Attribute Grammars Prabhaker Mateti ACK: Assembled from many sources

About Attribute Grammars Attribute grammars (AGs) add semantic info on parse tree nodes Used for semantic checking and other compile-time analyses, e.g., type checking in a compiler Used for translation, e.g., parse tree to assembly code A traversal of the parse tree and the computation of information. CS7842

Attribute Grammars: Definition An attribute grammar is a context-free grammar G = (S, N, T, P) with the following additions. For each terminal and non-terminal X, disjoint sets S(X) synthesized attributes and I(X) inherited attributes: – A(X) = S(X) ∪ I(X) X0 ::= X1... Xn S(X0) = f(I(X0), A(X1),..., A(Xn)) I(Xj) = g(A(X0),..., A(Xn)) – depends on the attribute value at parent and those of siblings. Each rule has a set of predicates/ conditions to check for attribute consistency: P( A(X0), A(X1), A(X2), …, A(Xn) ) CS7843

Example-1: Binary Numbers 1.N ::= 0 2.N ::= 1 3.N ::= N 0 4.N ::= N 1 CFGs do not provide semantics. CGGs provide only syntax, that too without context-sensitive details 1.N.val:= 0 2.N.val:= 1 3.N.val:= 2*N.rhs.val 4.N.val:= 2*N.rhs.val+1 N.val is an attribute associated with node N of the parse tree N.rhs Node corresponding to the rhs Synthesized Attributes CS7844

Example-2: Type Checking 1.E ::= n 2.E ::= x 3.E ::= E1 + E2 4.E ::= E1 * E2 Semantics we wish to add – n is an int, x is a real. – op + returns an int if both the operands are int, otherwise a real. 1.E.type := int 2.E.type := real 3.if E1.type = E2.type then E.type := E1.type else E.type := real fi Item 3 derived version of the semantics Static semantics CS7845

Example-3: Assignment Arithmetic stm ::= var := exp | stm; stm exp ::= var + var | var var ::= A | B | C synthesized actual-type for var and exp inherited expected-type for exp lookup (var.string) a helper function; gives the actual type of A, B, C exp ::= var1 + var2 – subscripts added exp.actual-type := var1.actual-type exp.expected-type – from parent in the parse tree Predicates: – var1.actual-type == var2.actual-type – exp.expected-type == exp.actual-type – var ::= A | B | C var.actual-type := lookup (var.string) CS7846

Inherited Attributes Example Declaration and Use { int i, j, k; i := i + j + j; } assign ::= var := exp – env: environment – var.env := assign.env – exp.env := assign.env CS7847

8 Information Flow inherited synthesized... computed available available

Attribute Value Computation If all attributes were inherited, the tree could be decorated in top-down order. Inherited Attributes pass information – down the parse tree, or – from left siblings to the right siblings If all attributes were synthesized, the tree could be decorated in bottom-up order. Synthesized Attributes pass information up the parse tree In many cases, both kinds of attributes are used, and it is some combination of top-down and bottom-up that must be used. Initially, there are intrinsic attributes on the leaves If a condition in a tree evaluates to false, an error occurs. CS7849

Prolog for Example-2 1.type(n, int). 2.type(x, real). 3.type(+(E, F), T) :- type(E, T), type(F, T). 4.type(+(E, F), real) :- type(E, T1), type(F, T2), T1 \= T2. 5. Type Checking ?- type(+(n, x), real). 6. Type Inference ?- type(+(n, x), T). (Definite Clause Grammars) CS78410

Example-4: Fractions in Binary 1.F ::=. N 2.N ::= 0 3.N ::= 1 4.N ::= 0 N 5.N ::= 1 N Synthesized: val, value Inherited: pow, the number of bits between left of a non-terminal and the binary point Nr: N-right, Nl: N-left 1: F.val:= N.val; N.pow:= 1 2: N.val := 0 3: N.val := (1/2^N.pow) 4: Nl.val := Nr.val 4: Nr.pow := 1 + Nl.pow 5: Nl.Val := Nr.val+(1/2^N.pow) 5: Nr.pow := 1 + Nl.pow CS78411

Ex4: Synthesized Attributes Only Binary Fractions, same grammar as before: 1.F ::=. N 2.N ::= 0 3.N ::= 1 4.N ::= 0 N 5.N ::= 1 N Alternate computation based on synthesized attribute val only 1: F.val := N.val / 2 2: N.val := 0 3: N.val := 1 4: N.val := N.val / 2 5: N.val := N.val / CS78412

Example-5: Distinct Identifiers Compute the number of distinct identifiers in a straight-line program. Semantics specified in terms of sets of identifiers. Attributes – var  id – exp  ids – stm  ids  num CS78413

Example-5: Distinct Identifiers exp::= var – exp.ids = { var.id } exp::= exp1 + exp2 – exp.ids = exp1.ids U exp2.ids stm::= var:= exp – stm.ids = { var.id } U exp.ids – stm.num = | stm.ids | stm::= stm1;stm2 – stm.ids = stm1.ids U stm2.ids – stm.num = | stm.ids | CS78414

Example-5: Using Lists Attributes –  envi: list of vars in preceding context –  envo: list of vars for following context –  dnum: number of new variables exp ::= var exp.envo = if member(var.id, exp.envi) then exp.envi else cons(var.id, exp.envi) fi CS78415

Example-5: Using Lists exp ::= exp1 + exp2  envi  envi  envi  envo  envo  envo  dnum  dnum  dnum exp1.envi := exp.envi exp2.envi := exp1.envo exp.envo := exp2.envo exp.dnum := length(exp.envo) exp.envo = append-sans-duplicates(exp1.envo, exp2.envo ) CS78416

Complete Evaluation Rules Synthesized attribute associated with N: – Each alternative in “N ::= …” should contain a rule for evaluating the Synthesized attribute. Inherited attribute associated with N: – For every occurrence of N in “… ::= … N …” there must be a rule for evaluating the Inherited attribute. Whenever you create an attribute grammar (in home work/ exams), make sure it satisfies these requirements. CS78417

One Pass Attribute Computation To enable one-pass top-down left-to-right computation of the attributes: – each inherited attribute of the right-hand side symbol can depend on all the attributes associated with preceding right-hand side symbols and the inherited attribute of the left-hand side non-terminal. – Similarly, the synthesized attribute of the left-hand side non-terminal can depend on all the attributes associated with all the right-hand side symbols and the inherited attribute of the left-hand side non- terminal. CS78418

More than Context-Free Power LABC = { a^nb^nc^n | n > 0 } – Unlike LAB = { a^nb^n | n > 0 }, here we need explicit counting of a’s, b’s and c’s LWCW = { wcw | w ∈ {a, b}* } – The “flavor” of checking whether identifiers are declared before their uses LABC, LWCW cannot be defined with a context- free grammar Syntax analysis (i.e., parser based on CFGs) cannot handle semantic properties CS78419

LABC = { a^n b^n c^n | n > 0 } ls ::= as bs cs – ExpNb(bs) := Na(as); ExpNc(cs) := Na(as) as ::= a | a as1 – Na(as) := 1; Na(as) := Na(as1) + 1 bs ::= b | b bs1 – cond(ExpNb(bs) = 1); ExpNb(bs1) := ExpNb(bs) - 1 cs ::= c | c cs1 – Cond(ExpNc(cs) = 1); ExpNc(cs1) := ExpNc(cs) – 1 Na:synthesized by as ExpNb:inherited from bs ExpNc: inherited from cs CS78420

Uses of Attribute Grammars Compiler Generation – Top-down Parsers (LL(1)) FIRST sets, FOLLOW sets, etc – Code Generation Computations Type, Storage determination, etc. Databases – Optimizing Bottom-up Query Evaluation (Magic Sets) Programming and Definitions CS78421

Uses of Inherited Attributes ex: – need to generate code to coerce int 2 to real 2.0 Determination of un-initialized variables Determination of reachable non-terminals Evaluation of an expression containing variables CS78422

Use of Attribute Grammars Useful for expressing arbitrary cycle-free computational walks over CFG derivation trees – Synthesized and inherited attributes – Conditions to reject invalid parse trees – Evaluation order depends on attribute dependencies Realistic applications: – type checking – code generation “Global” data structures must be passed around as attributes Any container data structure (sets, etc.) can be used The evaluation rules can call auxiliary/helper functions but the functions cannot have side effects CS78423

References T. K. Prasad, Attribute Grammars and their Applications, In: Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, pp , Attribute-Grammars.pdf Attribute-Grammars.pdf PL Text Book Sections – Pagan: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.2 – Stansifer: 2.2, 2.3 – Slonneger and Kurtz: 3.1, 3.2 CS78424