Full LR(1) parser generator Hyacc and study on the performance of LR(1) algorithms

Abstract

Despite the popularity of LALR(1) parser generators such as Yacc/Bison and LL parser generators such as ANTLR, robust and effective LR(1) parser generators are rare due to expensive performance and implementation difficulty. This work employed relevant algorithms, including the Knuth canonical algorithm, Pager's practical general method, lane-tracing algorithm, unit production elimination algorithm and its extension, and the edgepushing algorithm, implemented an efficient, practical and Yacc/Bison-compatible open-source parser generator Hyacc, which supports full LR(0)/LALR(1)/LR(1) and partial LR(k). Based on the implementation, an empirical study was conducted comparing different LR(1) parser generation algorithms and LALR(1) algorithms. The result shows that LR(1) parser generation based upon improved algorithms and carefully selected data structures can be sufficiently efficient to be of practical use with modern computing facilities.

A Drop-in Replacement for LR(1) Table-Driven Parsing

“…Language designers tend to target LALR(1) acceptability rather than LR(1) parsers. Recent work by McPeak [34] and Chen and Pager [35] explores the effective implementation of LR(1) parsers and addresses the concerns noted earlier.…”