[Python-ideas] EBNF-module in stdlib

[Lukas Lueg]

Hi.

By all accounts, Python has many strong and flexible ways to deal with
parsing of semi-structured data. Applications range from csv- and
configuration-files over log- and report-data to all kinds of
semi-structured formats. As far as I can see the standard library
however either provides highly specialized modules (e.g. configparser,
csv, json) or drives you off into very generic approaches (e.g. re)
for you to implement the rest or use external modules.

I started looking into RPython some time ago and found the included
parser-module highly useful. It provides an (again extended)
EBNF-parser with capable visitors to get parse-trees out of a simple
BN-syntax.

Is it worth the discussion to get our own EBNF-module into the
standard library, so people who otherwise rely on pure regular
expressions can build capable parsers with little effort? External
modules (like simpleparser) and even internal modules like the ones
mentioned above may even benefit from that.

Regards
Lukas