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NAME

       erl_syntax - Abstract Erlang syntax trees.

DESCRIPTION

       Abstract Erlang syntax trees.

       This  module  defines  an abstract data type for representing Erlang source code as syntax
       trees, in a way that is backwards compatible with  the  data  structures  created  by  the
       Erlang standard library parser module erl_parse (often referred to as "parse trees", which
       is a bit of a misnomer). This means that all erl_parse trees  are  valid  abstract  syntax
       trees,  but  the  reverse is not true: abstract syntax trees can in general not be used as
       input to functions expecting an erl_parse tree. However, as long  as  an  abstract  syntax
       tree  represents  a  correct  Erlang  program,  the  function  revert/1  should be able to
       transform it to the corresponding erl_parse representation.

       A recommended starting  point  for  the  first-time  user  is  the  documentation  of  the
       syntaxTree() data type, and the function type/1.

       NOTES:

       This module deals with the composition and decomposition of syntactic entities (as opposed
       to semantic ones); its purpose is to hide all direct references  to  the  data  structures
       used  to  represent  these  entities.  With  few  exceptions, the functions in this module
       perform no semantic interpretation of their inputs, and in general, the user is assumed to
       pass type-correct arguments - if this is not done, the effects are not defined.

       With  the  exception  of  the erl_parse() data structures, the internal representations of
       abstract syntax trees are subject to change without notice, and should not  be  documented
       outside  this module. Furthermore, we do not give any guarantees on how an abstract syntax
       tree may or may not be represented, with the  following  exceptions:  no  syntax  tree  is
       represented by a single atom, such as none, by a list constructor [X | Y], or by the empty
       list []. This can be relied on when writing functions that operate on syntax trees.

DATA TYPES

         encoding() = utf8 | unicode | latin1:

         erl_parse() = abstract_form() (see  module  erl_parse)  |  abstract_expr()  (see  module
         erl_parse):

           The  representation  built  by the Erlang standard library parser erl_parse. This is a
           subset of the syntaxTree() type.

         forms() = syntaxTree() | [syntaxTree()]:

         guard() = none | syntaxTree() | [syntaxTree()] | [[syntaxTree()]]:

         padding() = none | integer():

         syntaxTree():

           An abstract syntax tree. The erl_parse()  "parse  tree"  representation  is  a  proper
           subset of the syntaxTree() representation.

           Every  abstract  syntax  tree node has a type, given by the function type/1. Each node
           also has associated attributes; see get_attrs/1 for details. The functions make_tree/2
           and  subtrees/1  are  generic  constructor/decomposition functions for abstract syntax
           trees. The functions abstract/1 and concrete/1 convert between constant  Erlang  terms
           and  their  syntactic  representations.  The  set  of  syntax tree nodes is extensible
           through the tree/2 function.

           A syntax tree can be transformed to the erl_parse() representation with  the  revert/1
           function.

         syntaxTreeAttributes():

           This  is  an  abstract representation of syntax tree node attributes; see the function
           get_attrs/1.

EXPORTS

       abstract(T::term()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the syntax tree corresponding to an Erlang term. Term  must  be  a  literal
              term,  i.e., one that can be represented as a source code literal. Thus, it may not
              contain a process identifier, port,  reference,  binary  or  function  value  as  a
              subterm.  The  function recognises printable strings, in order to get a compact and
              readable representation. Evaluation fails with reason  badarg  if  Term  is  not  a
              literal term.

              See also: concrete/1, is_literal/1.

       add_ann(A::term(), Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Appends the term Annotation to the list of user annotations of Node.

              Note:  this  is  equivalent  to  set_ann(Node,  [Annotation  | get_ann(Node)]), but
              potentially more efficient.

              See also: get_ann/1, set_ann/2.

       add_postcomments(Cs::[syntaxTree()], Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Appends Comments to the post-comments of Node.

              Note:  This  is  equivalent  to  set_postcomments(Node,  get_postcomments(Node)  ++
              Comments), but potentially more efficient.

              See   also:   add_precomments/2,  comment/2,  get_postcomments/1,  join_comments/2,
              set_postcomments/2.

       add_precomments(Cs::[syntaxTree()], Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Appends Comments to the pre-comments of Node.

              Note:  This  is  equivalent  to  set_precomments(Node,   get_precomments(Node)   ++
              Comments), but potentially more efficient.

              See   also:   add_postcomments/2,  comment/2,  get_precomments/1,  join_comments/2,
              set_precomments/2.

       application(Operator::syntaxTree(), Arguments::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract function application expression. If Arguments is [A1, ..., An],
              the result represents "Operator(A1, ..., An)".

              See also: application/3, application_arguments/1, application_operator/1.

       application(Module::none | syntaxTree(), Name::syntaxTree(), Arguments::[syntaxTree()]) ->
       syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract function application expression. If Module  is  none,  this  is
              call  is equivalent to application(Function, Arguments), otherwise it is equivalent
              to application(module_qualifier(Module, Function), Arguments).

              (This is a utility function.)

              See also: application/2, module_qualifier/2.

       application_arguments(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of argument subtrees of an application node.

              See also: application/2.

       application_operator(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the operator subtree of an application node.

              Note: if Node represents "M:F(...)", then the result is  the  subtree  representing
              "M:F".

              See also: application/2, module_qualifier/2.

       arity_qualifier(Body::syntaxTree(), Arity::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract arity qualifier. The result represents "Body/Arity".

              See also: arity_qualifier_argument/1, arity_qualifier_body/1.

       arity_qualifier_argument(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the argument (the arity) subtree of an arity_qualifier node.

              See also: arity_qualifier/2.

       arity_qualifier_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the body subtree of an arity_qualifier node.

              See also: arity_qualifier/2.

       atom(Name::atom() | string()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  atom  literal.  The  print name of the atom is the character
              sequence represented by Name.

              See also: atom_literal/1, atom_name/1, atom_value/1, is_atom/2.

       atom_literal(Node::syntaxTree()) -> string()

              Returns the literal string represented by an atom node. This  includes  surrounding
              single-quote characters if necessary.

              Note  that  e.g.  the  result  of  atom("x\ny")  represents any and all of `x\ny'',
              `x\12y'', `x\012y'' and `x\^Jy\''; see string/1.

              See also: atom/1, string/1.

       atom_name(Node::syntaxTree()) -> string()

              Returns the printname of an atom node.

              See also: atom/1.

       atom_value(Node::syntaxTree()) -> atom()

              Returns the value represented by an atom node.

              See also: atom/1.

       attribute(Name::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Equivalent to attribute(Name, none).

       attribute(Name::syntaxTree(), Args::none | [syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract program attribute. If Arguments is [A1, ...,  An],  the  result
              represents  "-Name(A1,  ...,  An).".  Otherwise,  if  Arguments is none, the result
              represents "-Name.". The latter form makes it possible  to  represent  preprocessor
              directives such as "-endif.". Attributes are source code forms.

              Note:  The  preprocessor  macro  definition  directive  "-define(Name,  Body)." has
              relatively few requirements on the syntactical form of Body (viewed as  a  sequence
              of  tokens).  The text node type can be used for a Body that is not a normal Erlang
              construct.

              See also: attribute/1, attribute_arguments/1, attribute_name/1, is_form/1, text/1.

       attribute_arguments(Node::syntaxTree()) -> none | [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of argument subtrees  of  an  attribute  node,  if  any.  If  Node
              represents  "-Name.",  the result is none. Otherwise, if Node represents "-Name(E1,
              ..., En).", [E1, ..., E1] is returned.

              See also: attribute/1.

       attribute_name(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the name subtree of an attribute node.

              See also: attribute/1.

       binary(List::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract binary-object template. If Fields is [F1, ..., Fn], the  result
              represents "<<F1, ..., Fn>>".

              See also: binary_field/2, binary_fields/1.

       binary_comp(Template::syntaxTree(), Body::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  binary  comprehension.  If Body is [E1, ..., En], the result
              represents "<<Template || E1, ..., En>>".

              See also: binary_comp_body/1, binary_comp_template/1, generator/2.

       binary_comp_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of body subtrees of a binary_comp node.

              See also: binary_comp/2.

       binary_comp_template(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the template subtree of a binary_comp node.

              See also: binary_comp/2.

       binary_field(Body::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Equivalent to binary_field(Body, []).

       binary_field(Body::syntaxTree(), Types::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract binary template field. If Types is the empty list,  the  result
              simply  represents  "Body",  otherwise,  if  Types  is  [T1,  ...,  Tn], the result
              represents "Body/T1-...-Tn".

              See   also:   binary/1,   binary_field/1,   binary_field/3,    binary_field_body/1,
              binary_field_size/1, binary_field_types/1.

       binary_field(Body::syntaxTree(),  Size::none  |  syntaxTree(),  Types::[syntaxTree()])  ->
       syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract binary template field. If Size is none, this is  equivalent  to
              "binary_field(Body,      Types)",     otherwise     it     is     equivalent     to
              "binary_field(size_qualifier(Body, Size), Types)".

              (This is a utility function.)

              See also: binary/1, binary_field/2, size_qualifier/2.

       binary_field_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the body subtree of a binary_field.

              See also: binary_field/2.

       binary_field_size(Node::syntaxTree()) -> none | syntaxTree()

              Returns the size specifier  subtree  of  a  binary_field  node,  if  any.  If  Node
              represents  "Body:Size"  or  "Body:Size/T1, ..., Tn", the result is Size, otherwise
              none is returned.

              (This is a utility function.)

              See also: binary_field/2, binary_field/3.

       binary_field_types(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of  type-specifier  subtrees  of  a  binary_field  node.  If  Node
              represents  ".../T1, ..., Tn", the result is [T1, ..., Tn], otherwise the result is
              the empty list.

              See also: binary_field/2.

       binary_fields(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of field subtrees of a binary node.

              See also: binary/1, binary_field/2.

       binary_generator(Pattern::syntaxTree(), Body::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract binary_generator. The result represents "Pattern <- Body".

              See  also:  binary_comp/2,   binary_generator_body/1,   binary_generator_pattern/1,
              list_comp/2.

       binary_generator_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the body subtree of a generator node.

              See also: binary_generator/2.

       binary_generator_pattern(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the pattern subtree of a generator node.

              See also: binary_generator/2.

       block_expr(Body::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  block  expression.  If  Body  is  [B1,  ..., Bn], the result
              represents "begin B1, ..., Bn end".

              See also: block_expr_body/1.

       block_expr_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of body subtrees of a block_expr node.

              See also: block_expr/1.

       case_expr(Argument::syntaxTree(), Clauses::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract case-expression. If  Clauses  is  [C1,  ...,  Cn],  the  result
              represents  "case Argument of C1; ...; Cn end". More exactly, if each Ci represents
              "(Pi) Gi -> Bi", then the result represents "case Argument of P1 G1 -> B1; ...;  Pn
              Gn -> Bn end".

              See   also:   case_expr_argument/1,   case_expr_clauses/1,  clause/3,  cond_expr/1,
              if_expr/1.

       case_expr_argument(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the argument subtree of a case_expr node.

              See also: case_expr/2.

       case_expr_clauses(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of clause subtrees of a case_expr node.

              See also: case_expr/2.

       catch_expr(Expr::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract catch-expression. The result represents "catch Expr".

              See also: catch_expr_body/1.

       catch_expr_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the body subtree of a catch_expr node.

              See also: catch_expr/1.

       char(Char::char()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract character literal. The result represents  "$Name",  where  Name
              corresponds to Value.

              Note:  the  literal  corresponding  to a particular character value is not uniquely
              defined. E.g., the character "a" can be written both as "$a" and "$\141", and a Tab
              character can be written as "$\11", "$\011" or "$\t".

              See also: char_literal/1, char_literal/2, char_value/1, is_char/2.

       char_literal(Node::syntaxTree()) -> nonempty_string()

              Returns  the  literal  string represented by a char node. This includes the leading
              "$" character. Characters beyond 255 will be escaped.

              See also: char/1.

       char_literal(Node::syntaxTree(), X2::encoding()) -> nonempty_string()

              Returns the literal string represented by a char node. This  includes  the  leading
              "$"  character.  Depending  on  the encoding a character beyond 255 will be escaped
              ('latin1') or copied as is ('utf8').

              See also: char/1.

       char_value(Node::syntaxTree()) -> char()

              Returns the value represented by a char node.

              See also: char/1.

       class_qualifier(Class::syntaxTree(), Body::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract class qualifier. The result represents "Class:Body".

              See also: class_qualifier_argument/1, class_qualifier_body/1, try_expr/4.

       class_qualifier_argument(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the argument (the class) subtree of a class_qualifier node.

              See also: class_qualifier/2.

       class_qualifier_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the body subtree of a class_qualifier node.

              See also: class_qualifier/2.

       clause(Guard::guard(), Body::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Equivalent to clause([], Guard, Body).

       clause(Patterns::[syntaxTree()], Guard::guard(), Body::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract clause. If Patterns is [P1, ..., Pn] and Body is [B1, ..., Bm],
              then  if  Guard  is  none,  the  result  represents "(P1, ..., Pn) -> B1, ..., Bm",
              otherwise, unless Guard is a list, the result represents "(P1, ..., Pn) when  Guard
              -> B1, ..., Bm".

              For simplicity, the Guard argument may also be any of the following:

                * An empty list []. This is equivalent to passing none.

                * A  nonempty  list  [E1, ..., Ej] of syntax trees. This is equivalent to passing
                  conjunction([E1, ..., Ej]).

                * A nonempty list of lists of syntax trees [[E1_1, ..., E1_k1], ..., [Ej_1,  ...,
                  Ej_kj]],  which  is  equivalent to passing disjunction([conjunction([E1_1, ...,
                  E1_k1]), ..., conjunction([Ej_1, ..., Ej_kj])]).

              See also: clause/2, clause_body/1, clause_guard/1, clause_patterns/1.

       clause_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Return the list of body subtrees of a clause node.

              See also: clause/3.

       clause_guard(Node::syntaxTree()) -> none | syntaxTree()

              Returns the guard subtree of a clause node, if any. If Node represents  "(P1,  ...,
              Pn) when Guard -> B1, ..., Bm", Guard is returned. Otherwise, the result is none.

              See also: clause/3.

       clause_patterns(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of pattern subtrees of a clause node.

              See also: clause/3.

       comment(Strings::[string()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Equivalent to comment(none, Strings).

       comment(Pad::padding(), Strings::[string()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  comment  with  the  given  padding and text. If Strings is a
              (possibly empty) list ["Txt1", ..., "TxtN"], the result represents the source  code
              text

                   %Txt1
                   ...
                   %TxtN

              Padding  states  the number of empty character positions to the left of the comment
              separating it horizontally from source code on the same line (if any).  If  Padding
              is  none,  a default positive number is used. If Padding is an integer less than 1,
              there should be no separating space. Comments are in themselves regarded as  source
              program forms.

              See also: comment/1, is_form/1.

       comment_padding(Node::syntaxTree()) -> padding()

              Returns  the amount of padding before the comment, or none. The latter means that a
              default padding may be used.

              See also: comment/2.

       comment_text(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [string()]

              Returns the lines of text of the abstract comment.

              See also: comment/2.

       compact_list(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Yields the most compact form for an  abstract  list  skeleton.  The  result  either
              represents  "[E1, ..., En | Tail]", where Tail is not a list skeleton, or otherwise
              simply "[E1, ..., En]".  Annotations  on  subtrees  of  Node  that  represent  list
              skeletons  may be lost, but comments will be propagated to the result. Returns Node
              itself if Node does not represent a list skeleton.

              See also: list/2, normalize_list/1.

       concrete(Node::syntaxTree()) -> term()

              Returns the Erlang term represented by a syntax tree. Evaluation fails with  reason
              badarg if Node does not represent a literal term.

              Note:  Currently,  the  set of syntax trees which have a concrete representation is
              larger than the set of trees which can be built using the function  abstract/1.  An
              abstract  character will be concretised as an integer, while abstract/1 does not at
              present yield an abstract character for any input.  (Use  the  char/1  function  to
              explicitly create an abstract character.)

              See also: abstract/1, char/1, is_literal/1.

       cond_expr(Clauses::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  cond-expression.  If  Clauses  is  [C1, ..., Cn], the result
              represents "cond C1; ...; Cn end". More exactly, if each Ci represents  "()  Ei  ->
              Bi", then the result represents "cond E1 -> B1; ...; En -> Bn end".

              See also: case_expr/2, clause/3, cond_expr_clauses/1.

       cond_expr_clauses(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of clause subtrees of a cond_expr node.

              See also: cond_expr/1.

       conjunction(Tests::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  conjunction. If List is [E1, ..., En], the result represents
              "E1, ..., En".

              See also: conjunction_body/1, disjunction/1.

       conjunction_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of body subtrees of a conjunction node.

              See also: conjunction/1.

       cons(Head::syntaxTree(), Tail::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              "Optimising" list skeleton cons operation. Creates an abstract list skeleton  whose
              first  element  is  Head  and  whose  tail  corresponds to Tail. This is similar to
              list([Head], Tail), except that Tail may not be none, and that the result does  not
              necessarily  represent exactly "[Head | Tail]", but may depend on the Tail subtree.
              E.g., if Tail represents [X, Y], the result may represent "[Head,  X,  Y]",  rather
              than "[Head | [X, Y]]". Annotations on Tail itself may be lost if Tail represents a
              list skeleton, but comments on Tail are propagated to the result.

              See also: list/2, list_head/1, list_tail/1.

       copy_ann(Source::syntaxTree(), Target::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Copies the list of user annotations from Source to Target.

              Note: this is equivalent to set_ann(Target, get_ann(Source)), but potentially  more
              efficient.

              See also: get_ann/1, set_ann/2.

       copy_attrs(S::syntaxTree(), T::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Copies the attributes from Source to Target.

              Note:  this  is equivalent to set_attrs(Target, get_attrs(Source)), but potentially
              more efficient.

              See also: get_attrs/1, set_attrs/2.

       copy_comments(Source::syntaxTree(), Target::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Copies the pre- and postcomments from Source to Target.

              Note:    This    is    equivalent    to    set_postcomments(set_precomments(Target,
              get_precomments(Source)),    get_postcomments(Source)),    but   potentially   more
              efficient.

              See also:  comment/2,  get_postcomments/1,  get_precomments/1,  set_postcomments/2,
              set_precomments/2.

       copy_pos(Source::syntaxTree(), Target::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Copies the position information from Source to Target.

              This  is  equivalent  to  set_pos(Target,  get_pos(Source)),  but  potentially more
              efficient.

              See also: get_pos/1, set_pos/2.

       data(Tree::syntaxTree()) -> term()

              For special purposes only. Returns the associated  data  of  a  syntax  tree  node.
              Evaluation fails with reason badarg if is_tree(Node) does not yield true.

              See also: tree/2.

       disjunction(Tests::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  disjunction. If List is [E1, ..., En], the result represents
              "E1; ...; En".

              See also: conjunction/1, disjunction_body/1.

       disjunction_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of body subtrees of a disjunction node.

              See also: disjunction/1.

       eof_marker() -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract end-of-file marker. This  represents  the  end  of  input  when
              reading  a  sequence of source code forms. An end-of-file marker is itself regarded
              as a source code form (namely, the last in any sequence in which it occurs). It has
              no defined lexical form.

              Note:  this  is retained only for backwards compatibility with existing parsers and
              tools.

              See also: error_marker/1, is_form/1, warning_marker/1.

       error_marker(Error::term()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract error marker. The result represents an occurrence of  an  error
              in  the  source  code,  with  an associated Erlang I/O ErrorInfo structure given by
              Error (see module io(3erl) for details). Error markers are regarded as source  code
              forms, but have no defined lexical form.

              Note:  this is supported only for backwards compatibility with existing parsers and
              tools.

              See also: eof_marker/0, error_marker_info/1, is_form/1, warning_marker/1.

       error_marker_info(Node::syntaxTree()) -> term()

              Returns the ErrorInfo structure of an error_marker node.

              See also: error_marker/1.

       flatten_form_list(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Flattens sublists of a form_list node. Returns  Node  with  all  subtrees  of  type
              form_list recursively expanded, yielding a single "flat" abstract form sequence.

              See also: form_list/1.

       float(Value::float()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  floating-point  literal.  The  lexical representation is the
              decimal floating-point numeral of Value.

              See also: float_literal/1, float_value/1.

       float_literal(Node::syntaxTree()) -> string()

              Returns the numeral string represented by a float node.

              See also: float/1.

       float_value(Node::syntaxTree()) -> float()

              Returns the value represented by a float  node.  Note  that  floating-point  values
              should usually not be compared for equality.

              See also: float/1.

       form_list(Forms::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  sequence  of "source code forms". If Forms is [F1, ..., Fn],
              where each Fi is a form (see is_form/1, the result represents

                   F1
                   ...
                   Fn

              where the Fi are separated by one or more line breaks. A node of type form_list  is
              itself regarded as a source code form; see flatten_form_list/1.

              Note:  this  is simply a way of grouping source code forms as a single syntax tree,
              usually in order to form an Erlang module definition.

              See also: flatten_form_list/1, form_list_elements/1, is_form/1.

       form_list_elements(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of subnodes of a form_list node.

              See also: form_list/1.

       fun_expr(Clauses::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract fun-expression.  If  Clauses  is  [C1,  ...,  Cn],  the  result
              represents  "fun  C1; ...; Cn end". More exactly, if each Ci represents "(Pi1, ...,
              Pim) Gi -> Bi", then the result represents "fun (P11, ...,  P1m)  G1  ->  B1;  ...;
              (Pn1, ..., Pnm) Gn -> Bn end".

              See also: fun_expr_arity/1, fun_expr_clauses/1.

       fun_expr_arity(Node::syntaxTree()) -> arity()

              Returns  the  arity  of  a  fun_expr  node.  The  result is the number of parameter
              patterns in the first clause of the fun-expression; subsequent clauses are ignored.

              An exception is thrown if fun_expr_clauses(Node) returns an empty list, or  if  the
              first  element  of  that  list  is  not  a  syntax  tree C of type clause such that
              clause_patterns(C) is a nonempty list.

              See also: clause/3, clause_patterns/1, fun_expr/1, fun_expr_clauses/1.

       fun_expr_clauses(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of clause subtrees of a fun_expr node.

              See also: fun_expr/1.

       function(Name::syntaxTree(), Clauses::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract function definition. If Clauses is [C1, ...,  Cn],  the  result
              represents  "Name  C1;  ...;  Name Cn.". More exactly, if each Ci represents "(Pi1,
              ..., Pim) Gi -> Bi", then the result represents "Name(P11, ..., P1m) G1 -> B1; ...;
              Name(Pn1, ..., Pnm) Gn -> Bn.". Function definitions are source code forms.

              See also: function_arity/1, function_clauses/1, function_name/1, is_form/1, rule/2.

       function_arity(Node::syntaxTree()) -> arity()

              Returns  the  arity  of  a  function  node.  The  result is the number of parameter
              patterns in the first clause of the function; subsequent clauses are ignored.

              An exception is thrown if function_clauses(Node) returns an empty list, or  if  the
              first  element  of  that  list  is  not  a  syntax  tree C of type clause such that
              clause_patterns(C) is a nonempty list.

              See also: clause/3, clause_patterns/1, function/2, function_clauses/1.

       function_clauses(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of clause subtrees of a function node.

              See also: function/2.

       function_name(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the name subtree of a function node.

              See also: function/2.

       generator(Pattern::syntaxTree(), Body::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract generator. The result represents "Pattern <- Body".

              See also: binary_comp/2, generator_body/1, generator_pattern/1, list_comp/2.

       generator_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the body subtree of a generator node.

              See also: generator/2.

       generator_pattern(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the pattern subtree of a generator node.

              See also: generator/2.

       get_ann(Tree::syntaxTree()) -> [term()]

              Returns the list of user annotations associated with a  syntax  tree  node.  For  a
              newly created node, this is the empty list. The annotations may be any terms.

              See also: get_attrs/1, set_ann/2.

       get_attrs(Tree::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTreeAttributes()

              Returns  a representation of the attributes associated with a syntax tree node. The
              attributes are all the extra information that can be attached to a node. Currently,
              this includes position information, source code comments, and user annotations. The
              result of this function cannot be inspected directly; only attached to another node
              (see set_attrs/2).

              For  accessing  individual  attributes, see get_pos/1, get_ann/1, get_precomments/1
              and get_postcomments/1.

              See also: get_ann/1, get_pos/1, get_postcomments/1, get_precomments/1, set_attrs/2.

       get_pos(Tree::syntaxTree()) -> term()

              Returns  the  position  information  associated  with  Node.  This  is  usually   a
              nonnegative  integer (indicating the source code line number), but may be any term.
              By default, all new tree nodes have their associated position  information  set  to
              the integer zero.

              See also: get_attrs/1, set_pos/2.

       get_postcomments(Tree::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns  the  associated  post-comments of a node. This is a possibly empty list of
              abstract comments, in top-down textual order. When the  code  is  formatted,  post-
              comments  are  typically  displayed  to  the  right  of  and/or below the node. For
              example:

                   {foo, X, Y}     % Post-comment of tuple

              If possible, the comment should be moved past any following separator characters on
              the same line, rather than placing the separators on the following line. E.g.:

                   foo([X | Xs], Y) ->
                       foo(Xs, bar(X));     % Post-comment of 'bar(X)' node
                    ...

              (where the comment is moved past the rightmost ")" and the ";").

              See also: comment/2, get_attrs/1, get_precomments/1, set_postcomments/2.

       get_precomments(Tree::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns  the  associated  pre-comments  of a node. This is a possibly empty list of
              abstract comments, in top-down textual order. When  the  code  is  formatted,  pre-
              comments are typically displayed directly above the node. For example:

                   % Pre-comment of function
                   foo(X) -> {bar, X}.

              If  possible, the comment should be moved before any preceding separator characters
              on the same line. E.g.:

                   foo([X | Xs]) ->
                       % Pre-comment of 'bar(X)' node
                       [bar(X) | foo(Xs)];
                   ...

              (where the comment is moved before the "[").

              See also: comment/2, get_attrs/1, get_postcomments/1, set_precomments/2.

       has_comments(Tree::syntaxTree()) -> boolean()

              Yields false if the node has no associated comments, and true otherwise.

              Note:   This   is    equivalent    to    (get_precomments(Node)    ==    [])    and
              (get_postcomments(Node) == []), but potentially more efficient.

              See also: get_postcomments/1, get_precomments/1, remove_comments/1.

       if_expr(Clauses::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  if-expression.  If  Clauses  is  [C1,  ...,  Cn], the result
              represents "if C1; ...; Cn end". More exactly, if each Ci represents "() Gi -> Bi",
              then the result represents "if G1 -> B1; ...; Gn -> Bn end".

              See also: case_expr/2, clause/3, if_expr_clauses/1.

       if_expr_clauses(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of clause subtrees of an if_expr node.

              See also: if_expr/1.

       implicit_fun(Name::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  "implicit fun" expression. The result represents "fun Name".
              Name should represent either F/A or M:F/A

              See also: arity_qualifier/2, implicit_fun/2,  implicit_fun/3,  implicit_fun_name/1,
              module_qualifier/2.

       implicit_fun(Name::syntaxTree(), Arity::none | syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract "implicit fun" expression. If Arity is none, this is equivalent
              to      implicit_fun(Name),      otherwise      it      is      equivalent       to
              implicit_fun(arity_qualifier(Name, Arity)).

              (This is a utility function.)

              See also: implicit_fun/1, implicit_fun/3.

       implicit_fun(Module::none  |  syntaxTree(),  Name::syntaxTree(),  Arity::syntaxTree())  ->
       syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract module-qualified "implicit fun" expression. If Module is  none,
              this  is  equivalent  to  implicit_fun(Name,  Arity), otherwise it is equivalent to
              implicit_fun(module_qualifier(Module, arity_qualifier(Name, Arity)).

              (This is a utility function.)

              See also: implicit_fun/1, implicit_fun/2.

       implicit_fun_name(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the name subtree of an implicit_fun node.

              Note: if Node represents "fun N/A" or "fun M:N/A", then the result is  the  subtree
              representing "N/A" or "M:N/A", respectively.

              See also: arity_qualifier/2, implicit_fun/1, module_qualifier/2.

       infix_expr(Left::syntaxTree(),     Operator::syntaxTree(),     Right::syntaxTree())     ->
       syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract infix operator expression. The result represents "Left Operator
              Right".

              See    also:    infix_expr_left/1,    infix_expr_operator/1,    infix_expr_right/1,
              prefix_expr/2.

       infix_expr_left(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the left argument subtree of an infix_expr node.

              See also: infix_expr/3.

       infix_expr_operator(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the operator subtree of an infix_expr node.

              See also: infix_expr/3.

       infix_expr_right(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the right argument subtree of an infix_expr node.

              See also: infix_expr/3.

       integer(Value::integer()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract integer literal. The lexical representation  is  the  canonical
              decimal numeral of Value.

              See also: integer_literal/1, integer_value/1, is_integer/2.

       integer_literal(Node::syntaxTree()) -> string()

              Returns the numeral string represented by an integer node.

              See also: integer/1.

       integer_value(Node::syntaxTree()) -> integer()

              Returns the value represented by an integer node.

              See also: integer/1.

       is_atom(Node::syntaxTree(), Value::atom()) -> boolean()

              Returns true if Node has type atom and represents Value, otherwise false.

              See also: atom/1.

       is_char(Node::syntaxTree(), Value::char()) -> boolean()

              Returns true if Node has type char and represents Value, otherwise false.

              See also: char/1.

       is_form(Node::syntaxTree()) -> boolean()

              Returns  true if Node is a syntax tree representing a so-called "source code form",
              otherwise false. Forms are the Erlang source code units which, placed in  sequence,
              constitute an Erlang program. Current form types are:

              attribute comment error_marker eof_marker form_list
              function rule warning_marker text

              See   also:  attribute/2,  comment/2,  eof_marker/0,  error_marker/1,  form_list/1,
              function/2, rule/2, type/1, warning_marker/1.

       is_integer(Node::syntaxTree(), Value::integer()) -> boolean()

              Returns true if Node has type integer and represents Value, otherwise false.

              See also: integer/1.

       is_leaf(Node::syntaxTree()) -> boolean()

              Returns true if Node is a leaf node, otherwise false. The currently recognised leaf
              node types are:

              atom char comment eof_marker error_marker
              float integer nil operator string
              text underscore variable warning_marker

              A node of type tuple is a leaf node if and only if its arity is zero.

              Note:  not  all  literals are leaf nodes, and vice versa. E.g., tuples with nonzero
              arity and nonempty lists may be literals, but are not leaf nodes. Variables, on the
              other hand, are leaf nodes but not literals.

              See also: is_literal/1, type/1.

       is_list_skeleton(Node::syntaxTree()) -> boolean()

              Returns true if Node has type list or nil, otherwise false.

              See also: list/2, nil/0.

       is_literal(T::syntaxTree()) -> boolean()

              Returns  true  if  Node  represents  a literal term, otherwise false. This function
              returns true if and only if the value of concrete(Node) is defined.

              See also: abstract/1, concrete/1.

       is_proper_list(Node::syntaxTree()) -> boolean()

              Returns true if Node represents a proper list, and false otherwise. A  proper  list
              is  a  list  skeleton either on the form "[]" or "[E1, ..., En]", or "[... | Tail]"
              where recursively Tail also represents a proper list.

              Note: Since Node is a syntax tree, the actual run-time values corresponding to  its
              subtrees  may  often  be  partially or completely unknown. Thus, if Node represents
              e.g. "[... | Ns]" (where Ns is a variable), then the function  will  return  false,
              because  it  is  not  known whether Ns will be bound to a list at run-time. If Node
              instead represents e.g. "[1, 2, 3]" or "[A | []]", then the  function  will  return
              true.

              See also: list/2.

       is_string(Node::syntaxTree(), Value::string()) -> boolean()

              Returns true if Node has type string and represents Value, otherwise false.

              See also: string/1.

       is_tree(Tree::syntaxTree()) -> boolean()

              For  special  purposes  only.  Returns  true if Tree is an abstract syntax tree and
              false otherwise.

              Note: this function yields false for all  "old-style"  erl_parse-compatible  "parse
              trees".

              See also: tree/2.

       join_comments(Source::syntaxTree(), Target::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Appends the comments of Source to the current comments of Target.

              Note:    This    is    equivalent   to   add_postcomments(get_postcomments(Source),
              add_precomments(get_precomments(Source), Target)), but potentially more efficient.

              See also:  add_postcomments/2,  add_precomments/2,  comment/2,  get_postcomments/1,
              get_precomments/1.

       list(List::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Equivalent to list(List, none).

       list(Elements::[syntaxTree()], Tail::none | syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Constructs an abstract list skeleton. The result has type list or nil. If List is a
              nonempty list [E1, ..., En], the result has type list and represents  either  "[E1,
              ...,  En]",  if  Tail  is none, or otherwise "[E1, ..., En | Tail]". If List is the
              empty list, Tail must be none, and in  that  case  the  result  has  type  nil  and
              represents "[]" (see nil/0).

              The difference between lists as semantic objects (built up of individual "cons" and
              "nil" terms) and the various syntactic forms for denoting lists may be  bewildering
              at  first.  This  module provides functions both for exact control of the syntactic
              representation as well as for the simple composition and deconstruction in terms of
              cons and head/tail operations.

              Note:  in  list(Elements,  none),  the "nil" list terminator is implicit and has no
              associated  information  (see  get_attrs/1),  while  in  the  seemingly  equivalent
              list(Elements,  Tail)  when Tail has type nil, the list terminator subtree Tail may
              have attached attributes such as position, comments, and annotations, which will be
              preserved in the result.

              See     also:     compact_list/1,    cons/2,    get_attrs/1,    is_list_skeleton/1,
              is_proper_list/1,    list/1,    list_elements/1,    list_head/1,     list_length/1,
              list_prefix/1, list_suffix/1, list_tail/1, nil/0, normalize_list/1.

       list_comp(Template::syntaxTree(), Body::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  list  comprehension.  If  Body  is [E1, ..., En], the result
              represents "[Template || E1, ..., En]".

              See also: generator/2, list_comp_body/1, list_comp_template/1.

       list_comp_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of body subtrees of a list_comp node.

              See also: list_comp/2.

       list_comp_template(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the template subtree of a list_comp node.

              See also: list_comp/2.

       list_elements(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of element subtrees of a list  skeleton.  Node  must  represent  a
              proper   list.  E.g.,  if  Node  represents  "[X1,  X2  |  [X3,  X4  |  []]",  then
              list_elements(Node) yields the list [X1, X2, X3, X4].

              See also: is_proper_list/1, list/2.

       list_head(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the head element subtree of a list node. If Node represents  "[Head  ...]",
              the result will represent "Head".

              See also: cons/2, list/2, list_tail/1.

       list_length(Node::syntaxTree()) -> non_neg_integer()

              Returns  the  number  of element subtrees of a list skeleton. Node must represent a
              proper list. E.g., if Node represents "[X1 |  [X2,  X3  |  [X4,  X5,  X6]]]",  then
              list_length(Node) returns the integer 6.

              Note:  this  is  equivalent  to  length(list_elements(Node)),  but potentially more
              efficient.

              See also: is_proper_list/1, list/2, list_elements/1.

       list_prefix(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the prefix element subtrees of a list node. If Node represents  "[E1,  ...,
              En]" or "[E1, ..., En | Tail]", the returned value is [E1, ..., En].

              See also: list/2.

       list_suffix(Node::syntaxTree()) -> none | syntaxTree()

              Returns  the suffix subtree of a list node, if one exists. If Node represents "[E1,
              ..., En | Tail]", the returned value is Tail, otherwise, i.e., if  Node  represents
              "[E1, ..., En]", none is returned.

              Note  that  even  if  this function returns some Tail that is not none, the type of
              Tail can be nil, if the tail has been given explicitly, and the list  skeleton  has
              not been compacted (see compact_list/1).

              See also: compact_list/1, list/2, nil/0.

       list_tail(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns  the  tail  of a list node. If Node represents a single-element list "[E]",
              then the result has type nil, representing "[]". If Node represents "[E1, E2 ...]",
              the  result  will represent "[E2 ...]", and if Node represents "[Head | Tail]", the
              result will represent "Tail".

              See also: cons/2, list/2, list_head/1.

       macro(Name::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Equivalent to macro(Name, none).

       macro(Name::syntaxTree(), Arguments::none | [syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract macro application. If Arguments is none, the result  represents
              "?Name", otherwise, if Arguments is [A1, ..., An], the result represents "?Name(A1,
              ..., An)".

              Notes: if Arguments is the empty list, the result will  thus  represent  "?Name()",
              including a pair of matching parentheses.

              The  only  syntactical limitation imposed by the preprocessor on the arguments to a
              macro application (viewed as sequences of tokens) is that  they  must  be  balanced
              with  respect  to parentheses, brackets, begin ... end, case ... end, etc. The text
              node type can  be  used  to  represent  arguments  which  are  not  regular  Erlang
              constructs.

              See also: macro/1, macro_arguments/1, macro_name/1, text/1.

       macro_arguments(Node::syntaxTree()) -> none | [syntaxTree()]

              Returns  the  list of argument subtrees of a macro node, if any. If Node represents
              "?Name", none is returned. Otherwise, if Node represents "?Name(A1, ..., An)", [A1,
              ..., An] is returned.

              See also: macro/2.

       macro_name(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the name subtree of a macro node.

              See also: macro/2.

       make_tree(X1::atom(), X2::[[syntaxTree()]]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  a  syntax  tree with the given type and subtrees. Type must be a node type
              name (see type/1) that does not denote a leaf node  type  (see  is_leaf/1).  Groups
              must  be  a nonempty list of groups of syntax trees, representing the subtrees of a
              node of the given type, in left-to-right order as they would occur in  the  printed
              program text, grouped by category as done by subtrees/1.

              The   result   of   copy_attrs(Node,  make_tree(type(Node),  subtrees(Node)))  (see
              update_tree/2) represents the same source code text as the original Node,  assuming
              that  subtrees(Node)  yields a nonempty list. However, it does not necessarily have
              the same data representation as Node.

              See also: copy_attrs/2, is_leaf/1, subtrees/1, type/1, update_tree/2.

       match_expr(Pattern::syntaxTree(), Body::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract match-expression. The result represents "Pattern = Body".

              See also: match_expr_body/1, match_expr_pattern/1.

       match_expr_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the body subtree of a match_expr node.

              See also: match_expr/2.

       match_expr_pattern(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the pattern subtree of a match_expr node.

              See also: match_expr/2.

       meta(T::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates a meta-representation of a syntax tree. The  result  represents  an  Erlang
              expression   "MetaTree"   which,  if  evaluated,  will  yield  a  new  syntax  tree
              representing  the  same  source  code  text  as  Tree  (although  the  actual  data
              representation  may  be  different).  The  expression  represented  by  MetaTree is
              implementation independent with regard to the data structures used by the  abstract
              syntax  tree  implementation. Comments attached to nodes of Tree will be preserved,
              but other attributes are lost.

              Any node in Tree whose node type is  variable  (see  type/1),  and  whose  list  of
              annotations  (see  get_ann/1)  contains the atom meta_var, will remain unchanged in
              the resulting tree, except that exactly one occurrence of meta_var is removed  from
              its annotation list.

              The  main  use  of the function meta/1 is to transform a data structure Tree, which
              represents a piece of program code, into a form that is representation  independent
              when  printed. E.g., suppose Tree represents a variable named "V". Then (assuming a
              function print/1 for printing syntax  trees),  evaluating  print(abstract(Tree))  -
              simply  using  abstract/1  to  map  the  actual  data  structure onto a syntax tree
              representation - would output a string  that  might  look  something  like  "{tree,
              variable,  ...,  "V",  ...}", which is obviously dependent on the implementation of
              the abstract syntax trees. This could e.g. be useful for caching a syntax tree in a
              file.  However,  in some situations like in a program generator generator (with two
              "generator"), it may be unacceptable. Using print(meta(Tree)) instead would  output
              a  representation independent syntax tree generating expression; in the above case,
              something like "erl_syntax:variable("V")".

              See also: abstract/1, get_ann/1, type/1.

       module_qualifier(Module::syntaxTree(), Body::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract module qualifier. The result represents "Module:Body".

              See also: module_qualifier_argument/1, module_qualifier_body/1.

       module_qualifier_argument(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the argument (the module) subtree of a module_qualifier node.

              See also: module_qualifier/2.

       module_qualifier_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the body subtree of a module_qualifier node.

              See also: module_qualifier/2.

       nil() -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract empty list. The result  represents  "[]".  The  empty  list  is
              traditionally called "nil".

              See also: is_list_skeleton/1, list/2.

       normalize_list(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Expands  an  abstract  list  skeleton to its most explicit form. If Node represents
              "[E1, ..., En | Tail]", the result represents "[E1 | ... [En | Tail1] ... ]", where
              Tail1  is  the  result of normalize_list(Tail). If Node represents "[E1, ..., En]",
              the result simply represents "[E1 | ...  [En  |  []]  ...  ]".  If  Node  does  not
              represent a list skeleton, Node itself is returned.

              See also: compact_list/1, list/2.

       operator(Name::atom() | string()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  operator. The name of the operator is the character sequence
              represented by Name. This is analogous to  the  print  name  of  an  atom,  but  an
              operator  is never written within single-quotes; e.g., the result of operator(++')'
              represents "++" rather than "`++''".

              See also: atom/1, operator_literal/1, operator_name/1.

       operator_literal(Node::syntaxTree()) -> string()

              Returns the literal string represented by an operator  node.  This  is  simply  the
              operator name as a string.

              See also: operator/1.

       operator_name(Node::syntaxTree()) -> atom()

              Returns the name of an operator node. Note that the name is returned as an atom.

              See also: operator/1.

       parentheses(Expr::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  parenthesised  expression.  The  result represents "(Body)",
              independently of the context.

              See also: parentheses_body/1.

       parentheses_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the body subtree of a parentheses node.

              See also: parentheses/1.

       prefix_expr(Operator::syntaxTree(), Argument::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract prefix operator expression.  The  result  represents  "Operator
              Argument".

              See also: infix_expr/3, prefix_expr_argument/1, prefix_expr_operator/1.

       prefix_expr_argument(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the argument subtree of a prefix_expr node.

              See also: prefix_expr/2.

       prefix_expr_operator(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the operator subtree of a prefix_expr node.

              See also: prefix_expr/2.

       receive_expr(Clauses::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Equivalent to receive_expr(Clauses, none, []).

       receive_expr(Clauses::[syntaxTree()],         Timeout::none         |        syntaxTree(),
       Action::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract receive-expression. If Timeout is none, the  result  represents
              "receive  C1;  ...; Cn end" (the Action argument is ignored). Otherwise, if Clauses
              is [C1, ..., Cn] and Action is [A1, ..., Am], the result  represents  "receive  C1;
              ...;  Cn  after  Timeout  ->  A1, ..., Am end". More exactly, if each Ci represents
              "(Pi) Gi -> Bi", then the result represents "receive P1 G1 -> B1; ...; Pn Gn ->  Bn
              ... end".

              Note  that  in  Erlang,  a  receive-expression  must have at least one clause if no
              timeout part is specified.

              See   also:   case_expr/2,   clause/3,    receive_expr/1,    receive_expr_action/1,
              receive_expr_clauses/1, receive_expr_timeout/1.

       receive_expr_action(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of action body subtrees of a receive_expr node. If Node represents
              "receive C1; ...; Cn end", this is the empty list.

              See also: receive_expr/3.

       receive_expr_clauses(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of clause subtrees of a receive_expr node.

              See also: receive_expr/3.

       receive_expr_timeout(Node::syntaxTree()) -> none | syntaxTree()

              Returns the timeout subtree of a receive_expr node,  if  any.  If  Node  represents
              "receive C1; ...; Cn end", none is returned. Otherwise, if Node represents "receive
              C1; ...; Cn after Timeout -> ... end", Timeout is returned.

              See also: receive_expr/3.

       record_access(Argument::syntaxTree(), Field::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Equivalent to record_access(Argument, none, Field).

       record_access(Argument::syntaxTree(), Type::none | syntaxTree(),  Field::syntaxTree())  ->
       syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract record field access expression. If Type is not none, the result
              represents "Argument#Type.Field".

              If Type is none, the result represents "Argument.Field". This  is  a  special  form
              only allowed within Mnemosyne queries.

              See   also:   record_access/2,   record_access_argument/1,   record_access_field/1,
              record_access_type/1, record_expr/3.

       record_access_argument(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the argument subtree of a record_access node.

              See also: record_access/3.

       record_access_field(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the field subtree of a record_access node.

              See also: record_access/3.

       record_access_type(Node::syntaxTree()) -> none | syntaxTree()

              Returns the type subtree of a  record_access  node,  if  any.  If  Node  represents
              "Argument.Field",    none    is    returned,    otherwise    if   Node   represents
              "Argument#Type.Field", Type is returned.

              See also: record_access/3.

       record_expr(Type::syntaxTree(), Fields::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Equivalent to record_expr(none, Type, Fields).

       record_expr(Argument::none | syntaxTree(), Type::syntaxTree(), Fields::[syntaxTree()])  ->
       syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract record expression. If Fields is [F1, ..., Fn], then if Argument
              is none, the result  represents  "#Type{F1,  ...,  Fn}",  otherwise  it  represents
              "Argument#Type{F1, ..., Fn}".

              See      also:      record_access/3,     record_expr/2,     record_expr_argument/1,
              record_expr_fields/1, record_expr_type/1, record_field/2, record_index_expr/2.

       record_expr_argument(Node::syntaxTree()) -> none | syntaxTree()

              Returns the argument subtree of a record_expr node,  if  any.  If  Node  represents
              "#Type{...}", none is returned. Otherwise, if Node represents "Argument#Type{...}",
              Argument is returned.

              See also: record_expr/3.

       record_expr_fields(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of field subtrees of a record_expr node.

              See also: record_expr/3.

       record_expr_type(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the type subtree of a record_expr node.

              See also: record_expr/3.

       record_field(Name::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Equivalent to record_field(Name, none).

       record_field(Name::syntaxTree(), Value::none | syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract record field  specification.  If  Value  is  none,  the  result
              represents simply "Name", otherwise it represents "Name = Value".

              See also: record_expr/3, record_field_name/1, record_field_value/1.

       record_field_name(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the name subtree of a record_field node.

              See also: record_field/2.

       record_field_value(Node::syntaxTree()) -> none | syntaxTree()

              Returns  the  value  subtree  of  a  record_field  node, if any. If Node represents
              "Name", none is returned. Otherwise, if Node represents "Name =  Value",  Value  is
              returned.

              See also: record_field/2.

       record_index_expr(Type::syntaxTree(), Field::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates   an   abstract  record  field  index  expression.  The  result  represents
              "#Type.Field".

              (Note: the function name record_index/2 is reserved by the Erlang  compiler,  which
              is why that name could not be used for this constructor.)

              See also: record_expr/3, record_index_expr_field/1, record_index_expr_type/1.

       record_index_expr_field(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the field subtree of a record_index_expr node.

              See also: record_index_expr/2.

       record_index_expr_type(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the type subtree of a record_index_expr node.

              See also: record_index_expr/2.

       remove_comments(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Clears the associated comments of Node.

              Note:  This  is  equivalent to set_precomments(set_postcomments(Node, []), []), but
              potentially more efficient.

              See also: set_postcomments/2, set_precomments/2.

       revert(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns an erl_parse-compatible representation of a syntax tree,  if  possible.  If
              Tree  represents  a well-formed Erlang program or expression, the conversion should
              work without problems. Typically, is_tree/1 yields true if conversion failed (i.e.,
              the result is still an abstract syntax tree), and false otherwise.

              The  is_tree/1 test is not completely foolproof. For a few special node types (e.g.
              arity_qualifier), if such a node occurs in a context where it is not  expected,  it
              will  be  left  unchanged  as  a  non-reverted subtree of the result. This can only
              happen if Tree does not actually represent legal Erlang code.

              See also: erl_parse(3erl), revert_forms/1.

       revert_forms(Forms::forms()) -> [erl_parse()]

              Reverts a sequence of Erlang source code forms. The sequence can be given either as
              a  form_list  syntax  tree (possibly nested), or as a list of "program form" syntax
              trees. If successful, the corresponding flat list  of  erl_parse-compatible  syntax
              trees  is  returned  (see  revert/1).  If  some program form could not be reverted,
              {error, Form} is thrown. Standalone comments in the form sequence are discarded.

              See also: form_list/1, is_form/1, revert/1.

       rule(Name::syntaxTree(), Clauses::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract Mnemosyne rule. If  Clauses  is  [C1,  ...,  Cn],  the  results
              represents  "Name  C1;  ...;  Name Cn.". More exactly, if each Ci represents "(Pi1,
              ..., Pim) Gi -> Bi", then the result represents "Name(P11, ..., P1m) G1 :- B1; ...;
              Name(Pn1, ..., Pnm) Gn :- Bn.". Rules are source code forms.

              See also: function/2, is_form/1, rule_arity/1, rule_clauses/1, rule_name/1.

       rule_arity(Node::syntaxTree()) -> arity()

              Returns the arity of a rule node. The result is the number of parameter patterns in
              the first clause of the rule; subsequent clauses are ignored.

              An exception is thrown if rule_clauses(Node) returns an empty list, or if the first
              element   of  that  list  is  not  a  syntax  tree  C  of  type  clause  such  that
              clause_patterns(C) is a nonempty list.

              See also: clause/3, clause_patterns/1, rule/2, rule_clauses/1.

       rule_clauses(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of clause subtrees of a rule node.

              See also: rule/2.

       rule_name(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the name subtree of a rule node.

              See also: rule/2.

       set_ann(Node::syntaxTree(), As::[term()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Sets the list of user annotations of Node to Annotations.

              See also: add_ann/2, copy_ann/2, get_ann/1.

       set_attrs(Node::syntaxTree(), Attr::syntaxTreeAttributes()) -> syntaxTree()

              Sets the attributes of Node to Attributes.

              See also: copy_attrs/2, get_attrs/1.

       set_pos(Node::syntaxTree(), Pos::term()) -> syntaxTree()

              Sets the position information of Node to Pos.

              See also: copy_pos/2, get_pos/1.

       set_postcomments(Node::syntaxTree(), Cs::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Sets the post-comments of Node to Comments. Comments should  be  a  possibly  empty
              list of abstract comments, in top-down textual order

              See   also:  add_postcomments/2,  comment/2,  copy_comments/2,  get_postcomments/1,
              join_comments/2, remove_comments/1, set_precomments/2.

       set_precomments(Node::syntaxTree(), Cs::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Sets the pre-comments of Node to Comments. Comments should be a possibly empty list
              of abstract comments, in top-down textual order.

              See   also:   add_precomments/2,   comment/2,  copy_comments/2,  get_precomments/1,
              join_comments/2, remove_comments/1, set_postcomments/2.

       size_qualifier(Body::syntaxTree(), Size::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract size qualifier. The result represents "Body:Size".

              See also: size_qualifier_argument/1, size_qualifier_body/1.

       size_qualifier_argument(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the argument subtree (the size) of a size_qualifier node.

              See also: size_qualifier/2.

       size_qualifier_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> syntaxTree()

              Returns the body subtree of a size_qualifier node.

              See also: size_qualifier/2.

       string(String::string()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract string literal. The result  represents  "Text"  (including  the
              surrounding double-quotes), where Text corresponds to the sequence of characters in
              Value, but not representing a specific string literal.

              For example, the result  of  string("x\ny")  represents  any  and  all  of  "x\ny",
              "x\12y", "x\012y" and "x\^Jy"; see char/1.

              See also: char/1, is_string/2, string_literal/1, string_literal/2, string_value/1.

       string_literal(Node::syntaxTree()) -> nonempty_string()

              Returns  the literal string represented by a string node. This includes surrounding
              double-quote characters. Characters beyond 255 will be escaped.

              See also: string/1.

       string_literal(Node::syntaxTree(), X2::encoding()) -> nonempty_string()

              Returns the literal string represented by a string node. This includes  surrounding
              double-quote  characters.  Depending  on the encoding characters beyond 255 will be
              escaped ('latin1') or copied as is ('utf8').

              See also: string/1.

       string_value(Node::syntaxTree()) -> string()

              Returns the value represented by a string node.

              See also: string/1.

       subtrees(T::syntaxTree()) -> [[syntaxTree()]]

              Returns the grouped list of all subtrees of a syntax tree. If Node is a  leaf  node
              (see  is_leaf/1), this is the empty list, otherwise the result is always a nonempty
              list, containing the lists of subtrees of Node,  in  left-to-right  order  as  they
              occur  in  the  printed  program  text,  and grouped by category. Often, each group
              contains only a single subtree.

              Depending on the type of Node, the size of some groups may be variable  (e.g.,  the
              group  consisting  of all the elements of a tuple), while others always contain the
              same number of elements - usually exactly  one  (e.g.,  the  group  containing  the
              argument  expression of a case-expression). Note, however, that the exact structure
              of the returned list (for a given node type) should  in  general  not  be  depended
              upon, since it might be subject to change without notice.

              The function subtrees/1 and the constructor functions make_tree/2 and update_tree/2
              can be a great help if one wants to  traverse  a  syntax  tree,  visiting  all  its
              subtrees,  but treat nodes of the tree in a uniform way in most or all cases. Using
              these functions makes this simple, and also assures that your code  is  not  overly
              sensitive  to  extensions  of the syntax tree data type, because any node types not
              explicitly handled by your code can be left to a default case.

              For example:

                   postorder(F, Tree) ->
                      F(case subtrees(Tree) of
                          [] -> Tree;
                          List -> update_tree(Tree,
                                              [[postorder(F, Subtree)
                                                || Subtree &lt;- Group]
                                               || Group &lt;- List])
                        end).

              maps the function F on Tree and all its subtrees, doing a post-order  traversal  of
              the syntax tree. (Note the use of update_tree/2 to preserve node attributes.) For a
              simple function like:

                   f(Node) ->
                      case type(Node) of
                          atom -> atom("a_" ++ atom_name(Node));
                          _ -> Node
                      end.

              the call postorder(fun f/1, Tree) will yield a new representation of Tree in  which
              all atom names have been extended with the prefix "a_", but nothing else (including
              comments, annotations and line numbers) has been changed.

              See also: copy_attrs/2, is_leaf/1, make_tree/2, type/1.

       text(String::string()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract piece of source code text. The result  represents  exactly  the
              sequence  of  characters  in  String.  This  is useful in cases when one wants full
              control of the resulting output, e.g., for the appearance of floating-point numbers
              or macro definitions.

              See also: text_string/1.

       text_string(Node::syntaxTree()) -> string()

              Returns the character sequence represented by a text node.

              See also: text/1.

       tree(Type::atom()) -> #tree{}

              Equivalent to tree(Type, []).

       tree(Type::atom(), Data::term()) -> #tree{}

              For  special purposes only. Creates an abstract syntax tree node with type tag Type
              and associated data Data.

              This function and the related is_tree/1 and data/1 provide a uniform way to  extend
              the  set of erl_parse node types. The associated data is any term, whose format may
              depend on the type tag.

              Notes:

                * Any nodes created outside of this module must  have  type  tags  distinct  from
                  those currently defined by this module; see type/1 for a complete list.

                * The  type  tag  of  a syntax tree node may also be used as a primary tag by the
                  erl_parse representation; in that case, the selector functions  for  that  node
                  type  must  handle  both  the  abstract syntax tree and the erl_parse form. The
                  function  type(T)  should  return  the  correct  type  tag  regardless  of  the
                  representation of T, so that the user sees no difference between erl_syntax and
                  erl_parse nodes.

              See also: data/1, is_tree/1, type/1.

       try_after_expr(Body::[syntaxTree()], After::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Equivalent to try_expr(Body, [], [], After).

       try_expr(Body::[syntaxTree()], Handlers::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Equivalent to try_expr(Body, [], Handlers).

       try_expr(Body::[syntaxTree()],   Clauses::[syntaxTree()],   Handlers::[syntaxTree()])   ->
       syntaxTree()

              Equivalent to try_expr(Body, Clauses, Handlers, []).

       try_expr(Body::[syntaxTree()],      Clauses::[syntaxTree()],     Handlers::[syntaxTree()],
       After::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract try-expression. If Body is [B1, ..., Bn], Clauses is [C1,  ...,
              Cj],  Handlers  is [H1, ..., Hk], and After is [A1, ..., Am], the result represents
              "try B1, ..., Bn of C1; ...; Cj catch H1; ...; Hk after  A1,  ...,  Am  end".  More
              exactly,  if  each  Ci represents "(CPi) CGi -> CBi", and each Hi represents "(HPi)
              HGi -> HBi", then the result represents "try B1, ..., Bn of CP1 CG1  ->  CB1;  ...;
              CPj  CGj  ->  CBj catch HP1 HG1 -> HB1; ...; HPk HGk -> HBk after A1, ..., Am end";
              see case_expr/2. If Clauses is the empty list, the of ... section is left  out.  If
              After  is  the  empty  list,  the after ... section is left out. If Handlers is the
              empty list, and After is nonempty, the catch ... section is left out.

              See also: case_expr/2, class_qualifier/2, clause/3,  try_after_expr/2,  try_expr/2,
              try_expr/3,       try_expr_after/1,       try_expr_body/1,      try_expr_clauses/1,
              try_expr_handlers/1.

       try_expr_after(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of "after" subtrees of a try_expr node.

              See also: try_expr/4.

       try_expr_body(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of body subtrees of a try_expr node.

              See also: try_expr/4.

       try_expr_clauses(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of case-clause subtrees of a try_expr  node.  If  Node  represents
              "try Body catch H1; ...; Hn end", the result is the empty list.

              See also: try_expr/4.

       try_expr_handlers(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of handler-clause subtrees of a try_expr node.

              See also: try_expr/4.

       tuple(List::[syntaxTree()]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  tuple.  If  Elements is [X1, ..., Xn], the result represents
              "{X1, ..., Xn}".

              Note: The Erlang language has distinct 1-tuples, i.e., {X} is always distinct  from
              X itself.

              See also: tuple_elements/1, tuple_size/1.

       tuple_elements(Node::syntaxTree()) -> [syntaxTree()]

              Returns the list of element subtrees of a tuple node.

              See also: tuple/1.

       tuple_size(Node::syntaxTree()) -> non_neg_integer()

              Returns the number of elements of a tuple node.

              Note:  this  is  equivalent  to  length(tuple_elements(Node)), but potentially more
              efficient.

              See also: tuple/1, tuple_elements/1.

       type(Tree::syntaxTree()) -> atom()

              Returns the type tag of Node. If Node does not represent a syntax tree,  evaluation
              fails with reason badarg. Node types currently defined by this module are:

              application arity_qualifier atom attribute
              binary binary_field block_expr case_expr
              catch_expr char class_qualifier clause
              comment cond_expr conjunction disjunction
              eof_marker error_marker float form_list
              fun_expr function generator if_expr
              implicit_fun infix_expr integer list
              list_comp macro match_expr module_qualifier
              nil operator parentheses prefix_expr
              receive_expr record_access
              record_expr record_field record_index_expr rule
              size_qualifier string text try_expr
              tuple underscore variable warning_marker

              The  user  may (for special purposes) create additional nodes with other type tags,
              using the tree/2 function.

              Note: The primary constructor functions for a node type should always have the same
              name as the node type itself.

              See   also:   application/3,   arity_qualifier/2,  atom/1,  attribute/2,  binary/1,
              binary_field/2, block_expr/1, case_expr/2, catch_expr/1, char/1, class_qualifier/2,
              clause/3,   comment/2,  cond_expr/1,  conjunction/1,  disjunction/1,  eof_marker/0,
              error_marker/1,  float/1,   form_list/1,   fun_expr/1,   function/2,   generator/2,
              if_expr/1,  implicit_fun/2,  infix_expr/3, integer/1, list/2, list_comp/2, macro/2,
              match_expr/2, module_qualifier/2, nil/0, operator/1, parentheses/1,  prefix_expr/2,
              receive_expr/3,        record_access/3,        record_expr/2,       record_field/2,
              record_index_expr/2,   rule/2,   size_qualifier/2,   string/1,   text/1,    tree/2,
              try_expr/3, tuple/1, underscore/0, variable/1, warning_marker/1.

       underscore() -> syntaxTree()

              Creates an abstract universal pattern ("_"). The lexical representation is a single
              underscore character. Note that this is not a variable, lexically speaking.

              See also: variable/1.

       update_tree(Node::syntaxTree(), Groups::[[syntaxTree()]]) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates a syntax tree with the same type and attributes as the given tree. This  is
              equivalent to copy_attrs(Node, make_tree(type(Node), Groups)).

              See also: copy_attrs/2, make_tree/2, type/1.

       variable(Name::atom() | string()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  variable with the given name. Name may be any atom or string
              that represents a lexically valid  variable  name,  but  not  a  single  underscore
              character; see underscore/0.

              Note:  no  checking  is  done  whether  the  character sequence represents a proper
              variable name, i.e., whether or not its first  character  is  an  uppercase  Erlang
              character, or whether it does not contain control characters, whitespace, etc.

              See also: underscore/0, variable_literal/1, variable_name/1.

       variable_literal(Node::syntaxTree()) -> string()

              Returns the name of a variable node as a string.

              See also: variable/1.

       variable_name(Node::syntaxTree()) -> atom()

              Returns the name of a variable node as an atom.

              See also: variable/1.

       warning_marker(Warning::term()) -> syntaxTree()

              Creates  an  abstract  warning  marker.  The  result  represents an occurrence of a
              possible problem in the source  code,  with  an  associated  Erlang  I/O  ErrorInfo
              structure  given  by  Error  (see module io(3erl) for details). Warning markers are
              regarded as source code forms, but have no defined lexical form.

              Note: this is supported only for backwards compatibility with existing parsers  and
              tools.

              See also: eof_marker/0, error_marker/1, is_form/1, warning_marker_info/1.

       warning_marker_info(Node::syntaxTree()) -> term()

              Returns the ErrorInfo structure of a warning_marker node.

              See also: warning_marker/1.

AUTHORS

       Richard Carlsson <carlsson.richard@gmail.com>

                                       syntax_tools 1.6.12                       erl_syntax(3erl)