path: root/examples/model/model-resource-app.txt

A Tutorial on Resource Grammar Applications
Aarne Ranta
28 February 2007



We will show how to build a minimal resource grammar
application whose architecture scales up to much
larger applications. The application is run from the
shell by the command
```
  math
```
whereafter it reads user input in English and French.
To each input line, it answers by the truth value of
the sentence.
```
  ./math
  zéro est pair
  True
  zero is odd
  False
  zero is even and zero is odd
  False
```
The source of the application consists of the following
files:
```
  LexEng.gf    -- English instance of Lex
  LexFre.gf    -- French instance of Lex
  Lex.gf       -- lexicon interface
  Makefile     -- a makefile
  MathEng.gf   -- English instantiation of MathI
  MathFre.gf   -- French instantiation of MathI
  Math.gf      -- abstract syntax
  MathI.gf     -- concrete syntax functor for Math
  Run.hs       -- Haskell Main module
```
The system was built in 22 steps explained below.



==Writing GF grammars==

===Creating the first grammar===

1. Write ``Math.gf``, which defines what you want to say.
```
  abstract Math = {
  cat Prop ; Elem ;
  fun 
    And  : Prop -> Prop -> Prop ;
    Even : Elem -> Prop ;
    Zero : Elem ;
  }
```
2. Write ``Lex.gf``, which defines which language-dependent
parts are needed in the concrete syntax. These are mostly
words (lexicon), but can in fact be any operations. The definitions
only use resource abstract syntax, which is opened.
```
  interface Lex = open Syntax in {
  oper
    even_A : A ;
    zero_PN : PN ;
  } 
```
3. Write ``LexEng.gf``, the English implementation of ``Lex.gf``
This module uses English resource libraries.
```
  instance LexEng of Lex = open GrammarEng, ParadigmsEng in {
  oper
    even_A = regA "even" ;
    zero_PN = regPN "zero" ;

  }
```
4. Write ``MathI.gf``, a language-independent concrete syntax of
``Math.gf``. It opens interfaces.
which makes it an incomplete module, aka. parametrized module, aka.
functor.
```
  incomplete concrete MathI of Math = 

  open Syntax, Lex in {

  flags startcat = Prop ;

  lincat 
    Prop = S ;
    Elem = NP ;
  lin 
    And x y = mkS and_Conj x y ;
    Even x = mkS (mkCl x even_A) ;
    Zero = mkNP zero_PN ;
  }
```
5. Write ``MathEng.gf``, which is just an instatiation of ``MathI.gf``,
replacing the interfaces by their English instances. This is the module
that will be used as a top module in GF, so it contains a path to
the libraries.
```
  instance LexEng of Lex = open SyntaxEng, ParadigmsEng in {
  oper
    even_A = mkA "even" ;
    zero_PN = mkPN "zero" ;
  }
```


===Testing===

6. Test the grammar in GF by random generation and parsing.
```
  $ gf 
  > i MathEng.gf
  > gr -tr | l -tr | p
  And (Even Zero) (Even Zero)
  zero is evenand zero is even
  And (Even Zero) (Even Zero)
```
When importing the grammar, you will fail if you haven't 
- correctly defined your ``GF_LIB_PATH`` as ``GF/lib``
- installed the resource package or 
  compiled the resource from source by ``make`` in ``GF/lib/resource-1.0``



===Adding a new language===

7. Now it is time to add a new language. Write a French lexicon ``LexFre.gf``:
```
  instance LexFre of Lex = open SyntaxFre, ParadigmsFre in {
  oper
    even_A = mkA "pair" ;
    zero_PN = mkPN "zéro" ;
  }
```
8. You also need a French concrete syntax, ``MathFre.gf``:
```
  --# -path=.:present:prelude

  concrete MathFre of Math = MathI with
    (Syntax = SyntaxFre), 
    (Lex = LexFre) ;
```
9. This time, you can test multilingual generation:
```
  > i MathFre.gf
  > gr | tb
  Even Zero
  zéro est pair
  zero is even
```


===Extending the language===

10. You want to add a predicate saying that a number is odd.
It is first added to ``Math.gf``:
```
  fun Odd : Elem -> Prop ;
```
11. You need a new word in ``Lex.gf``.
```
  oper odd_A : A ;
```
12. Then you can give a language-independent concrete syntax in
``MathI.gf``:
```
  lin Odd x = mkS (mkCl x odd_A) ;
```
13. The new word is implemented in ``LexEng.gf``.
```
  oper odd_A = mkA "odd" ;
```
14. The new word is implemented in ``LexFre.gf``.
```
  oper odd_A = mkA "impair" ;
```
15. Now you can test with the extended lexicon. First empty
the environment to get rid of the old abstract syntax, then
import the new versions of the grammars.
```
  > e
  > i MathEng.gf
  > i MathFre.gf
  > gr | tb
  And (Odd Zero) (Even Zero)
  zéro est impair et zéro est pair
  zero is odd and zero is even
```


==Building a user program==

===Producing a compiled grammar package===

16. Your grammar is going to be used by persons wh``MathEng.gf``o do not need
to compile it again. They may not have access to the resource library,
either. Therefore it is advisable to produce a multilingual grammar
package in a single file. We call this package ``math.gfcm`` and
produce it, when we have ``MathEng.gf`` and 
``MathEng.gf`` in the GF state, by the command
```
  > pm | wf math.gfcm
```


===Writing the Haskell application===

17. Write the Haskell main file ``Run.hs``. It uses the ``EmbeddedAPI``
module defining some basic functionalities such as parsing.
The answer is produced by an interpreter of trees returned by the parser.
```
module Main where

import GSyntax
import GF.Embed.EmbedAPI

main :: IO () 
main = do
  gr <- file2grammar "math.gfcm"
  loop gr

loop :: MultiGrammar -> IO ()
loop gr = do
  s <- getLine
  interpret gr s
  loop gr

interpret :: MultiGrammar -> String -> IO ()
interpret gr s = do
  let tss = parseAll gr "Prop" s
  case (concat tss) of
    [] ->  putStrLn "no parse"
    t:_ -> print $ answer $ fg t

answer :: GProp -> Bool
answer p = case p of
  (GOdd x1) -> odd (value x1)
  (GEven x1) -> even (value x1)
  (GAnd x1 x2) -> answer x1 && answer x2

value :: GElem -> Int
value e = case e of
  GZero -> 0
```

18. The syntax trees manipulated by the interpreter are not raw
GF trees, but objects of the Haskell datatype ``GProp``.
From any GF grammar, a file ``GFSyntax.hs`` with
datatypes corresponding to its abstract
syntax can be produced by the command
```
  > pg -printer=haskell | wf GSyntax.hs
```
The module also defines the overloaded functions
``gf`` and ``fg`` for translating from these types to
raw trees and back.


===Compiling the Haskell grammar===

19. Before compiling ``Run.hs``, you must check that the
embedded GF modules are found. The easiest way to do this
is by two symbolic links to your GF source directories:
```
  $ ln -s /home/aarne/GF/src/GF
  $ ln -s /home/aarne/GF/src/Transfer/
```

20. Now you can run the GHC Haskell compiler to produce the program.
```
  $ ghc --make -o math Run.hs
```
The program can be tested with the command ``./math``.


===Building a distribution===

21. For a stand-alone binary-only distribution, only
the two files ``math`` and ``math.gfcm`` are needed.
For a source distribution, the files mentioned in
the beginning of this documents are needed.


===Using a Makefile===

22. As a part of the source distribution, a ``Makefile`` is
essential. The ``Makefile`` is also useful when developing the
application. It should always be possible to build an executable
from source by typing ``make``.