A ''parser'' is a routine or program that analyses the structure of some
input according to a formal grammar [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsing].
Examples would be various [XML] parsers, a [BibTeX parser], and the parser
for Tcl itself.

Almost all programs include parsers - at least if they read a file and process it to 
perform a (possibly useful) action. 
Excel, Word, OpenOffice, Photoshop and so on all contain parsers.

Now-a-days parsers are most often generated directly from grammar specifications 
instead of written by hand. Applications for doing so are called [parser generator]s.

----
See also [Syntax parsing in Tcl], [LogParser], [grammatical analysis], [parsetcl], [Scripted Parsing].
----
!!!!!!
%| [Category Glossary] | [Category Concept] |%
!!!!!!