D compiler front end in Phobos (was: syntax definition language)

[Jonathan M Davis]

On Sunday, October 23, 2011 22:27:17 Gor Gyolchanyan wrote:
> cool!
> I really _REALY_ want to get a working D front-end into Phobos.
> preferably during my lifetime.
> Obviously there's some work already done in this area.
> I'd like us to chip in and discuss this in-depth and come up with a
> plan to do this.
> AFAIK everyone was in favor of a front-end as a library solution.

The two proposed approaches at the moment are to port dmd's frontend to D for 
Phobos and to write a template-based generative, generic solution. The first 
would obviously be D-specific. The second would be for _any_ language. In 
either case, any solution needs to be broken up into a lexer, parser, etc. in 
manner which allows you to use only the pieces that you need for a particular 
application.

And so unless you're going with the "port dmd frontend to D" approach, any 
solution really needs to be generic and not D-specific. Naturally, we'll 
provied whatever's needed to generate the D lexer, parser, etc. as part of 
Phobos, but the lexer, paresr, etc. need to be generic and generative rather 
than D-specfiic.

http://www.mail-archive.com/digitalmars-d@puremagic.com/msg40358.html

- Jonathan M Davis