[OT] A C-language parser test file?

BrowserUk has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

Does anyone know of a publicly available C source file specifically constructed for testing the edge cases of C-language parsers?

I'm writing a parser for the C-language (and yes; I need to write my own), and I sat down to think of a good way to test it.

My conclusion is that rather than just feeding it it reams and reams of C sources; most of which will simply be re-exercising the same paths; it would be better to try and construct a single, preferably relatively small, C-source that doesn't necessarily have to do anything useful, but simply uses all the constructs and language features that I need to support. (Which isn't the full standard; any of them.)

I started to try and write notes on everything I think need to be in this file -- and I will continue that -- but then I thought maybe such a file already exists. I've done a few half-hearted searches for something that might fit the bill; but its proven to be a difficult thing to construct a discriminative search criteria for.

So, this is just a hope that maybe someone here has knowledge of something that might lend itself to my purpose.

With the rise and rise of 'Social' network sites: 'Computers are making people easier to use everyday'

Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.

"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority". I knew I was on the right track :)

In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.

I'm with torvalds on this Agile (and TDD) debunked I told'em LLVM was the way to go. But did they listen!

Comment on [OT] A C-language parser test file?

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: [OT] A C-language parser test file? by GotToBTru (Prior) on Aug 27, 2015 at 13:19 UTC
You don't say specifically what you've searched for, only that it was half-hearted. On the off chance it was also half-brained, I'll make what is probably the obvious suggestion. Search for other C-compiler projects, not test files. In other words, when looking for a pencil sharpener, find the guy who uses lots of pencils. Dum Spiro Spero	[reply]
Re^2: [OT] A C-language parser test file? by BrowserUk (Patriarch) on Aug 27, 2015 at 13:45 UTC
You mean like this? Or this? None of them are what I'm hoping for. They are intimately entwined with the testing philosophies and tools of the projects they are a part of; they cover the full variety of C-like languages; are broken up into dozens of separate files. Maybe what I want doesn't exist; but maybe it does and someone here knows where. With the rise and rise of 'Social' network sites: 'Computers are making people easier to use everyday' Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error. "Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority". I knew I was on the right track :) In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice. I'm with torvalds on this Agile (and TDD) debunked I told'em LLVM was the way to go. But did they listen!	[reply]
Re^3: [OT] A C-language parser test file? (gcc?) by tye (Sage) on Aug 27, 2015 at 17:36 UTC
I found https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gccint/C-Tests.html which I then found better access to at https://github.com/gcc-mirror/gcc/tree/master/gcc/testsuite (the first link is actually talking about the gcc.dg subdirectory of the second). Lots of stuff in there so I didn't go trawling through there trying to guess if any of it might suite your needs. A compliance test suite would be a nice addition to something that has such a robust standard defined for it. I thought that was a fairly common thing for those old-style standards where you have to pay to get an official copy. - tye	[reply]
Re: [OT] A C-language parser test file? by RonW (Parson) on Aug 27, 2015 at 19:02 UTC
An interesting edge case that makes the coding standards purists scream in horror: Duff's Device (Yes, it really is valid, functioning C code.)	[reply]
Re: [OT] A C-language parser test file? by Anonymous Monk on Aug 27, 2015 at 16:01 UTC
Google: grammar for C.	[reply]


We don't bite newbies here... much
	PerlMonks