FeatureList xText EBNF Version 2.0

Core Features:

1. BNF front-end (Parser, Lexer, Linker, etc.)
2. translates a textual representation into an Ecore model
3. Editor - provides IDE features, e.g. auto-completion, syntax highlighting, etc.

Validation Rules:

These rules will give warnings in the editor if they find find consistencies in the code.

1. checkUpdateGrammarConsistency: checks, if the grammar is an updated grammar, for consistencies between the originals and the new grammar
   
   status: not migrated

2. !CheckReferencedOnlyOnce: this should warn if there is a rule that is only referenced once, this is an inlining hint e.g.:
   
   status: migrated

3. checkPassthroughRule: e.g.:this tests if a rule gets just passed through a ::= b b ::= "literal" <=> a ::= "literal" , which is better for EBNF
   
   status: migrated

4. checkEqualAlternative: this tests if a rule got equal alternatives e.g.: a::= d | d status: still some problems
   
   status: migrated

5. checkDuplicateRules: checks if there is another rule in the EtsiBnf?, that got the same behaviour e.g.: a ::= "literal" | b c ::= "literal" | b
   
   status: migrated

6. checkSubruleDuplicates:

status: not migrated

7. check unused rule: it checks if a rule is used (exept for the rule with the number 1)

status: migrated

8. checkNameIsUnique: checks if the nam of a rule is already in use e.g.: a ::= "end" a ::= "fin"

status: migrated

Generation:

Generating an intermediate xsl-fo representation for all BNF grammars (merge or delta grammars not supported). This can be rendered to PDF using apache-fop

status: in progress

Formatting:

• old: had some but they are got commented out in the main project

• new: line-break after every rule, white-spaces after all literals, possible update linebreak and double tab after all >|< bars

Refactoring and Quick-fixing:

Automated restructuring support.

1. auto Numbering of rules
   - not migrated
   
2. remove unused rules
   - migrated
   
3. replacement of passthroughRules
   - not migrated
   
4. refactor uppercasetokenRules
   - not migrated
   
5. find references - provided by xtext2
6. renaming - provided by xtext2
   

Grammar Composition:

• 3 grammartypes:
  • grammar: normal grammar
  • delta grammar: different notation for a extension grammar,
    • adds new rules to a grammar (regular rules) and adds changes to rules of the extended grammar (extension rules) (can be automatically created)
  • merge grammar: for merging extensions
• old version had an automatic composition process for merge grammars with a small pop-up-menu.

• at the moment no support in the new version

Deployment:

• export project as Plugin: Plug-in Development/deployable plug-ins and fragments
• RCP project with a minimal eclipse editor: TBD