Types of Bottom-Up Parsing: Exploring Different Techniques

Bottom-up parsing encompasses various techniques, each with its unique strengths and characteristics. Canonical LR, LALR, SLR, and LR(1) parsing algorithms provide options to balance power, efficiency, and ease of implementation in different contexts. Understanding the differences and trade-offs among these types of bottom-up parsing is crucial in choosing the most suitable technique for specific compiler design scenarios.


Table of Contents

1.      Introduction to Bottom-Up Parsing

2.      Shift-Reduce Parsing

a.      LR(0) Parsing

b.      SLR(1) Parsing

c.      CLR(1) Parsing

d.      LALR(1) Parsing

3.      Operator-Precedence Parsing

4.      LR(1) Parsing

5.      GLR Parsing

6.      Comparison of Bottom-Up Parsing Techniques

7.      Advantages and Disadvantages of Bottom-Up Parsing

8.      Frequently Asked Questions

 

Bottom-Up Parsing

Bottom-up parsing, also known as shift-reduce parsing, is a parsing technique that builds a parse tree from the leaves to the root. It starts with the input symbols and applies grammar rules in a bottom-up manner until it reaches the start symbol. This approach allows for a wide range of grammars to be parsed efficiently and is commonly used in various applications, including compiler design and natural language processing.

 

Shift-Reduce Parsing

 

Shift-reduce parsing is a type of bottom-up parsing where the parser repeatedly performs two actions: shift and reduce. During the shift operation, the parser shifts the next input symbol onto the stack. In the reduce operation, the parser applies a production rule to replace a sequence of symbols on the stack with a non-terminal symbol.


1.     LR(0) Parsing

 

LR(0) parsing is a simple bottom-up parsing technique that uses a deterministic finite automaton (DFA) to parse the input. It employs a lookahead of 0, meaning it only considers the current input symbol when making parsing decisions. LR(0) parsing is powerful enough to handle a wide range of grammars, but it may suffer from shift-reduce and reduce-reduce conflicts.



LR Parsing Algorithm

 

// Get the next token from the input

token = next_token()

 

// Main parsing loop

while true:

    // Get the top of the stack

    s = top of stack

   

    // Check the action for the current stack symbol and token

    if action[s, token] = "shift si" then:

        // Shift the token onto the stack

        PUSH token

        PUSH si

        // Get the next token from the input

        token = next_token()

       

    else if action[s, token] = "reduce A::= β" then:

        // Reduce by applying the production A::= β

        POP 2 * |β| symbols

        // Get the new top of the stack

        s = top of stack

        // Push the nonterminal A onto the stack

        PUSH A

        // Perform the goto operation

        PUSH goto[s, A]

       

    else if action[s, token] = "accept" then:

        // Parsing is complete, return

        return

       

    else:

        // Handle syntax error

        error()

 

2.     SLR(1) Parsing

 

SLR(1) parsing, which stands for Simple LR(1) parsing, is an enhanced version of LR(0) parsing that uses a lookahead of 1. By considering one additional symbol of lookahead, SLR(1) parsing can resolve many shift-reduce conflicts that LR(0) parsing encounters. However, it still has limitations and may not handle all grammars correctly.

SLR (Simple LR) parsing is a bottom-up parsing technique that uses a simplified version of the LR parsing algorithm. It combines the ease of LR(0) items and the power of a lookahead symbol to construct a parsing table. Here's an overview of the SLR parsing algorithm and an example code snippet:

 

SLR Parsing Algorithm:

 

1. Construct the augmented grammar by adding a new start symbol and production:

   S' -> S

2. Compute the closure of the initial item, [S' -> .S].

3. Create an empty set of LR(0) items, C, and add the closure of the initial item to C.

4. Repeat until no new sets can be added:

   a. For each set of items, C_i, in C, and for each grammar symbol, X, do the following:

      i. Compute the GOTO(C_i, X), which represents the items that can be reached from C_i by X.

      ii. If GOTO(C_i, X) is not empty and not already in C, add it to C.

 

5. Create the SLR parsing table:

   a. For each set of items, C_i, in C:

      i. For each item, [A -> α.Xβ], in C_i, do the following:

         - If X is a nonterminal:

           - For each production, A -> γ, in the grammar, add a "reduce A -> γ" entry to the parsing table for each terminal symbol in FOLLOW(A).

         - If X is a terminal and X != epsilon:

           - Add a "shift GOTO(C_i, X)" entry to the parsing table.

         - If X == epsilon and A == S', add an "accept" entry to the parsing table.

 

 

3.     CLR(1) Parsing

 

CLR(1) parsing, or Canonical LR(1) parsing, is a more powerful technique that can handle a broader class of grammars than SLR(1) parsing. It constructs a more detailed parsing table by augmenting LR(0) items with lookahead information. CLR(1) parsing resolves more conflicts and is capable of parsing a larger set of grammars accurately.

CLR (Canonical LR) parsing is a bottom-up parsing technique that combines the power of LR(1) items and the efficiency of LR(0) items. It uses a canonical collection of LR(1) items to construct a parsing table. Here's an overview of the CLR parsing algorithm and an example code snippet:

 

CLR Parsing Algorithm:

 

1. Construct the augmented grammar by adding a new start symbol and production:

   S' -> S

2. Compute the closure of the initial item, [S' -> .S, $].

3. Create an empty set of LR(1) items, C, and add the closure of the initial item to C.

4. Repeat until no new sets can be added:

   a. For each set of items, C_i, in C, and for each grammar symbol, X, do the following:

      i. Compute the GOTO(C_i, X), which represents the items that can be reached from C_i by X.

      ii. If GOTO(C_i, X) is not empty and not already in C, add it to C.

5. Create the CLR parsing table:

   a. For each set of items, C_i, in C:

      i. For each item, [A -> α.Xβ, a], in C_i, do the following:

         - If X is a nonterminal:

           - For each production, A -> γ, in the grammar, add a "reduce A -> γ" entry to the parsing table for each terminal symbol in FOLLOW(A).

         - If X is a terminal and X != epsilon:

           - Add a "shift GOTO(C_i, X)" entry to the parsing table.

         - If X == epsilon and A == S', add an "accept" entry to the parsing table.

      ii. For each item, [A -> α.Xβ, a], in C_i where a is a lookahead symbol, add a "reduce A -> α.Xβ" entry to the parsing table.

 

4.     LALR(1) Parsing

 

LALR(1) parsing, or Look-Ahead LR(1) parsing, is a compromise between SLR(1) and CLR(1) parsing. It constructs a compact parsing table like SLR(1) but resolves more conflicts like CLR(1). LALR(1) parsing is widely used in practice due to its balance between efficiency and expressive power.

LALR (Look-Ahead LR) parsing is a bottom-up parsing technique that combines the efficiency of SLR (Simple LR) parsing with the power of LR(1) parsing. It constructs a parsing table using a compact representation of LR(1) items. Here's an overview of the LALR parsing algorithm and an example code snippet:

 

LALR Parsing Algorithm:

 

1. Construct the augmented grammar by adding a new start symbol and production:

   S' -> S.

2. Compute the sets of LR(1) items for the augmented grammar using the LR(1) item construction algorithm.

3. Merge the sets of LR(1) items that have the same core, combining their lookahead symbols.

4. Create the LALR(1) parsing table:

   a. For each merged set of items, C_i:

      i. For each item, [A -> α.Xβ, a], in C_i, do the following:

         - If X is a nonterminal:

           - For each production, A -> γ, in the grammar, add a "reduce A -> γ" entry to the parsing table for each terminal symbol in LOOKAHEAD(A, α.Xβ, a).

         - If X is a terminal and X != epsilon:

           - Add a "shift GOTO(C_i, X)" entry to the parsing table.

         - If X == epsilon and A == S', add an "accept" entry to the parsing table.

 

Operator-Precedence Parsing

 

Operator-precedence parsing is a different approach to bottom-up parsing that relies on the precedence and associativity of operators to guide the parsing process. It uses a precedence table to determine whether to shift or reduce based on the relative priorities of operators. Operator-precedence parsing is often used in simple arithmetic expressions and can handle left-recursive grammars effectively.

 

LR(1) Parsing

 

LR(1) parsing is a more general technique than LR(0) parsing that uses a lookahead of 1 symbol to make parsing decisions. It handles a broader class of grammars by taking into account more information about the input. LR(1) parsing constructs a deterministic finite automaton with a lookahead, which allows it to resolve shift-reduce and reduce-reduce conflicts effectively.

 

GLR Parsing

 

GLR parsing, or Generalized LR parsing, is a powerful technique that can handle ambiguous grammars and produce multiple parse trees when necessary. It uses a nondeterministic finite automaton and explores all possible parsing paths simultaneously. GLR parsing is useful for languages with complex syntactic structures and is often employed in natural language processing applications.

 

Comparison of Bottom-Up Parsing Techniques

 

Let's compare the different bottom-up parsing techniques discussed so far:

 

-        LR(0) parsing is simple but may suffer from conflicts.

-        SLR(1) parsing resolves some conflicts but has limitations.

-        CLR(1) parsing handles more grammars accurately but is more complex.

-        LALR(1) parsing strikes a balance between efficiency and expressive power.

-        Operator-precedence parsing is suitable for simple expressions and left-recursive grammars.

-        LR(1) parsing handles a broader class of grammars effectively.

-        GLR parsing can handle ambiguous grammars and produce multiple parse trees.

 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Bottom-Up Parsing

 

Bottom-up parsing offers several advantages, such as:

 

-        Ability to handle a wide range of grammars.

-        Efficient parsing algorithm.

-        Accommodation of left-recursive grammars.

-        Suitable for error recovery.

 

However, bottom-up parsing also has some disadvantages:

 

-        Potentially complex parsing tables.

-        Possible conflicts and ambiguities in the grammar.

-        Increased computational overhead in some cases.

  

Frequently Asked Questions: Types of Bottom-up Parsing

 

1. What is bottom-up parsing?

Bottom-up parsing is a technique that builds a parse tree from the leaves to the root by applying grammar rules in a bottom-up manner.

 

2. What are the advantages of bottom-up parsing?

Bottom-up parsing can handle a wide range of grammars, is efficient, accommodates left-recursive grammars, and supports error recovery.

 

3. Which bottom-up parsing technique is suitable for simple arithmetic expressions?

Operator-precedence parsing is commonly used for simple arithmetic expressions.

 

4. Can bottom-up parsing handle ambiguous grammars?

Yes, GLR parsing, a type of bottom-up parsing, can handle ambiguous grammars and produce multiple parse trees.

 

5. How do LR(1) parsing and LR(0) parsing differ?

LR(1) parsing uses a lookahead of 1 symbol, while LR(0) parsing uses a lookahead of 0, allowing LR(1) parsing to handle a broader class of grammars.

 

Bottom-up parsing techniques play a crucial role in constructing parse trees for various grammars. By understanding the different types of bottom-up parsing, including shift-reduce parsing, operator-precedence parsing, LR(1) parsing, and GLR parsing, you can choose the most appropriate technique for your specific application. Bottom-up parsing provides a powerful toolset for language processing and compiler design, enabling efficient and accurate parsing of input strings.

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