def action(a)
      if(a==1)
        @output.write @theA
      end
      if(a==1 || a==2)
        @theA = @theB
        if (@theA == "\'" || @theA == "\"")
          while (true)
            @output.write @theA
            @theA = get
            break if (@theA == @theB)

            # raise "Unterminated string literal"
            debugger if (@theA <= "\n")
            if (@theA == "\\")
              # allow multi-line strings if each line is terminated by \\n (or \\r\n)
              if ["\r", "\n"].include? peek
                get # throw away the line ending
                get if ["\r", "\n"].include? peek
              else
                @output.write @theA
              end
              @theA = get
            end
          end
        end
      end
      if(a==1 || a==2 || a==3)
        @theB = mynext
        if (@theB == "/" && (@theA == "(" || @theA == "," || @theA == "=" ||
                             @theA == ":" || @theA == "[" || @theA == "!" ||
                             @theA == "&" || @theA == "|" || @theA == "?" ||
                             @theA == "{" || @theA == "}" || @theA == ";" ||
                             @theA == "\n"))

          @output.write(@theA) unless peek(2) == '@'
          @output.write @theB
          while (true)
            @theA = get
            if (@theA == "/")
              break
            elsif (@theA == "\\")
              @output.write @theA
              @theA = get
            elsif (@theA <= "\n")
              raise "Unterminated RegExp Literal"
            end
            @output.write @theA
          end
          @theB = mynext
        end
      end
    end
def action(a)
      if(a==1)
        @output.write @theA
      end
      if(a==1 || a==2)
        @theA = @theB
        if (@theA == "\'" || @theA == "\"")
          while (true)
            @output.write @theA
            @theA = get
            break if (@theA == @theB)

            # raise "Unterminated string literal"
            debugger if (@theA <= "\n")
            if (@theA == "\\")
              # allow multi-line strings if each line is terminated by \\n (or \\r\n)
              if ["\r", "\n"].include? peek
                get # throw away the line ending
                get if ["\r", "\n"].include? peek
              else
                @output.write @theA
              end
              @theA = get
            end
          end
        end
      end
      if(a==1 || a==2 || a==3)
        @theB = mynext
        if (@theB == "/" && (@theA == "(" || @theA == "," || @theA == "=" ||
                             @theA == ":" || @theA == "[" || @theA == "!" ||
                             @theA == "&" || @theA == "|" || @theA == "?" ||
                             @theA == "{" || @theA == "}" || @theA == ";" ||
                             @theA == "\n"))

          @output.write(@theA) unless peek(2) == '@'
          @output.write @theB
          while (true)
            @theA = get
            if (@theA == "/")
              break
            elsif (@theA == "\\")
              @output.write @theA
              @theA = get
            elsif (@theA <= "\n")
              raise "Unterminated RegExp Literal"
            end
            @output.write @theA
          end
          @theB = mynext
        end
      end
    end
action -- do something! What you do is determined by the argument: 1
 Output A. Copy B to A. Get the next B. 2 Copy B to A. Get the next B.
 (Delete A). 3 Get the next B. (Delete B). action treats a string as a
 single character. Wow! action recognizes a regular expression if it is
 preceded by ( or , or =.