[Monster99d]

I am creating a programming language. My question to you guys is, how do I make sure that I fully completed my syntax without forgetting to add in something very specific that can easily be overlooked?

[sepp2k]

The question is a bit vague.

Do you mean how to make sure that you didn't forget to implement parts of the language? By having extensive test coverage.

Or do you mean how to make sure that your language design isn't missing some features that are important to make your language usable? In that case develop a sufficiently complex sample application in your language. If you're missing any important features, you'll figure it out while working on that project.

[Skydiver]

+1.

In short, testing. Testing by test coverage, and testing by "dogfooding" your own language.

[snoopy11]

You would parse the syntax
To get your command compare that
Against a list of valid commands
Compare the parameters one by one
Again using parsing to see if they match
Up to the correct parameters.

If you search the Tutorials section
There is a tutorial on how to write
An interpreter there.

Here it is here by Martyn.rae

Writing an interpreter

Snoopy.

This post has been edited by snoopy11: 09 August 2012 - 06:43 PM

[JackOfAllTrades]

Moved to Software Development; there's nothing C/C++ in this.

[Skydiver]

Or you can design your language like Forth: It can compile itself from its own source code. Additionally, at runtime, if you don't have the language functionality you need, just write it yourself and save it as part of the system vocabulary. From that point onward it's part of the language.

[cfoley]

I guess the baseline to aim for is Turing completeness. Anything on top of that is highly-usable syntactic sugar.