Which Java oriented lexer parser for simple project (ANTLR, DIY, etc)

Question

I am working on a small text editor project and want to add basic syntax highlighting for a couple of languages (Java, XML..just to name a few). As a learning experience I wanted to add one of the popular or non popular Java lexer parser.

What project do you recommend. Antlr is probably the most well known, but it seems pretty complex and heavy.

Here are the option that I know of.

1. Antlr
2. Ragel (yes, it can generate Java source for processing input)
3. Do it yourself (I guess I could write a simple token parser and highlight the source code).

Answer 1

ANTLR or JavaCC would be the two I know. I'd recommend ANTLR first.