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The Definitive ANTLR Reference: Building Domain-Specific Languages (Pragmatic Programmers)
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The Definitive ANTLR Reference: Building Domain-Specific Languages (Pragmatic Programmers) |
Author: Terence Parr
Published: 2007-05-17 |
List price: $36.95
Our price: $24.39
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As of: December 03rd, 2008 05:53:01 PM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 Readable
I have just finished reading the ANTLR ref book and I thought it was helpful, yes I also agree that it was a bit too much Java being more of a C++/C# person but I am not that picky. The one thing that I didn't like with the book was the structure. The four last chapters contain the actual theory, and one chapter in the middle was the reference. I didn't like this, it didn't feel natural. I would have liked to have the theory first and then gotten on with the details, building upon examples with increasing complexity (preferably not only in Java ;-). Also the index wasn't good, it should have been more detailed. e.g. where can I find what input.LT(1) means?
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br /A good thing was there exists a mailing list and of course the website which helps to fill the holes that book unfortunately sometimes leaves.
 An excellent book for developing language translators, especially for Java programmers
The book of Terence Parr describes his ANTLR LL top-down parser generator
br /very clearly and with outstanding academic style of presentation.
br /The ANTLR tool is powerful, I like to use it, since it easier to use and
br /more well documented (with the Parr's book) than the alternative javacc tool
br /or the traditional lex/yacc/bison tools.
br /Shortly, I strongly recommend the Terence's book to both the
br /industrial programmers/developers and to the academic community.
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 For Sun fans only
This book very thoroughly documents the ANTLR parser generator, but it does so with a Java bias that is so strong it excludes all of the other languages ANTLR supports. This makes sense on some level since ANTLR is a Java tool written by a Java developer, but for those of us who have an equally strong bias AGAINST Java the example code can best be described as nap inducing.
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br /If you want to use ANTLR with C or Python or any other language, stick to the free documentation on the web.
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Must read for anyone planning to do anything with parsers
ANTLR is pretty much the de facto tool when it comes to writing parsers. In this book Terence Parr has given a really nice and detailed guide to ANTLR 3. Usually a reference book is pretty dry, but not this one. Terence has a nice, relaxed writing style which makes this a very easy read. Also it has lots of examples to guide you along the way.
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br /A must read for anyone planning to work with ANTLR, write parsers or just wanting to get an insight into parsing theory.
A Perfectly Pragmatic Guide!
If you have any interest in compiler design, building translators, building intelligent editors, code generation, understanding what goes into building your own computer language, or just how to use ANTLR v3 then you may want to get a copy of this book.
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br /This book is all about ANTLR. ANTLR is a tool you can use to build compilers and interpreters for computer languages, but don't let that scare you off. With the increasing interest in domain specific languages, bulding intelligent editors, code generation, and model driven development books like this are becoming ever more important. Terence Parr has made the topic far more approachable than any other book I have read (or attempted to read) on the topic.
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br /In the first few chapters the author walks readers through the phases of parser construction using language that is approachable and easy to understand. He explains the needed principles and demonstrates their application with well chosen examples.
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br /This is followed by a quick tour of how one might use ANTLR. I love the approach taken in this chapter as it takes a small example and shows two different ways to approach the problem using ANTLR. This is coupled with explanations describing when you want to use one approach over another.
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br /The middle section of the book goes into depth on the various aspects of ANTLR. This is the reference section. Don't expect to be able to read these chapters one after another in quick succession. There's just too much to take in all at once!
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br /The text is littered with references both forward and back to other sections and topics of interest. You can tell the author has spent a lot of time working with compiler construction by the breadth and depth of information presented. I really liked the motivating examples he gives for certain ANTLR features such as the need to emit imaginary tokens when lexing python (see page 94 in chapter 4).
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br /The first chapter of part three of the book delves into the depths of the parsing algorithm used in ANTLR since you will need to understand it when you run into parsing errors and need to make sense of them.
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br /The remaining chapters are devoted to ways to deal with the problems you may run into when trying to parse various language constructs.
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br /This book has left a very lasting impression on me. I can visualize what goes into an editor like eclipse more fully. I no longer feel that the topic of abstract syntax trees is above my head and I feel I am better equipped to tackle the dragon book. I also understand why lisp programmers say that lisp has no syntax (take a look at the serialized form of the AST from chapter 3 on page 62, it looks like a bunch of s-expressions!).
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br /One more note: ANTLR itself is a domain specific language (DSL) and serves as a prime example of how a DSL can greatly increase the clarity of the solution to a problem if the solution is described in terms native to the problem domain. (I think that's what the folks in the lisp camp have been saying for a long time.) ANTLR helps show the value of having DSLs and this book shows how easy it can be to write one!
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