Language Boxes
Bending the Host Language
with Modular Language Changes
Lukas Renggli, Marcus Denker, Oscar Nierstrasz

Marco Zanoli, cc-by-sa, 2.5, www.wikipedia.de, 2006

Marco Zanoli, cc-by-sa, 2.5, www.wikipedia.de, 2006

Marco Zanoli, cc-by-sa, 2.5, www.wikipedia.de, 2006

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Marco Zanoli, cc-by-sa, 2.5, www.wikipedia.de, 2006

Marco Zanoli, cc-by-sa, 2.5, www.wikipedia.de, 2006

Marco Zanoli, cc-by-sa, 2.5, www.wikipedia.de, 2006

Marco Zanoli, cc-by-sa, 2.5, www.wikipedia.de, 2006

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Marco Zanoli, cc-by-sa, 2.5, www.wikipedia.de, 2006

Host Environment

Tool Infrastructure
Host Environment

Syntax
Language 1
Editor
Compiler
Language 2
Debugger

Syntax
Language 1
Editor
Compiler
Language 2
Debugger

Syntax
Language 1
Editor
Compiler
Language 2
Debugger

Syntax
Language 1
Editor
Compiler
Language 2
Debugger

Marco Zanoli, cc-by-sa, 2.5, www.wikipedia.de, 2006

Tool Infrastructure
Host Environment

Language Boxes
Tool Infrastructure
Host Environment

Language Box
Model

Language
*
Change
Language * Language
Box Concern
*
* Language
Scope

IV + VII = XI

Language
*
Change
Language * Language
Box Concern
*
* Language
Scope

Language Change
Insert FRAGMENT
(before|after) PRODUCTION
as (choice|sequence|replacement)

Language Change
Insert RomanNumber
before NumberLiteral
as a choice.

Language Change
Literal: BooleanLiteral
NilLiteral
NumberLiteral
StringLiteral
ArrayLiteral
NumberLiteral: IntegerLiteral
FloatLiteral

Language Change
RomanNumber: 'I' .. 'M'

Language Change
Literal: BooleanLiteral
NilLiteral
NumberLiteral'
StringLiteral
ArrayLiteral
NumberLiteral': RomanNumber
NumberLiteral

Language Change
1st Class Grammar
Scannerless, Packrat

Language Concern
Production Action

Language Concern
Compiler
aToken value romanToArabic lift

Language Concern
Highlighting
aToken -> Color gray

Language Concern
Custom Actions

Language Scope
Active?

Language Scope
System

Language Scope
Packages

Language Scope
Classes

Language Scope
Methods

Language
*
Change
Language * Language
Box Concern
*
* Language
Scope

Conflicts

Language Language Language Language
Box 1 Box 2 Box 3 Box 4

Language Language Language Language
Box 1 Box 2 Box 3 Box 4

Language Language Language Language
Box 1 Box 2 Box 3 Box 4

Language Language Language Language
Box 1 Box 2 Box 3 Box 4
ostGrammar

Language Language Language Language
Box 1 Box 2 Box 3 Box 4
HostGrammar

Language Language Language Language
Box 1 Box 2 Box 3 Box 4
HostGramm

Language Language Language Language
Box 1 Box 2 Box 3 Box 4

HostGrammar'

con sis t
mi gh t rts
us e d pa
o f un
HostGrammar'

con sis t m igh t b
mi gh t rts am big u e
us e d pa o us
o f un
HostGrammar'

PackratParser
HostGrammar'

SELECT * FROM users

<SQL: SELECT * FROM users>

Marco Zanoli, cc-by-sa, 2.5, www.wikipedia.de, 2006

scg.unibe.ch/research/helvetia