auto-parsing-mode

Auto-Parsing Mode

In auto-parsing mode, syntactic correctness is checked automatically as an implicit side effect of executing certain commands; when not in auto-parsing mode, syntactic correctness is checked only upon the explicit invocation of one of the commands parse-buffer or parse-selection. Auto-parsing mode is enabled by the command parsing-on, is disabled by the command parsing-off, and is toggled by the command parsing-toggle.

Commands that implicitly check for syntactic correctness are known as parser-initiating commands. Typically, commands that reposition the structural selection are parser-initiating so that a syntax error at the current selection can be detected and corrected before the focus of attention is redirected. In contrast, commands that do not reposition the structural selection typically are not parser-initiating because syntactic analysis in those cases is likely to be premature or inappropriate.