+easier understood by making direct comparisons between them. See
+@ref{Debugging, , Debugging Your Parser} for a detailled analysis of the
+textual report.
+
+@subheading Graphical Representation of States
+
+The items (pointed rules) for each state are grouped together in graph nodes.
+Their numbering is the same as in the verbose file. See the following points,
+about transitions, for examples
+
+When invoked with @option{--report=lookaheads}, the lookahead tokens, when
+needed, are shown next to the relevant rule between square brackets as a
+comma separated list. This is the case in the figure for the representation of
+reductions, below.
+
+@sp 1
+
+The transitions are represented as directed edges between the current and
+the target states.
+
+@subheading Graphical Representation of Shifts
+
+Shifts are shown as solid arrows, labelled with the lookahead token for that
+shift. The following describes a reduction in the @file{rr.output} file:
+
+@example
+@group
+state 3
+
+    1 exp: a . ";"
+
+    ";"  shift, and go to state 6
+@end group
+@end example
+
+A Graphviz rendering of this portion of the graph could be:
+
+@center @image{figs/example-shift, 100pt}
+
+@subheading Graphical Representation of Reductions
+
+Reductions are shown as solid arrows, leading to a diamond-shaped node
+bearing the number of the reduction rule. The arrow is labelled with the
+appropriate comma separated lookahead tokens. If the reduction is the default
+action for the given state, there is no such label.
+
+This is how reductions are represented in the verbose file @file{rr.output}:
+@example
+state 1
+
+    3 a: "0" .  [";"]
+    4 b: "0" .  ["."]
+
+    "."       reduce using rule 4 (b)
+    $default  reduce using rule 3 (a)
+@end example
+
+A Graphviz rendering of this portion of the graph could be:
+
+@center @image{figs/example-reduce, 120pt}
+
+When unresolved conflicts are present, because in deterministic parsing
+a single decision can be made, Bison can arbitrarily choose to disable a
+reduction, see @ref{Shift/Reduce, , Shift/Reduce Conflicts}.  Discarded actions
+are distinguished by a red filling color on these nodes, just like how they are
+reported between square brackets in the verbose file.
+
+The reduction corresponding to the rule number 0 is the acceptation state. It
+is shown as a blue diamond, labelled "Acc".
+
+@subheading Graphical representation of go tos
+
+The @samp{go to} jump transitions are represented as dotted lines bearing
+the name of the rule being jumped to.
+
+@c ================================================= Tracing
 
 @node Tracing
 @section Tracing Your Parser
@@ -9923,7 +10033,7 @@ to generate the @file{master/position.hh} and @file{master/location.hh}
 files, reused by other parsers as follows:
 
 @example
-%define location_type "master::location"
+%define api.location.type "master::location"
 %code requires @{ #include <master/location.hh> @}
 @end example
 
@@ -10812,11 +10922,11 @@ class defines a @dfn{position}, a single point in a file; Bison itself
 defines a class representing a @dfn{location}, a range composed of a pair of
 positions (possibly spanning several files).  The location class is an inner
 class of the parser; the name is @code{Location} by default, and may also be
-renamed using @samp{%define location_type "@var{class-name}"}.
+renamed using @code{%define api.location.type "@var{class-name}"}.
 
 The location class treats the position as a completely opaque value.
 By default, the class name is @code{Position}, but this can be changed
-with @samp{%define position_type "@var{class-name}"}.  This class must
+with @code{%define api.position.type "@var{class-name}"}.  This class must
 be supplied by the user.
 
 
@@ -10978,7 +11088,7 @@ In both cases, the scanner has to implement the following methods.
 @deftypemethod {Lexer} {void} yyerror (Location @var{loc}, String @var{msg})
 This method is defined by the user to emit an error message.  The first
 parameter is omitted if location tracking is not active.  Its type can be
-changed using @samp{%define location_type "@var{class-name}".}
+changed using @code{%define api.location.type "@var{class-name}".}
 @end deftypemethod
 
 @deftypemethod {Lexer} {int} yylex ()
@@ -10996,7 +11106,7 @@ Return respectively the first position of the last token that
 @code{yylex} returned, and the first position beyond it.  These
 methods are not needed unless location tracking is active.
 
-The return type can be changed using @samp{%define position_type
+The return type can be changed using @code{%define api.position.type
 "@var{class-name}".}
 @end deftypemethod
 
@@ -11258,10 +11368,11 @@ comma-separated list.  Default is @code{java.io.IOException}.
 @xref{Java Scanner Interface}.
 @end deffn
 
-@deffn {Directive} {%define location_type} "@var{class}"
+@deffn {Directive} {%define api.location.type} "@var{class}"
 The name of the class used for locations (a range between two
 positions).  This class is generated as an inner class of the parser
 class by @command{bison}.  Default is @code{Location}.
+Formerly named @code{location_type}.
 @xref{Java Location Values}.
 @end deffn
 
@@ -11276,9 +11387,10 @@ The name of the parser class.  Default is @code{YYParser} or
 @xref{Java Bison Interface}.
 @end deffn
 
-@deffn {Directive} {%define position_type} "@var{class}"
+@deffn {Directive} {%define api.position.type} "@var{class}"
 The name of the class used for positions. This class must be supplied by
 the user.  Default is @code{Position}.
+Formerly named @code{position_type}.
 @xref{Java Location Values}.
 @end deffn
 
@@ -12577,7 +12689,8 @@ London, Department of Computer Science, TR-00-12 (December 2000).
 @c LocalWords: getLVal defvar deftypefn deftypefnx gotos msgfmt Corbett LALR's
 @c LocalWords: subdirectory Solaris nonassociativity perror schemas Malloy ints
 @c LocalWords: Scannerless ispell american ChangeLog smallexample CSTYPE CLTYPE
-@c LocalWords: clval CDEBUG cdebug deftypeopx yyterminate
+@c LocalWords: clval CDEBUG cdebug deftypeopx yyterminate LocationType
+@c LocalWords: errorVerbose
 
 @c Local Variables:
 @c ispell-dictionary: "american"