What is TinyPG and how does it work?

Question

What is TinyPG and how does it work? I know its a "compiler-compiler" but how do I get started and create my own compiler in C#?

Answer 1

I've understood approximately how you use it, and here's a brief.

TinyPG is a complete compiler-compiler IDE, with a Windows GUI for RegExp, EBNF and C#/VB. The following outlines the procedure of developing your own "compiler" within TinyPG:

You define Terminals using Regular Expressions.

• You write these ReyExps within TinyPG, which basically extracts tokens from the input source code.
• RegExps are natively supported in .NET which means that even your generated "compiler" code uses .NET's RegExps.

You define Non-terminals and parser rules in Extended BNF meta-syntax.

• You write EBNF within TinyPG, to describe the language of your choice.
• Some free BNF Grammers that describe modern programming languages.

You define the compiler in Managed code.

• You write C#/VB code within TinyPG, to convert the tokens into an output of your choice.
• One C#/VB code block per BNF grammer rule only.
• TinyPG can compile and run your "tokenizer + parser + complier" using the commandline compiler.

TinyPG generates C# code for your new "compiler".

• Generates a parse-tree from inputted source code, using your RegEx along with your EBNF.
• Translates this parse-tree into an output, using your C#/VB code.

You develop the front-end of your compiler in C# or VB.NET.

• A basic front end would invoke the generated C# classes with an input file, and display the output.

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To begin, you can open the "simple expression2.tpg" file within the provided Samples of TinyPG to see a demo of a calculator "compiler".