grammar.rst

Changing CPython's Grammar

Abstract

There's more to changing Python's grammar than editing :file:`Grammar/Grammar`. This document aims to be a checklist of places that must also be fixed.

It is probably incomplete. If you see omissions, submit a bug or patch.

This document is not intended to be an instruction manual on Python grammar hacking, for several reasons.

Rationale

People are getting this wrong all the time; it took well over a year before someone noticed that adding the floor division operator (//) broke the :mod:`parser` module.

Checklist

Note: sometimes things mysteriously don't work. Before giving up, try make clean.

• :file:`Grammar/Grammar`: OK, you'd probably worked this one out. :-) After changing it, run make regen-grammar, to regenerate :file:`Include/graminit.h` and :file:`Python/graminit.c`. (This runs Python's parser generator, Python/pgen).
• :file:`Grammar/Tokens` is a place for adding new token types. After changing it, run make regen-token to regenerate :file:`Include/token.h`, :file:`Parser/token.c`, :file:`Lib/token.py` and :file:`Doc/library/token-list.inc`. If you change both Grammar and Tokens, run make regen-tokens before make regen-grammar.
• :file:`Parser/Python.asdl` may need changes to match the Grammar. Then run make regen-ast to regenerate :file:`Include/Python-ast.h` and :file:`Python/Python-ast.c`.
• :file:`Parser/tokenizer.c` contains the tokenization code. This is where you would add a new type of comment or string literal, for example.
• :file:`Python/ast.c` will need changes to create the AST objects involved with the Grammar change.
• The :doc:`compiler` has its own page.
• The :mod:`parser` module. Add some of your new syntax to test_parser, bang on :file:`Modules/parsermodule.c` until it passes.
• _Unparser in the :file:`Lib/ast.py` file may need changes to accommodate any modifications in the AST nodes.
• Add some usage of your new syntax to test_grammar.py.
• Certain changes may require tweaks to the library module :mod:`pyclbr`.
• :file:`Lib/tokenize.py` needs changes to match changes to the tokenizer.
• :file:`Lib/lib2to3/Grammar.txt` may need changes to match the Grammar.
• Documentation must be written! Specifically, one or more of the pages in :file:`Doc/reference/` will need to be updated.