ExtensibleRule declares the rule that allows you to specify options.
For example, the following Key rule contains the three options: StringLiteral1, StringLiteral2, and Identifier:
This rule is similar to the following BNF rule:
ExtensibleRule lets you define extension bodies in-place:
ExtensibleRule might not contain any extensions whatsoever:
Extensions can be added later on, for example, in another syntax module defined in a separate assembly.
The reason ExtensibleRule is named “extensible”, is it’s a grammar extension point. Any extensible rule can be extended in a different syntax module (see ExtendSyntax). Besides, the syntax module that extends a rule from another module can be defined in the assembly with the one being extended, as well as in a separate assembly.
Rules can be extended dynamically. It can be done during the grammar loading process as well as during the parsing. This way Nitra-based languages grammar can be dynamically changed, which may be useful when creating changeable syntax languages (such as Nemerle), or when applying extensions to classic languages and DSL.