=encoding utf8

=head1 TITLE

DRAFT: Synopsis 32: Setting Library - Rules

=head1 VERSION

    Created: 27 Feb 2009

    Last Modified: 5 Jul 2013
    Version: 2

The document is a draft.

=head1 Overview

This synopsis deals with objects produced by the regexes and grammars
described in much greater detail in L<S05>.

=head1 Classes

=head2 Regex

    class Regex is Method {...}

Regex objects are created through the syntax described in S05:

    / ... /
    rx/ ... /
    regex { ... }

They can be stored in variables for later use, as with the C<qr//> syntax
in Perl 5.

=over

=item method Bool(Regex:D: )

In boolean context, a regex object will match against C<$_>, and return
the result as a Bool.

=back

=head2 Match

    class Match is Cool does Positional does Associative {
        method from( --> Int )  {...}
        method to( --> Int )    {...}
        method chars( --> Int ) {...}
        method orig()           {...}
        method ast()            {...}
        method caps()           {...}
        method chunks()         {...}
        method pos()            {...}

        method bool()           {...}
        method Str()            {...}
        method Num()            {...}
        method ast()            {...}
    }

=head2 Cursor

    class Cursor {
        method pos( --> Int ) {...}
        method orig() {...}
    }

=head2 Grammar

    class Grammar is Cursor

Much as a class is a collection of named attributes and methods, a grammar
is a collection of named regexes and rules.  For more on creating and using
grammars, see L<S05/Grammars>.

=over

=item parse / subparse
X<parse> X<subparse>

    method parse ($target, :$rule = 'TOP', Mu :$actions = Mu, *%opts)
    method subparse ($target, :$rule = 'TOP', Mu :$actions = Mu, *%opts)

Parses the C<$target> string with given <:rule>, and returns the result
as a Match object.  Defaults to the C<TOP> rule.  A class containing actions
may be attached using the C<actions> named argument.

The C<parse> method automatically anchors the rule to the beginning and end
of the target string (adding C<^> and C<$> around the rule).  The C<subparse>
method does not add anchors, and will match substrings against the rule.

=item parsefile

    method parsefile (Cool $filename, :$rule = 'TOP', Mu :$actions = Mu, *%opts)

Parse the file as with C<.parse>, but matches the grammar against the contents
of C<$filename> instead.

=back

See Abstractions.pod

=head1 AUTHORS

    Tim Nelson <wayland@wayland.id.au>
    Larry Wall <larry@wall.org>
    Brent Laabs <bslaabs@gmail.com>