BISON(1)                                                 BISON(1)

NAME
       bison - GNU Project parser generator (yacc replacement)

SYNOPSIS
       bison  [  -b file-prefix ] [ --file-prefix=file-prefix ] [
       -d ] [ --defines ] [ -k ] [ --token-table ] [ -l ] [ --no-
       lines  ] [ -n ] [ --no-parser ] [ -o outfile ] [ --output-
       file=outfile ] [ -p prefix ] [ --name-prefix=prefix ] [ -r
       ] [ --raw ] [ -t ] [ --debug ] [ -v ] [ --verbose ] [ -V ]
       [ --version ] [ -y ] [ --yacc ]  [  -h  ]  [  --help  ]  [
       --fixed-output-files ] file

DESCRIPTION
       Bison  is  a parser generator in the style of yacc(1).  It
       should be upwardly compatible with  input  files  designed
       for yacc.

       Input files should follow the yacc convention of ending in
       .y.  Unlike yacc, the generated files do  not  have  fixed
       names,  but instead use the prefix of the input file.  For
       instance, a grammar description file named  parse.y  would
       produce  the generated parser in a file named parse.tab.c,
       instead of yacc's y.tab.c.

       This description of the options that can be given to bison
       is  adapted  from the node Invocation in the bison.texinfo
       manual, which should be taken as authoritative.

       Bison supports both traditional single-letter options  and
       mnemonic  long  option names.  Long option names are indi-
       cated with -- instead  of  -.   Abbreviations  for  option
       names are allowed as long as they are unique.  When a long
       option takes an argument, like --file-prefix, connect  the
       option name and the argument with =.

   OPTIONS
       -b file-prefix
       --file-prefix=file-prefix
              Specify  a  prefix to use for all bison output file
              names.  The names are chosen as if the  input  file
              were named file-prefix.c.

       -d
       --defines
              Write an extra output file containing macro defini-
              tions for the token type names defined in the gram-
              mar and the semantic value type YYSTYPE, as well as
              a few extern variable declarations.

              If the parser output file is named name.c then this
              file is named name.h.

              This  output  file  is essential if you wish to put
              the definition of yylex in a separate source  file,
              because  yylex  needs  to be able to refer to token
              type codes and the variable yylval.

       -r
       --raw  The token numbers in the name.h  file  are  usually
              the  Yacc  compatible translations.  If this switch
              is  specified,  Bison  token  numbers  are   output
              instead.   (Yacc  numbers  start  at 257 except for
              single character tokens;  Bison assigns token  num-
              bers sequentially for all tokens starting at 3.)

       -k
       --token-table
              This switch causes the name.tab.c output to include
              a list of token names in order by their token  num-
              bers;   this is defined in the array yytname.  Also
              generated are #defines for YYNTOKENS, YYNNTS,  YYN-
              RULES, and YYNSTATES.

       -l
       --no-lines
              Don't  put  any  #line preprocessor commands in the
              parser file.  Ordinarily bison  puts  them  in  the
              parser  file  so  that the C compiler and debuggers
              will associate errors with your  source  file,  the
              grammar file.  This option causes them to associate
              errors with the parser file, treating it  an  inde-
              pendent source file in its own right.

       -n
       --no-parser
              Do  not  generate  the parser code into the output;
              generate   only   declarations.    The    generated
              name.tab.c  file  will  have only constant declara-
              tions.  In addition, a name.act file  is  generated
              containing  a  switch statement body containing all
              the translated actions.

       -o outfile
       --output-file=outfile
              Specify the name outfile for the parser file.

              The other output files' names are constructed  from
              outfile  as described under the -v and -d switches.

       -p prefix
       --name-prefix=prefix
              Rename the external symbols used in the  parser  so
              that  they  start  with  prefix instead of yy.  The
              precise list of symbols renamed is yyparse,  yylex,
              yyerror, yylval, yychar, and yydebug.

              For  example,  if  you  use  -p c, the names become
              cparse, clex, and so on.

       -t
       --debug
              Output a definition of the macro YYDEBUG  into  the
              parser  file,  so that the debugging facilities are
              compiled.

       -v
       --verbose
              Write  an  extra  output  file  containing  verbose
              descriptions  of the parser states and what is done
              for each type of look-ahead token in that state.

              This file also describes all  the  conflicts,  both
              those resolved by operator precedence and the unre-
              solved ones.

              The file's name is made by removing  .tab.c  or  .c
              from  the parser output file name, and adding .out-
              put instead.

              Therefore, if the input file  is  foo.y,  then  the
              parser  file  is called foo.tab.c by default.  As a
              consequence, the  verbose  output  file  is  called
              foo.output.

       -V
       --version
              Print the version number of bison and exit.

       -h
       --help Print a summary of the options to bison and exit.

       -y
       --yacc
       --fixed-output-files
              Equivalent to -o y.tab.c; the parser output file is
              called y.tab.c, and the other  outputs  are  called
              y.output  and  y.tab.h.  The purpose of this switch
              is to imitate yacc's output file name  conventions.
              Thus, the following shell script can substitute for
              yacc:

              bison -y $*

       The long-named options can be introduced with `+' as  well
       as  `--', for compatibility with previous releases.  Even-
       tually support for `+' will  be  removed,  because  it  is
       incompatible with the POSIX.2 standard.

FILES
       /usr/local/lib/bison.simple   simple parser
       /usr/local/lib/bison.hairy    complicated parser

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
       BISON_SIMPLE
              If  this is set, it specifies the location in which
              the bison.simple parser can be found.

       BISON_HAIRY
              If this is set, it specifies the location in  which
              the bison.hairy parser can be found.

SEE ALSO
       yacc(1)
       The   Bison   Reference   Manual,  included  as  the  file
       bison.texinfo in the bison source distribution.

DIAGNOSTICS
       Self explanatory.

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