Token-by-token syntax-directed editing (using an LR parser)

This paper demonstrates a new approach to the building of a syntax-directed editor (SDE). The approach does not force the user to adopt a top-down syntax-oriented view of editing but supports the traditional text-editing approach of deciding which token to write next. Choices are made from menus listing only the tokens that are syntactically legal at a given point. The actual menus used by the editor are created by reference to the tables used by an LALR parser-generator.