JFLEX – A Lexical Analyzer Generator

Presented By : Bushra Arshad (21-SE-50)

 Lexical Analyzer
• A Lexical Analyzer (or lexer) is a program
component that processes input text and converts it
into a sequence of tokens.

• Tokens typically represents identifier, literals ,

keywords or operators.
 What is JFLEX?
• JFlex is a lexical analyzer generator for Java.

• It is used to generate Java classes that can recognize and tokenize input text.

• JFlex integrates seamlessly with Java applications to provide efficient lexical analysis.
Characteristics of JFLEX

01 Regular Expression (RE) Based

Define patterns using RE.

02 Customizable and Efficient

Developers can customize various aspects of the lexer generation
process.

03 Integration
Outputs Java Code, facilitating seamless integration with
Java applications.
 How JFLEX Works?
• JFlex reads a specification file containing regular expressions and actions.

• It generates Java code that recognizes tokens based on the specified regular expressions.

• The generated Java code can be integrated into a Java project for lexical analysis.
 JFLEX Specification File
JFlex Spec File contains
1. User Code : For imports, class definition, packages
etc
2. JFlex Directives: Special commands used to
control various aspects of the lexer generation
process. Eg %class, %line
3. Lexical Analysis Rules: Define patterns that match
input text and generate corresponding tokens.
 Generating Lexer with JFLEX

• Create Specification File.

• Run the JFlex tool on the specification file to

generate Java code.

• The generated Java code will include classes for

lexical analysis.
 Integrating With Java
• Create a Java class that will use the generated lexer classes.

• Instantiate the lexer class and call its methods to tokenize input text.

• Simply run the code and provide input for processing.

 Conclusion
• JFlex is a powerful tool for generating lexical analyzers in Java and JFlex integration with
Java enhances the lexical analysis capabilities of Java applications.

• Further experiment with different features to maximize the efficiency of generated lexer.
ThankYou!