Advanced Compiler-Compiler Platform
YES, Minotaur can be effectively used for real-time code generation and refactoring with clear path and small context management, similar to the refakts approach for TypeScript. In fact, Minotaur offers several advantages over refakts while maintaining the same core principles of surgical operations and context preservation.
RefakTS demonstrates a successful model for AI-assisted code refactoring through:
Minotaur provides equivalent and enhanced capabilities:
| RefakTS Feature | Minotaur Equivalent | Enhancement |
|---|---|---|
| Location-based targeting | Position tracking in rule callbacks | Grammar-aware precision |
| Surgical operations | Rule activation callbacks | Language-agnostic operations |
| Context preservation | Multi-path processing | Hierarchical context management |
| AST manipulation | Grammar-driven parsing | Real-time incremental parsing |
| TypeScript-specific | Language-agnostic grammar | Support for any language |
Objective: Establish the foundation for real-time refactoring operations
interface CodeLocation {
file: string;
startLine: number;
startColumn: number;
endLine: number;
endColumn: number;
context: string;
}
// Grammar callback with location awareness
<variable-declaration> ::= <type> <identifier> "=" <expression> => {
recordLocation($2, getCurrentPosition(), getCurrentContext())
}
interface ContextStack {
push(context: string, identifier?: string): void;
pop(): string | undefined;
current(): string | undefined;
getPath(): string[];
inScope(scope: string): boolean;
}
// Context-aware grammar rules
<function-declaration> ::= "function" <identifier> "(" <parameters> ")" "{" => {
contextStack.push("function", $2)
enableRefactorings(["extract-variable", "rename-parameter"])
}
interface ScopeAwareSymbolTable {
declare(symbol: string, type: string, scope: string, location: CodeLocation): void;
lookup(symbol: string, scope: string): SymbolInfo | undefined;
findAllReferences(symbol: string): Reference[];
getSymbolsInScope(scope: string): SymbolInfo[];
}
Objective: Implement core refactoring operations similar to refakts
// Extract Variable
<extract-variable-candidate> ::= <complex-expression> => {
if (isExtractionWorthy($1, getCurrentContext())) {
suggestExtraction($1, generateVariableName($1))
}
}
// Inline Variable
<inline-variable-candidate> ::= <identifier> => {
const definition = symbolTable.lookup($1, getCurrentScope())
if (definition && definition.canInline) {
suggestInlining($1, definition.value)
}
}
// Rename Variable
<variable-reference> ::= <identifier> => {
recordReference($1, getCurrentScope(), getCurrentPosition())
enableRefactoring("rename", $1, getAllReferences($1))
}
// Extract Function
<extract-function-candidate> ::= <statement-block> => {
if (shouldExtractFunction($1)) {
const params = analyzeParameters($1)
const returnType = analyzeReturnType($1)
suggestFunctionExtraction($1, params, returnType)
}
}
// Inline Function
<function-call> ::= <identifier> "(" <arguments> ")" => {
const function = symbolTable.lookup($1, "function")
if (function && function.canInline) {
suggestFunctionInlining($1, function.body)
}
}
// Similar to refakts select command
interface SelectionCriteria {
regex?: string;
range?: { start: string; end: string };
structural?: { type: string; includeFields: boolean; includeMethods: boolean };
boundaries?: string;
}
// Grammar-based selection
<selection-target> ::= <pattern> => {
if (matchesSelectionCriteria($1)) {
recordSelection($1, getCurrentLocation())
}
}
Objective: Extend capabilities beyond single-language files
// HTML with embedded languages
<style-block> ::= "<style>" <css-content> "</style>" => {
switchGrammar("CSS")
processCSS($2)
enableRefactoring("extract-css-class", $2)
switchGrammar("HTML")
}
<script-block> ::= "<script>" <js-content> "</script>" => {
switchGrammar("JavaScript")
processJavaScript($2)
enableRefactoring("extract-function", $2)
switchGrammar("HTML")
}
// SQL in C# strings
<sql-string> ::= "\"" <sql-query> "\"" => {
switchGrammar("SQL")
validateSQL($2)
enableRefactoring("optimize-query", $2)
enableRefactoring("extract-stored-procedure", $2)
switchGrammar("CSharp")
}
Objective: Implement advanced refactoring and optimization features
// Quality detection rules
<large-function> ::= "function" <identifier> "(" <params> ")" "{" <statements> "}" => {
if (countStatements($6) > 20) {
suggestRefactoring("extract-function", $6)
triggerQualityAlert("LARGE_FUNCTION", $2)
}
}
<code-duplication> ::= <statement-block> => {
const duplicates = findDuplicates($1)
if (duplicates.length > 0) {
suggestRefactoring("extract-common-code", duplicates)
triggerQualityAlert("CODE_DUPLICATION", $1)
}
}
interface AIRefactoringAgent {
suggestRefactoring(operation: string, target: ASTNode, context: ParseContext): RefactoringSuggestion;
validateRefactoring(operation: RefactoringOperation): ValidationResult;
optimizeCode(code: string, language: string): OptimizationResult;
}
// Grammar integration with AI
<refactoring-opportunity> ::= <pattern> => {
const suggestions = aiAgent.suggestRefactoring("auto", $1, getCurrentContext())
presentSuggestions(suggestions)
}
class RealTimeParser {
private grammarContainer: GrammarContainer;
private contextStack: ContextStack;
private symbolTable: ScopeAwareSymbolTable;
private locationTracker: LocationTracker;
public parseIncremental(change: TextChange): ParseResult {
// Incremental parsing with context preservation
}
public getRefactoringOpportunities(location: CodeLocation): RefactoringOperation[] {
// Context-aware refactoring suggestions
}
}
class RefactoringRegistry {
private operations: Map<string, RefactoringOperation>;
public register(operation: RefactoringOperation): void;
public getApplicable(context: ParseContext): RefactoringOperation[];
public execute(operation: string, target: ASTNode): RefactoringResult;
}
class MultiLanguageCoordinator {
private grammars: Map<string, Grammar>;
private activeGrammar: string;
public switchGrammar(language: string): void;
public processEmbeddedLanguage(content: string, language: string): ParseResult;
public maintainCrossLanguageConsistency(): void;
}
# Minotaur CLI commands
grammarforge select src/example.ts --regex "tempResult" --grammar "TypeScript"
grammarforge extract-variable "[src/example.ts 5:8-5:18]" --name "result"
grammarforge rename "[src/example.ts 3:5-3:15]" --to "newVariableName"
grammarforge find-usages "[src/example.ts 3:5-3:15]" --scope "function"
# Multi-language support
grammarforge select src/page.html --regex "SELECT.*FROM" --grammar "SQL"
grammarforge optimize-query "[src/page.html 15:20-15:45]"
interface MinotaurAPI {
// Location-based operations
select(file: string, criteria: SelectionCriteria): CodeLocation[];
extractVariable(location: CodeLocation, name: string): RefactoringResult;
inlineVariable(location: CodeLocation): RefactoringResult;
rename(location: CodeLocation, newName: string): RefactoringResult;
// Context-aware operations
getContext(location: CodeLocation): ParseContext;
getApplicableRefactorings(location: CodeLocation): RefactoringOperation[];
// Multi-language operations
switchGrammar(language: string): void;
processEmbeddedLanguage(content: string, language: string): ParseResult;
}
interface RealTimeFeedback {
onParseError(error: ParseError): void;
onRefactoringOpportunity(opportunity: RefactoringOpportunity): void;
onContextChange(oldContext: ParseContext, newContext: ParseContext): void;
onQualityIssue(issue: QualityIssue): void;
}
| Aspect | RefakTS | Minotaur | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language Support | TypeScript only | Any language | Universal applicability |
| Multi-Language Files | Limited | Native support | Better for modern development |
| Custom Languages | Not supported | Full support | Domain-specific applications |
| Context Granularity | Function/Class/Block | Grammar-defined | More precise control |
| Real-Time Processing | Batch operations | Incremental parsing | Better performance |
| Extensibility | Fixed operations | Grammar-defined rules | Unlimited customization |
| Quality Automation | Basic checks | Grammar-integrated | More comprehensive |
// TypeScript/JavaScript refactoring
grammarforge select src/app.ts --structural --type "function" --boundaries "class"
grammarforge extract-function "[src/app.ts 45:10-55:20]" --name "validateUser"
// Python refactoring
grammarforge select src/main.py --regex "lambda.*:" --boundaries "function"
grammarforge extract-variable "[src/main.py 12:15-12:35]" --name "filter_func"
// C# refactoring with embedded SQL
grammarforge select src/data.cs --regex "SELECT.*FROM" --grammar "SQL"
grammarforge optimize-query "[src/data.cs 78:25-78:65]"
// HTML with embedded CSS and JavaScript
grammarforge select src/page.html --grammar "CSS" --boundaries "style"
grammarforge extract-css-class "[src/page.html 15:5-20:10]" --name "button-primary"
grammarforge select src/page.html --grammar "JavaScript" --boundaries "script"
grammarforge extract-function "[src/page.html 45:10-55:20]" --name "handleClick"
// Configuration files
grammarforge select config/app.yaml --structural --type "mapping"
grammarforge extract-config-section "[config/app.yaml 25:5-35:15]" --name "database"
// Build scripts
grammarforge select build.gradle --regex "dependencies.*{" --boundaries "block"
grammarforge optimize-dependencies "[build.gradle 15:5-25:10]"
// SQL optimization
grammarforge select queries/report.sql --structural --type "subquery"
grammarforge extract-cte "[queries/report.sql 12:15-18:25]" --name "filtered_data"
// R/Python data analysis
grammarforge select analysis.R --regex "ggplot.*aes" --boundaries "function"
grammarforge extract-plot-function "[analysis.R 45:10-65:20]" --name "create_scatter_plot"
Minotaur provides a superior foundation for real-time code generation and refactoring compared to refakts by offering:
The grammar-based approach maintains all the benefits of refakts’ surgical operations while extending capabilities to support specialized languages, multi-language files, and domain-specific refactoring needs. This makes Minotaur an ideal foundation for AI-assisted code generation and refactoring systems that need to work across diverse programming environments.
Recommendation: Proceed with Minotaur implementation using the phased approach outlined above, starting with core infrastructure and gradually adding advanced features. The investment in grammar-based refactoring will provide long-term benefits for AI code generation systems working with specialized languages and complex multi-language codebases.