[Tutor] python parser

[bob gailer]

More thoughts on converting VFP to Python:

line-by-line can take into account control structures. One just 
increases or decreases the indent when encountering the start or end of 
a structure.

a bigger challenge is handling the work-area related commands such as 
Scan, Replace, Skip, Set Relation, ....

the concept of data sessions

macro substitution

all the GUI stuff would be translated to one of the python GUI packages. 
Not a trivial task!

An outline:

create initial dictionary of all initial special characters, keywords 
including their abbreviations, ...?
create dictionary to hold all user-generated names (variables, classes, 
procedures, windows, ...?)
awareness while scanning of #define and blocks such as text .. endtext 
to ignore
scan file for procedure/function/define
 
certain initial characters take precedence = ? & # * && @ \
this list may be extended temporarily by commands like text
; is a special final character

assignment statement?
initial word a keyword or function?
if none of the above error?

and on and on.

-- 
Bob Gailer
Chapel Hill NC 
919-636-4239