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Unit 2 - Session 7

The document discusses the computation of FIRST sets for context-free grammars. It defines what a FIRST set is, provides rules for computing FIRST sets, and gives examples of applying the rules to compute FIRST sets for various grammars.

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CALVIN DEVADOSS (RA1911033010130)
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20 views

Unit 2 - Session 7

The document discusses the computation of FIRST sets for context-free grammars. It defines what a FIRST set is, provides rules for computing FIRST sets, and gives examples of applying the rules to compute FIRST sets for various grammars.

Uploaded by

CALVIN DEVADOSS (RA1911033010130)
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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18CSC304J

COMPILER DESIGN

UNIT 2
SESSION 7
Topics that will be covered in this Session

• Computation of FIRST
• Problems related to FIRST
COMPUTATION OF
FIRST
FIRST and FOLLOW – Introduction

• The functions FIRST and FOLLOW help in the construction of both top-down and bottom-up
parsers, associated with a grammar G

• During top-down parsing, FIRST and FOLLOW allows us to choose which production to apply,
based on the next input symbol

• During panic-mode error recovery, sets of tokens produced by FOLLOW can be used as
synchronizing tokens
Computation of FIRST
Definition

• Let  be any set of grammar symbols

• FIRST() is defined as the set of terminals that begin strings derived from 

Rules to compute FIRST(X)

Apply the following rules until no more terminals or ε can be added to any FIRST set

1. If X is a terminal, then FIRST(X)={X}

2. If X is a nonterminal and X→Y1Y2…Yk is a production for some k≥1, then

• Add everything in FIRST(Y1) to FIRST(X) except ε

• If FIRST(Y1) has ε, then add everything in FIRST(Y2) to FIRST(X) except ε


•

• If FIRST(Yk-1) has ε, then add everything in FIRST(Yk) to FIRST(X) including ε

3. If X→ ε is a production, then add ε to FIRST(X)


PROBLEMS RELATED
TO FIRST
Example 1
• Consider the grammar

• Compute the function FIRST for all non terminals

FIRST(E) = FIRST(T)

FIRST(T) = FIRST(F)

FIRST(F) = { (, id } So, FIRST(E) = FIRST(T) = { (, id }

FIRST(E′) = { +,ε }

FIRST(T′) = { *,ε }
Example 2
• Consider the grammar

S→(L)|a

L→L,S|S

• Compute the function FIRST for all non terminals

FIRST(S) = { (, a )

FIRST(L) = FIRST(S) = { (, a )
Example 3
• Consider the grammar

S→cAd

A → a A′

A′ → b | ε

• Compute the function FIRST for all non terminals

FIRST(S) = { c )

FIRST(A) = { a )

FIRST(A′) = { b , ε }
Example 4
• Consider the grammar

S→L=R|R

L → * R | id

R→L

• Compute the function FIRST for all non terminals

FIRST(S) = FIRST(L) and FIRST(R)

FIRST(L) = { * , id )

FIRST(R) = FIRST(L) = { * , id }

Therefore FIRST(S) = { * , id }

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