Re: gnubol: How do we parse this language, anyway?

[RKRayhawk@aol.com]

In a message dated 11/30/99 9:14:07 PM EST, TIMJOSLING@prodigy.net writes:

<< In the following case
 
 add a to b
       size error
             add c to d
                    not size error
                          display ...
 .
 
 which is either an extension or an error (take your pick) -
 
 I was treating it as
 
 add a to b
       size error
             add c to d
        not size error
             display ...
 .
 
 Which is incorrect according to all the compilers and my current opinion. So 
I
 had to make changes.
 
 I have made the changes, and I flag it as an extension.  >>

We are on the wrong path. It is neither an extension nor an error. The thing 
that many are missing is that the standard says that the inner arithmetic can 
not be an unterminated conditional. THE STANDARD SIMPLY DOES NOT SAY THAT THE 
OUTER ARITMETIC's SECOND CONDITIONAL IS PROSCRIBED FROM OCCURING AFTER THE 
INNER SIMPLE ARITHMETIC. Those are two very different ideas.

The standard refers to the preceding arithmetic that is to have the clause 
bound to it, if that preceding clause has not yet occured. The clausing is 
_definitely_ alllowed to occur sequentailly after the inner simple 
unterminated arithmetic!.

Reducing the internal simple arithmetic is simple, tracing the clause back to 
its antecedent is not simple, and diagnosing it smoothly when all antecedents 
have that clause is also not simple.  But the displayed case is not an 
extension.

The fact that the 
        not size error
came after  the
        add c to d
is not an error. We can not give the coder static about it (unless all 
antecedent positios are full in effect).

Best WIshes,
Bob Rayhawk
RKRayhawk@aol.com

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