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What is Backus-Naur Form?
Backus-Naur form, named after the pioneers of computer programming John Backus and Peter Naur, is a set of writing rules used to define the syntax of formal languages. Its foundations were laid out by Backus in an article in the late 1950s.
It is a commonly used method to summarize the syntax rules of computer programming languages. For example, the article defining the ALGOL60 language edited by Naur played an important role in the recognition of Backus-Naur form in the computer world.
Example:
<Non-zero digit> ::= 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
<digit> ::= 0 | <Non-zero digit>
<Two-digit number> ::= <Non-zero digit> <digit>
<from one to nineteen> ::= 1 <digit>
<forty two> ::= 42
Backus-Naur form, named after the pioneers of computer programming John Backus and Peter Naur, is a set of writing rules used to define the syntax of formal languages. Its foundations were laid out by Backus in an article in the late 1950s.
It is a commonly used method to summarize the syntax rules of computer programming languages. For example, the article defining the ALGOL60 language edited by Naur played an important role in the recognition of Backus-Naur form in the computer world.
Example:
<Non-zero digit> ::= 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
<digit> ::= 0 | <Non-zero digit>
<Two-digit number> ::= <Non-zero digit> <digit>
<from one to nineteen> ::= 1 <digit>
<forty two> ::= 42