EECS4302 ANTLR4 Parser Generator Tutorial: Part 1

Step-by-Step Tutorial for Using ANTLR4 Parser Generator

1. Introduction to ANTLR4 and Assumptions:

   • ANTLR4 is a parser generation tool used for development and debugging purposes.
   • Before starting, ensure you have Java installed on your system.
   • Download the ANTLR4 tool from the official website and also an additional JAR file required for installation. Duplicate the JAR file on your desktop.

2. Accessing ANTLR4 Website and Installation:

   • Visit www.antlr.org to access the ANTLR4 website.
   • Follow the installation guide based on your platform (OS X, Linux, Windows).
   • Download the required JAR file (version 4.8) and place it in a library folder on your system.

3. Setting Up ANTLR4 on Mac (Similar for Windows):

   • Install ANTLR4 into the default local library folder.
   • Set the environmental path for the class path accordingly.
   • Download the JAR file and place it on your desktop.
   • Ensure ANTLR4 and the JAR file are correctly installed and accessible via the command line.

4. Creating Projects in Eclipse:

   • Open Eclipse and create two Java projects: "antlr example" and "visitor".
   • The "visitor" project refers to the visitor design pattern.
   • Create a folder named "lib" in each project to store the JAR file required for ANTLR4.

5. Setting Up Build Path in Eclipse:

   • Right-click on each project, go to "Build Path," and then "Configure Build Path."
   • Add the ANTLR4 JAR file to the project's libraries.
   • Set the native library location to the "lib" folder within the project for both projects.

6. Verifying Installation:

   • Ensure that ANTLR4 and the JAR file are successfully installed by running command-line tools like antlr4 and grun.
   • Open a terminal (for Mac) and run commands like antlr4 to check if the tools are available.

7. Preparing for Grammar Specification:

   • Before creating the ANTLR input file for grammar specification, verify that the installation is successful.
   • Check the availability of ANTLR4 and related tools on the command line.
   • Ensure that the QuickStart guide for ANTLR4 installation has been followed correctly.

8. Additional Resources and Troubleshooting:

   • Refer to books or online resources for further learning about ANTLR4.
   • Explore troubleshooting guides available online for any issues you may encounter during the setup or usage of ANTLR4.

By following these steps, you will have ANTLR4 set up on your system, projects created in Eclipse, and be ready to start working on grammar specification using ANTLR4 for parser generation.