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Follow set error recovery
Author(s) -
Stirling Colin
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
software: practice and experience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1097-024X
pISSN - 0038-0644
DOI - 10.1002/spe.4380150303
Subject(s) - computer science , set (abstract data type) , syntax , parsing , string (physics) , point (geometry) , algorithm , error detection and correction , theoretical computer science , programming language , natural language processing , mathematics , geometry , mathematical physics
Follow set error recovery is a popular technique, implemented as part of a recursive descent parser, for recovering from syntax errors by editing the input string at the point of error detection. A formal description shows that follow set error recovery is, in actual fact, a family of similar techniques differing according to how follow set is defined. A general algorithm for this family of schemes is offered. Standard accounts mention and make use of non‐systematic, almost ad hoc , additions which improve the performance of the technique. It is shown that some of these additions can be systematized using error productions. Criteria for assessment of the technique are offered. Using these criteria and a database of over 100 example programs three different follow set schemes are assessed with respect to each other.