Parsing
Parsing is the process of analyzing a string of symbols, such as natural language or computer code, to determine its grammatical structure according to a formal grammar. It involves breaking down input data into smaller components (tokens) and building a parse tree or abstract syntax tree that represents the hierarchical structure. This is fundamental in compilers, interpreters, natural language processing, and data format processing.
Developers should learn parsing to build tools like compilers, interpreters, query engines, or configuration file readers, where understanding and processing structured text is essential. It's crucial for tasks such as syntax validation, code analysis, and data extraction from formats like JSON, XML, or custom DSLs, enabling automation and error handling in software systems.