Syntax Analysis
Syntax analysis, also known as parsing, is a phase in compiler design and natural language processing that checks the grammatical structure of source code or text against a formal grammar. It involves analyzing a sequence of tokens (from lexical analysis) to determine if they form a valid syntactic structure according to the rules of a programming language or grammar. This process typically produces a parse tree or abstract syntax tree (AST) that represents the hierarchical structure of the input.
Developers should learn syntax analysis when working on compilers, interpreters, static analysis tools, or language processing applications, as it is essential for validating and understanding code structure. It is used in scenarios like building custom domain-specific languages (DSLs), implementing code linters, or developing tools that need to parse and manipulate source code, such as in IDEs for syntax highlighting and refactoring.