Declarative Syntax Definition

We investigate formalisms for the declarative definition of the syntax of programming languages and parsing algorithms to support these formalisms. The results are embodied in the syntax definition formalism SDF3, which is integrated in the Spoofax language workbench.

Research themes

Declarative disambiguation rules
Error recovery
Generalized LR parsing
Scannerless parsing
Incremental parsing
Templates for the derivation of pretty-printers

Blog Posts | Slides | Talk Videos

Towards Zero-Overhead Disambiguation of Deep Priority Conflicts at Programming 2018
Automated Evaluation of Syntax Error Recovery at ASE 2012
Pure and Declarative Syntax Definition: Paradise Lost and Regained at Onward 2010

Publications

2018

2017

Deep priority conflicts in the wild: a pilot studyLuis Eduardo de Souza Amorim, Michael J. Steindorfer, Eelco Visser. SLE 2017: 55-66 [doi]

2016

Principled syntactic code completion using placeholdersLuis Eduardo de Souza Amorim, Sebastian Erdweg, Guido Wachsmuth, Eelco Visser. SLE 2016: 163-175 [doi]

2012

2011

An Algorithm for Layout Preservation in Refactoring TransformationsMaartje de Jonge, Eelco Visser. SLE 2011: 40-59 [doi]

2010

Preventing injection attacks with syntax embeddingsMartin Bravenboer, Eelco Dolstra, Eelco Visser. SCP, 75(7):473-495, 2010. [doi]
Pure and declarative syntax definition: paradise lost and regainedLennart C. L. Kats, Eelco Visser, Guido Wachsmuth. OOPSLA 2010: 918-932 [doi]

2009

2008

Grammar Engineering Support for Precedence Rule Recovery and Compatibility CheckingEric Bouwers, Martin Bravenboer, Eelco Visser. ENTCS, 203(2):85-101, 2008. [doi]

2007

2006

Declarative, formal, and extensible syntax definition for AspectJMartin Bravenboer, Éric Tanter, Eelco Visser. OOPSLA 2006: 209-228 [doi]

2004

Concrete syntax for objects: domain-specific language embedding and assimilation without restrictionsMartin Bravenboer, Eelco Visser. OOPSLA 2004: 365-383 [doi]

2003

Adding Concrete Syntax to a Prolog-Based Program Synthesis System (Extended Abstract)Bernd Fischer, Eelco Visser. LOPSTR 2004: 56-58 [doi]

2002

Meta-programming with Concrete Object SyntaxEelco Visser. GPCE 2002: 299-315 [doi]

1997

Scannerless Generalized-LR ParsingEelco Visser. Technical Report P9707, 1997.
Syntax Definition for Language PrototypingEelco Visser. PhD thesis, University of Amsterdam, September 1997.