.mh "Introduction"
'Stacc' is a simple parser generator designed to reduce the effort
involved in building recursive-descent parsers employing one-symbol
lookahead.
Its development was motivated by two things:
(1) the desire to reduce human time and effort involved in writing
and maintaining the large number of parsers in use at Georgia Tech;
(2) the need for a portable SSPL compiler for microprocessor
software development work.
'Stacc's design and implementation were heavily influenced by
the parser generator 'yacc' written at Bell Labs and the
GTL Syntax Parser written for the Burroughs B5500.
.pp
This document is divided into three parts:
a tutorial for new users of 'stacc', a summary of syntax and
semantics for reference, and applications notes for serious users
and new users desiring more substantial examples.
The reader is presumed to have a reading knowledge of Ratfor,
which is used for all examples, and some general idea of how to
redirect standard input and output in the Subsystem command
language.
.sp
.ce
WARNING
.sp
The present version of 'stacc' is a bootstrap version which may
change slightly in the near future, particularly when 'stacc' is
rewritten by 'stacc'.