gingermusketeer/teaScript

#TeaScript (Coffee is overrated)

Note this is very early stage and definitely contains traces of javascript. Syntax is by no means anything close to final

##Goals

• Superset of javascript. Without driving you to drink coffee
• Preserve line numbers by compiling line to line
• Fix js weird/broken/annoying behaviour
• Prevent bikeshedding
  • Style build in e.g tabs or spaces not both
  • Most likely do this go style with a standard formatting tool
  • Version control friendly
    • No commas or required trailing commas
• Compile time access to AST
• Scoped primitives
• Take advantage of improvements to js transparently
• Provide tooling that encourages good software
• Built in support for documentation

##Features

File Scoped primitives

  // Support for binary numbers

  num = 0101b //=> new BinaryNumber('0101b')

  // Support for decent string library

  someString = 'CamelCaseString'.toUnderscoreCase()
  //=> (new MyStringLib('CamelCaseString')).toUnderscoreCase()
  //=> myStringLib.toUnderscoreCase.call('CamelCaseString')
  //=> try('toUnderscoreCase', strToUnderScoreCase)

  // Fixed number type

  num1 = 10.7 //=> new BigNumber('10.7')
  num2 = 0.3 //=> new BigNumber('0.3')
  sum = num1 + num2 //=> num1['+'](num2)
  complex = num1 + num2 * num1 / num2
  // Apply js operator precedence rules i.e bedmas
  //-> num1+(num2 *(num1/num2))
  //=> num1['+'](num2['*'](num1['/'](num2)))

  // Date primitive

  startDate = 2014-02-01 //=> new moment('2014-02-01')
  endDate = 2014-02-05 //=> new moment('2014-02-05')

  startDate > endDate //=> startDate['>'](endDate)

  // Native data structures
  e = 'e'
  d = 'd'
  f = 'f'

  bst = e
       / \
      d   f
  //=> #compiles to something useful
  bst.contains('e') //=> true

  a = {}
  b = {}

  linkedList = a<->b //=> new LinkedList(a, b)

  linkedList.head()  == a //=> true
  linkedList.head().child() == b //=> true
  
  // Vectors
  <1,2,3> dot <2,3,4>
  // => 32
  var x = <1,2,3>
  var magnitude = |x|
  // => 3.7416
  
  // Sets
  var x = {1,2,3}
  var y = {4,5} union x
  // => {1,2,3,4,5}
  var z = {5,6} intersect y
  // => {5}
  
  // Tuples
  var x = (A,B,C)
  var y = x select 1,3
  // => (A,C)
  
  function y () {
    ("B", <1,2,3>, new Object())
  }
  
  var x = y() select 2, 3
  // => (<1,2,3>,{})
  var _,x = y()
  // => <1,2,3>
  
  // Native html element support

  renderedProducts =  <ul><li>Pizza</li></ul>
  //=> renderedProducts = new MyDomWrapper('<ul><li>Pizza</li></ul>')

  // Unwrap helper
  return <- mything //=> return mything.unwrap()

Could use some sort of resolver to handle dealing with primitive operations and redeclaration of built in types

primativeResolver('+', someVar, someOtherVar)

for strings we could perhaps extend existing string object or for methods we could replace someVar.toCamelCase with prototype call with this provided

Explicit variable type conversion

When a scoped primitive has been loaded variables/parameters can automatically be converted

Note this is only required for primatives which do not extend existing js primatives

  // Convert parameter

  function snakeify('animal') {
    return animal.toUnderScoreCase()
  }
  /* =>
  function snakeify(animal) {
    animal = new MyStringLib(animal)
    return animal.toUnderscoreCase()
  }
  */

Invoking a primitive

%'max %0.2f'% [100]
//=> myString("max %0.2f").invoke([100])

Integrated documentation

Include docs in development code so it can be accessed from the repl. Docs in markdown for the win

  'md
   Adds two numbers
   @param a A number -> 1
   @param b A number -> 2
   @return The sum of the numbers -> 3
   @website [How to math](http://wikipedia.org/maths)
   '
  function add(a,b) {
    return a + b
  }

  add._docs()
  //=> Adds two numbers e.g add(1,2) => 3
  add._docs().website() //=> opens new tab with the published docs

this => self

If self is used then the function is automatically bound to the correct context

  function Animal(){}

  Animal.prototype.isMammal = function(){
    return propertiesOfMammal.checkEach(function(key, value){
      return self[key] == value
    });
  }
  // =>
  /*
  Animal.prototype.isMammal = function(){
    return propertiesOfMammal.checkEach(function(key, value){
      return this[key] == value
    }.bind(this));
  }
  */

Simplified prototypical inheritance

Calling proto() will call the method with the same name in the prototype

  function Alive () {
    // ...
  }
  
  Alive.prototype.heart = function () {
    return 10;
  }
  
  function Alive >> Animal() {
    // ...
  }
  
  Animal.prototype.heart = function() {
    return 5;
  }
  
  function Animal >> Beaver {
    // automatically extends prototype chain for beaver.
  }
  
  Beaver.prototype.heart = function() {
    return proto(1, args...); // Return 5. Went one level up the tree explicitly.
  }
  
  // OR
  
  Beaver.prototype.heart = function() {
    return proto(2, args...); // Returns 10. Went two levels up the tree explicitly.
  }
  
  var beaver = new Beaver();
  
  //=>
  /*
  a.has4Legs = function(){
    return this.prototype.apply(this, arguments)
  }
  */

module system

Should be interoperable with common/AMD/es6 but allow dependency injection for testing purposes

 import {
   express
   stdlib/String as MyString
 }

 express.createServer()

 //=>
 /*
  module.exports = {
    deps: ['express', {MyString: 'stdlib/String'}]
    run: function(express, MyString){
      express.createServer()
    }
  }
 */

context

Allows functions to be executed in a context. Could allow the 'closure' of a function to be exposed. Might need prototypically linked contexts for this to work

  function setATo5AndAddAWithB() withContext {
    a = 5
    return a + b
  }
  // or (pipe indicates blocked scope)
  setATo5AndAddAWithB {|
    a = 5
    return a + b
  |}

  setATo5AndAddAWithB(ç:{a: 1, b: 2}) // ç: sets the context
  //=>
  /*
  function setATo5AndAddAWithB(){
    var context = setATo5AndAddAWithB.context
    setATo5AndAddAWithB.context = null
    context.a = 5
    return context.a + context.b
  }

  setATo5AndAddAWithB.context = { a:1, b:2 }

  setATo5AndAddAWithB()


  */

context.arguments() could be a helper that fixes arguments weirdness

Async like a boss

#TBD

Simple function defs

  greet -> {
      console.log('hi')
  }
  //=>
  /*
  greet = function greet(){
    console.log('hi')
  }
  */

or

Cannot just use {...} as it is valid js

f{
  // do something
}

explicit functions with explicit returns

f{
 // do something and last expression will be returned
>}

Debug blocks. Run by default. Removed by compiling with --remove-debug-blocks Rather then removing them it could just comment them out and let uglification handle their removal

debug{
  assert typeof object == 'object'
  inspect object //=> pretty print object
  puts object //=> display string representation of object
}
//=>
var __debug = require('teascript/debug');
___debug(function myFunc(){
  var context = myFunc.context;
  myFunc.context = null;
  context.assert(typeof object =='object')
  context.inspect(object)
  context.puts(object)
});

Might be a use case for functions with contexts. Doing this would allow people to change the default behaviour of assert, inspect, puts etc. Also prevents global pollution

No commas

#TBD

Do we need them to determine if there is a list of items?

If we do need them then we should make trailing commas required #vcs

Compile time AST hooks

Allow modification of the teaScript and javascript AST during compilation

Could use annotations to provide hook points

Allows compile time checks of other languages

E.g check sql for syntax

@sql
vehicleQuery = 'select * from vehicles'

DANGER ZONE

'danger zone'; when doing something valid syntatically valid js but warned against by default

Editor features

Provide visual indicator of implicit returns. Maybe this suggests that it is a bad idea...