Talk:Metasyntax

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Merge "Metasyntax" stub into "Metalanguage" article?[edit]

Should this stub be mergerd into the Metalanguage article, or does this precise topic warrant an article of its own?

Stephan Leeds (talk) 13:13, 26 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Metacompiler metalanguage syntax[edit]

META II and its descendants are different then BNF metalanguages. They are programming languages. What is called non terminals in BNF are rules in these languages. A rule is a boolean function returning success or failure. A syntax rule is a test as are strings and symbols. Tokens, symbols and strings, would be terminals. However in CWIC you have programmed token rules.

syntax = $(rule \ char_class \ token);

id     .. let $(let | dgt | '_');
string .. '"' $(~'"') '"' MAKESTR[];

rule      = id "=" sequence ";" :RULE!2 gen_code[*1];
sequence  = test_seq (("\" backtrack:BCK|"/":ALT alternant)!2|.EMPTY);
backtrack = test_seq ("\" backtrack:BCK!2|.EMPTY);
alternant = test_seq ( "/" alternant:ALT!2|.EMPTY);
test_seq  = "(" sequence ")" | <(test | action) $(test | action)>;
test      = string | rule_call;
rule_call = id:CALL ("[" <arg_list> "]"!2 | !1);
action    = (":" id:NODE | "!" number:TREE | "<" sequence ">":LIST)!1;

A symbol or identifier is defined by a token '..' rule. Even let and dgt in the id token rule are defined by a character class rule. SYNTAX and TOKEN rules are boolean functions returning success or failure. Character class rule define tests that are used in other rules. Generally inline code.

dgt: '0'|'1'|'2'|'3'|'4'|'5'|'6'|'7'|'8'|'9';

These metasyntax metalanguages do not fit the description in artical. Steamerandy (talk) 21:42, 13 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]