BNF Documentation of ADL language

• ADL STRUCTURE
• GLOBAL COMMANDS
• AXES
• COMMENTS
• BASIC DEFINITIONS

Appendix: META SYMBOLS

ADL STRUCTURE

ADL =
{ADL_component}

ADL_component =
  <global_command>
| <axis>
| <comment>

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GLOBAL COMMANDS

global_command =
( "filetype delimited " "/t" | <string> )<-- character used can not appear in data.
if special characters used,must escape using "/"
|( "include " <file_name> )
|( "maxlen " <const> )
|( "maxrec " <const> )
|( "mincell " <const> )
|( "mintable " <const> )
|( "maxaxislabel " <const> )
|( "maxcases " <const> )
|( "maxelemlabel " <const> )
|( "other " "off"|<const> )
|( "suppress " "off"|<const> )
|( "SpecialCharacters " "on"|"off" )
|( "debug " "off" | "0" | "1" | "2" )
|( "ifo" {character} "endifo" )
|( "filter " <expression> )
|( "lnk" <string> "endlnk" )
| <variable_declaration>
 

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AXES

axis =
"["
<axis_type>
"]"

axis_type =
<standard_axis>
| <average>
| <single_defined_percentage>
| <changing_percentage_bases>
| <heading>
| <measure>
| <weight>
| <value_axis>
| <YNGrid_preset_table>
| <matrix_preset_table>

standard_axis =
<title>
( <where_statement> "auto")
| ( ["col"] [where_statement] <element> {element} [macro])
| <macro>

average =
<title>
<element>["value=" <const>]
{ <element>["value=" <const>] }
<element_name> " =M" | " =m" <-- to activate average calculation,"Suppress" must be "off"

single_defined_percentage =
<title>
"<quote>Total<quote>" <expression>
<element>
{<element>}

changing_percentage_bases =
<title>
{
<predefined_base_element_declaration>
<element>
{<element>}
}

heading =
<title>
<expression>

measure =
<title>
<where_statement>
["add"]

weight =
<measure>
<where_statement>
"weight"

value_axis =
( <title>
<where_statement>
"vax="<title>
<string>
{<string>}
)
|( <title>
<where_statement>
"link="<title> <-- title of any existing standard axis
)

YNGrid_preset_table =
<title>
"yngrid="<col_num>
<element_name>
{<element_name>}
<element>
{<element>}

matrix_preset_table =
<title>
"matrix="<col_num>
<element_name>
{<element_name>}
<element>
{<element>}
 

*****to test include file in macro******
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COMMENTS

comment =
<single_line_comment>
[multi_line_comment]

single_line_comment = ";" {character}

multi_line_comment = "(*" {character} "*)"

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BASIC DEFINITIONS

variable_declaration =
<variable_name>
!<quote>
!"\"
"="
<const> | "&"<location> | <string>
!<key_words>

variable_name =
( <character> !<digit> )
{<character>}
!<key_words>

if_statement =
"if"
["("]
<expression>
{expression}
[")"]
<expression>
{expression}
{else_statement}

else_statement =
{else_if}
<else>

else_if =
"else if"
["("]
<expression>
{expression}
[")"]
<expression>
{expression}

else =
"else"
["("]
<expression>
{expression}
[")"]
<expression>
{expression}

where_statement =
"where="
<location> | <expression>

element =
<element_name>
[expression]

element_name =
<string>

expression =
<location>"="
["("]<const>("+" | "-" | "*" | "/")<const>[")"]

macro =
"define"
<axis_type> | <global_command>
"enddef"

quote =
 " '' " <--double quotation mark, ASCII code 0x22.Must be used in pairs
|" ' " <--single quotation mark, ASCII code 0x27.Must be used in pairs

key_words =
"add"
|"base"
|"blank"
|"debug"
|"define"
|"enddef"
|"if"
|"else"
|"to"
|"for"
|"by"
|"where"
|"col"
|"link"
|"float"
|"byte"
|"word"
|"filter"
|"vax"
|"maxcases"
|"maxrec"

symbol =
"\" <-- Will disappear after beeing processed if followed by <character>
And makes special symbols available in titles
|";"
|"/"

location =
[card_ref]
<col_num>["_"<const>]
[" to "<col_num>]
|[" for "<const>]
|[" by "<const>]
|<variable>
{","<location>}

row_num =
<const>

col_num =
<const>

card_ref =
<const>
!"0"
":"

title =
<string>
!<key_words>

null =
<quote><quote> <-- empty between quotation marks

file_name =
<string> <-- limited to valid windows file names

string =
<quote> {character} <quote>

character =
( "a..z,A..Z,`,~,!,@,#,$,%,^,&,*,(,),_,+,|,-,=,{,},[,],:,",;,',<,>,?,,,.,
<space><const>"
!<key_words> )
{character}

space =
" " <-- ASCII code 0x20

const =
<digit>{digit}

digit =
"0..9"
 

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META SYMBOLS

1. "="   --> "is defined as"

2. " |  "  --> "or"

3. "< >" --> surround category names, distinguish syntax rules ( non-terminal ) names from terminal symbols

4. "[ ]"   --> optional items

5. "{ }" --> repetitive items ( zero or more )

6. "( )" --> grouping items

7. "''" --> used to distinguish terminal symbols from meta-symbols

8. "<--" --> BNF comments

9. "!" --> NOT