BISON(1)						      General Commands Manual							  BISON(1)

NAME

       bison - GNU Project parser generator (yacc replacement)

SYNOPSIS

       bison [ -b file-prefix ] [ --file-prefix=file-prefix ] [ -d ] [ --defines=defines-file ] [ -g ] [ --graph=graph-file ] [ -k ] [ --token-ta-
       ble ] [ -l ] [ --no-lines ] [ -n ] [ --no-parser ] [ -o outfile ] [ --output-file=outfile ] [ -p prefix ] [ --name-prefix=prefix ] [ -t ] [
       --debug ] [ -v ] [ --verbose ] [ -V ] [ --version ] [ -y ] [ --yacc ] [ -h ] [ --help ] [ --fixed-output-files ] file

DESCRIPTION

       Bison is a parser generator in the style of yacc(1).  It should be upwardly compatible with input files designed for yacc.

       Input  files  should follow the yacc convention of ending in .y.  Unlike yacc, the generated files do not have fixed names, but instead use
       the prefix of the input file.  Moreover, if you need to put C++ code in the input file, you can end his name by a C++-like extension  (.ypp
       or  .y++),  then  bison	will follow your extension to name the output file (.cpp or .c++).  For instance, a grammar description file named
       parse.yxx would produce the generated parser in a file named parse.tab.cxx, instead of yacc's y.tab.c or old Bison versions parse.tab.c.

       This description of the options that can be given to bison is adapted from the node Invocation in the bison.texinfo manual, which should be
       taken as authoritative.

       Bison  supports	both traditional single-letter options and mnemonic long option names.	Long option names are indicated with -- instead of
       -.  Abbreviations for option names are allowed as long as they are unique.  When a long option takes an argument, like --file-prefix,  con-
       nect the option name and the argument with =.

   OPTIONS
       -b file-prefix
       --file-prefix=file-prefix
	      Specify a prefix to use for all bison output file names.	The names are chosen as if the input file were named file-prefix.c.

       -d
	      Write  an extra output file containing macro definitions for the token type names defined in the grammar and the semantic value type
	      YYSTYPE, as well as a few extern variable declarations.

	      If the parser output file is named name.c then this file is named name.h.

	      This output file is essential if you wish to put the definition of yylex in a separate source file, because yylex needs to  be  able
	      to refer to token type codes and the variable yylval.

       --defines=defines-file
	      The  behaviour  of --defines is the same than -d option.	The only difference is that it has an optionnal argument which is the name
	      of the output filename.

       -g
	      Output a VCG definition of the LALR(1) grammar automaton computed by Bison. If the grammar file is foo.y , the VCG output file  will
	      be foo.vcg.

       --graph=graph-file
	      The  behaviour  of --graph is the same than -g option. The only difference is that it has an optionnal argument which is the name of
	      the output graph filename.

       -k
       --token-table
	      This switch causes the name.tab.c output to include a list of token names in order by their token numbers;  this is defined  in  the
	      array yytname.  Also generated are #defines for YYNTOKENS, YYNNTS, YYNRULES, and YYNSTATES.

       -l
       --no-lines
	      Don't  put any #line preprocessor commands in the parser file.  Ordinarily bison puts them in the parser file so that the C compiler
	      and debuggers will associate errors with your source file, the grammar file.  This option causes them to associate errors  with  the
	      parser file, treating it an independent source file in its own right.

       -n
       --no-parser
	      Do not generate the parser code into the output;	generate only declarations.  The generated name.tab.c file will have only constant
	      declarations.  In addition, a name.act file is generated containing a switch statement body containing all the translated actions.

       -o outfile
       --output-file=outfile
	      Specify the name outfile for the parser file.

	      The other output files' names are constructed from outfile as described under the -v and -d switches.

       -p prefix
       --name-prefix=prefix
	      Rename the external symbols used in the parser so that they start with prefix instead of yy.  The precise list of symbols renamed is
	      yyparse, yylex, yyerror, yylval, yychar, and yydebug.

	      For example, if you use -p c, the names become cparse, clex, and so on.

       -t
       --debug
	      In the parser file, define the macro YYDEBUG to 1 if it is not already defined, so that the debugging facilities are compiled.

       -v
       --verbose
	      Write  an  extra output file containing verbose descriptions of the parser states and what is done for each type of look-ahead token
	      in that state.

	      This file also describes all the conflicts, both those resolved by operator precedence and the unresolved ones.

	      The file's name is made by removing .tab.c or .c from the parser output file name, and adding .output instead.

	      Therefore, if the input file is foo.y, then the parser file is called foo.tab.c by default.  As a consequence,  the  verbose  output
	      file is called foo.output.

       -V
       --version
	      Print the version number of bison and exit.

       -h
       --help Print a summary of the options to bison and exit.

       -y
       --yacc
       --fixed-output-files
	      Equivalent to -o y.tab.c; the parser output file is called y.tab.c, and the other outputs are called y.output and y.tab.h.  The pur-
	      pose of this switch is to imitate yacc's output file name conventions.  Thus, the following shell script can substitute for yacc:

	      bison -y $*

FILES

       /usr/share/bison/bison.simple simple parser
       /usr/share/bison/bison.hairy  complicated parser

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

       BISON_SIMPLE
	      If this is set, it specifies the location in which the bison.simple parser can be found.

       BISON_HAIRY
	      If this is set, it specifies the location in which the bison.hairy parser can be found.

SEE ALSO

       yacc(1)
       The Bison Reference Manual, included as the file bison.texinfo in the bison source distribution.

DIAGNOSTICS

       Self explanatory.

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