CsLox

Description

CsLox is a C# implementation of the Lox programming language interpreter, based on the "Crafting Interpreters" book by Robert Nystrom.

Lox is a lightweight, high-level, dynamically typed, and interpreted language designed for learning and exploring programming language theory and interpreter construction.

CsLox aims to provide a robust and efficient interpreter that adheres closely to the specifications and philosophy of the original Lox language while leveraging the strengths of C#.

Features

Full implementation of the Lox language
Dynamic typing
Automatic memory management
First-class functions
Closures
Classes and inheritance

Requirements

.NET Core 8.0 or higher

Installation

Clone the repository to your local machine:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/CsLox.git
cd CsLox

Build the project using .NET CLI:

dotnet build

Usage

To run a Lox program, use the following command:

dotnet run --project CsLox path/to/your_script.lox

Alternatively, to start an interactive REPL:

dotnet run --project CsLox

Lox Language Manual

Introduction

Lox is a dynamically-typed programming language designed for ease of use and clarity. It supports object-oriented principles and offers a robust standard library.

Data Types

Boolean: true or false
Number: All numbers are floating point. Example: 123, 45.67
String: Text enclosed in double quotes. Example: "Hello, world!"
Nil: Represents the absence of a value or null.

Variables

Declare variables using the var keyword. Variables must be initialized upon declaration.

var name = "Lox";
var version = 1.0;

Control Structures

Conditional Statements:

if (condition) {
    // statements
} else {
    // statements
}

While Loop:

if (condition) {
    // statements
} else {
    // statements
}

For Loop:

for (var i = 0; i < 10; i = i + 1) {
    print i;
}

Functions

Define functions using the fun keyword. Functions may return values using return.

fun greet(name) {
  print "Hello " + name + "!";
}

Classes

Lox supports simple classes with inheritance.

class Animal {
  fun speak() {
    print "Some noise";
  }
}

class Dog < Animal {
  fun speak() {
    print "Bark";
  }
}

Operators

Arithmetic: +, -, *, /
Comparison: ==, !=, <, >, <=, >=
Logical: and, or, !

Comments

Use // for single-line comments.

// This is a comment

Standard Functions

print: Outputs a string to the console.
```
print "Hello, world!";
```

Tokens Recognized by the Scanner

The scanner supports various tokens including:

Keywords: and, class, else, false, for, fun, if, nil, or, print, return, super, this, true, var, while
Symbols: (, ), {, }, ,, ., -, +, ;, *, /, !, =, <, >
Literals: Identifiers, strings, numbers
Miscellaneous: Comments, whitespace (spaces, tabs, and new lines are ignored except to separate tokens)

Acknowledgments

Robert Nystrom, for his excellent book "Crafting Interpreters," which inspired this project.
The C# community for their continuous support and resources.

tiagosantini/CsLox