CODEWITHSUNDEEP
parsingecmascript-6context-free-grammarcompiler-construction
Max Koretskyi
Max Koretskyi

Reputation: 105497

How does `yield` and `await` production parameters expand into `*` and `async` before identifiers

Can anyone explain how the following production expands into * and async keywords:

BindingIdentifier[Yield, Await]:
   Identifier
   [~Yield]yield
   [~Await]await

Based on the TypeScript parsing code I see that it checks for * and async keywords, so I assume here that BindingIdentifier_Yield matches *identifier and BindingIdentifier_Await matches async identifier but I can't seem to trace that expansion using the above grammar.

I know I can expand the identifiers [Yield, Await] according to the spec:

A production may be parameterized by a subscripted annotation of the form “[parameters]”... A parameterized production is shorthand for a set of productions defining all combinations of the parameter names, preceded by an underscore, appended to the parameterized nonterminal symbol

So the above is expanded into:

BindingIdentifier:
   Identifier
   [~Yield]yield
   [~Await]await

BindingIdentifier_Yield:
   Identifier
   [~Yield]yield
   [~Await]await

BindingIdentifier_Await:
   Identifier
   [~Yield]yield
   [~Await]await

But how then BindingIdentifier_Yield and BindingIdentifier_Await is expanded into * and async? I suspect that the explanation is here:

[~Yield]yield
[~Await]await

but I'm not sure. Any help is welcome!

Upvotes: 0

Views: 143

Answers (1)

loganfsmyth
loganfsmyth

Reputation: 161477

The check for the * token in Typescript exists to handle both

14.1:

FunctionExpression[Yield, Await, Default]:
    function BindingIdentifier[?Yield, ?Await]opt ( FormalParameters[~Yield, ~Await] ) { FunctionBody[~Yield, ~Await] }

vs

14.4:

GeneratorExpression[Yield, Await, Default]:
    function* BindingIdentifier[?Yield, ?Await]opt ( FormalParameters[+Yield, ~Await] ) { GeneratorBody }

since both function and generator expression can be expanded from PrimaryExpression:

PrimaryExpression:
    this
    Literal
    ArrayLiteral
    ObjectLiteral
    FunctionExpression       <---------
    ClassExpression 
    GeneratorExpression      <---------
    AsyncFunctionExpression
    RegularExpressionLiteral
    TemplateLiteral

These checks also overlap for function declarations, and method syntax.

The production

BindingIdentifier [Yield, Await]:
    Identifier
    [~Yield] yield
    [~Await] await

expands to

BindingIdentifier:
    Identifier
    yield
    await

BindingIdentifier_Yield:
    Identifier
    await

BindingIdentifier_Await:
    Identifier
    yield

BindingIdentifier_Yield_Await:
    Identifier

So yield and await identifiers are not allowed in cases where +Yield and/or +Await has been used in the grammar. You can see in the examples above, they use

FormalParameters[~Yield, ~Await]
FunctionBody[~Yield, ~Await]

whereas the generator uses

FormalParameters[+Yield, ~Await]
FunctionBody[+Yield, ~Await]

Since the generator says +Yield instead of ~Yield, it means that

function foo(){ var yield; } // works
function* foo(){ var yield; } // not allowed

Upvotes: 1

Related Questions