Grammar doc discusses action classes but doesn't explain make/made

[shadowcat-mst]

Possibly wants a link to https://docs.perl6.org/type/Match#method_make (thanks FROGGS for pointing me at the right FM) plus a note about it?

[shadowcat-mst]

Also, actually, having read that I still hae no idea what e.g. method calc-op:sym ($/) { make [+] $; } actually does :(

[zoffixznet]

Also, actually, having read that I still hae no idea what e.g. method calc-op:sym ($/) { make [+] $; } actually does :(

make is sugar for $/.make, which lets you attach arbitrary data to $/, which is the current Match object. And you'd attach that data for the purposes of using it elsewhere. That's all there is to it. A storage place for arbitrary data.

The method calc-op:sym<add> ($/) { make [+] $<num>; } gets called when the rule calc-op:sym<add> { <num> '+' <num> } finishes parsing. Notice how it has two <num> tokens in it. Those end up as a 2-item array in $<num>. The [+] is a meta operator that uses + between each of the elements of the list, so in this case, it's equvalent of $<num>[0] + $<num>[1]. We use that result as the argument to make, so that means the $/ that method calc-op:sym<add> got called with now has that value attached to it.

The .made method (or its alias .ast), lets you access that arbitrary data that you stored. So when in the calculator example we have this: method TOP ($/) { make $<calc-op>.made; }, the TOP's Match object will have calc-op named capture with the Match object to which we attached calculation's result, so we just access that result (with .made) and store it in TOP's Match object (with make).

When the parsing is done with say Calculator.parse('2 + 3', actions => Calculations), it returns the Match object (the same we worked on in method TOP). And we did attach the calculation's result to it, so by calling .made on that Match object we get the result of the calculation after parsing.

[zakame]

This confused me a lot too when first learning about Grammars, at least until the Grammar Tutorial came out. I'd still like to see a simpler grammar/action example illustrating make/made though.

Let me see if I can write one...

[tisonkun]

@zoffixznet it can be easy adding a section in /language/grammar to point it out, but do we really need it? Note that we already have something involved mentioned in /type/Match#method_make.

Besides I find issues such like #114, #1646 talking about organizing the whole documentation to be neat and in distinct levels. Should we combine these issues and put forward a workable TODO list?

Anyway, in my opinion, make/made is basic usage, so they should be at least mentioned at the /language part.

[JJ]

Actions in general, and in particular make and made, are now discussed in this section about Action objects. So I guess this is hanging so low it can be closed. :-)