Automated Syntax Error Correction Model

Program Error Correction Model

• A significant portion of development time is spent on error removal.
• A new, formal, and realistic model automates syntax error correction.
• The model defines and formally studies the concept of errors.
• It models a systematic error-correction process.
• This process uses local corrections on error clusters.
• Context analysis determines corrections and ensures correction consistency.
• The process integrates seamlessly into left-to-right syntax checking.
• The error correction process uses a recognizer to detect and find corrections.

Error Correction Process Modes

• Two modes: Standard mode for syntax checking and an error-correction mode.
• Standard mode checks syntax at the same speed as without error correction.
• It imposes no performance cost for error-free programs.
• Error-correction mode has two phases: backward and forward moves.
• The backward move identifies the left context of the error cluster.
• The forward move finds possible corrections and locates the right context.
• This sequential movement makes the correction process efficient.

Practical Considerations and Enhancements

• The formal model is impractical with conventional context-free language descriptions.
• Bracketed context-free languages are proposed as a more practical model for programming language syntax.
• Heuristics limit the types of errors corrected for simplification.
• Errors in deeply nested structures are often disregarded.
• Brackets are corrected only when no other correction is possible.