Modules

An SDF3 specification consists of a number of module declarations. Each module defines sections and may import other modules.

Imports

Modules may import other modules for reuse or separation of concerns. A module may extend the definition of a non-terminal in another module. A module may compose the definition of a language by importing the parts of the language. The structure of a module is as follows:

module $ModuleName

$ImportSection*

$Section*

The module keyword is followed by the module name, then a series of imports can be made, followed by sections that contain the actual definition of the syntax. An import section is structured as follows:

imports $ModuleName*

Note that SDF3 does not support parameterized modules.

Sections

An SDF3 module may constitute of zero or more sections. All sections contribute to the final grammar that defines a language:

• sorts, lexical sorts, context-free sorts (see Symbols#Sorts)
• lexical syntax (see Lexical Syntax)
• context-free syntax (see Context-Free Syntax)
• syntax (see Kernel Syntax)
• lexical start-symbols, context-free start-symbols, start-symbols (see Start Symbols)
• context-free priorities, priorities (see Disambiguation)
• template options (see Templates)

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Last update: June 3, 2025
Created: June 3, 2025