Current stable version is JFlex 1.4
released at April 12, 2004
What is it?JFlex is a lexical analyzer generator (also
known as scanner generator) for Java(tm), written in
Java(tm).
It is also a rewrite of the very useful tool JLex
which was developed by Elliot Berk at Princeton University. As Vern
Paxson states for his C/C++ tool flex: They do not share any code
though.
JFlex is designed to work together with the LALR parser generator
CUP
by Scott Hudson, and the Java modification of Berkeley Yacc BYacc/J by
Bob Jamison. It can also be used together with other parser
generators like ANTLR or as a
standalone tool.
Why should I use JFlex and not JLex? Well, you might want to take
a look at the features of
JFlex.
Is it free?Yes. It is released under the GPL and available
for free download. See
also Copyright, License &
Warranty. Code you generate with JFlex is not covered by the
GPL, it is yours.
What's new in version 1.4?
Version 1.4 is adds a lot of new features and fixes all known
bugs of 1.3.5. Most notable new features are
- new, very fast minimization algorithm
- new --jlex option for strict compatibility to JLex
- support for even larger scanners (up to 64K DFA states)
- faster character classes
- new %apiprivate switch that causes all generated and skeleton
methods to be made private
- allow user defined javadoc class comments
- optional parameter to %eofclose: "%eofclose false" turns off
%eofclose if it was turned on previously (e.g. by %cup)
- some internal changes: jflex build script switched to ant,
better integration with build tools and IDEs, change scheme for
generated names to comply with Java naming standard
See also the change
log file for the complete list of changes.
What's new on these pages?You might want to check out the
list of files on this
website ordered by modification date.
What platforms does JFlex support?JFlex should run on any
platform that supports a JRE/JDK 1.1 or above. I have compiled a list of platforms JFlex
has been positively tested on.
Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems. JFlex is not
sponsored by or affiliated with Sun Microsystems
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