One problem you will need to think about that I think nobody else has pointed out yet is that mathematics, as conventionally written, is ambiguous. For example, if you get an expression like b(x+1), it may not be clear whether the intent is to multiply the quantity b by x+1 or to give x+1 as an argument to the function b. Mathematicians use two things to determine which case holds: One is information from the surrounding mathematical context; if b has been previously described as being a function, then you know the second interpretation is correct. Making use of contextual details is tricky in a parser. The other thing the mathematicians look at is subtle typographical distinctions, which aren't available to you here.

Computer languages get around this by requiring explicit multiplication symbols: The expression above becomes b*(x+1) if multiplication is intended. Your example above indicates that you want implicit multiplication, and that can be very tricky. If you see something like y = mx, how will you know how to parse it? Is mx one variable, or is it the product of m and x? These are the sorts of side problems that you'll have to solve to build a parser that works the way you want it to.

You might want to consider first writing a parser for a simpler and less ambiguous language---say, arithmetic expressions involving only numerals, with explicit multiplication. Once you have some experience solving the simple problem, you can go back and embellish it to handle more complex expressions.

--
Mark Dominus
Perl Paraphernalia

In reply to Re: Seeking Advice: Writing a parser by Dominus
in thread Seeking Advice: Writing a parser by Flame

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