Language

Language Tour

Everything you need to write real Zornux programs, one idea at a time.

Comments

A comment starts with # and runs to the end of the line.

# This whole line is a comment.
create age = 16   # so is this trailing note

Variables

Declare a value with create. Bind it with as or = (they are interchangeable). Reassign an existing value with =.

create name as "Alice"
create age = 16
create fruits as ["apple", "banana", "orange"]

age = age + 1

Built-in types

Zornux is strongly typed — values keep their kind and aren't silently mixed.

Operators

Arithmetic uses the usual symbols; comparisons and logic read as English words.

create total = price + tax
create share = total / people
create rest  = 10 modulo 3        # remainder

create ok = age is greater than or equal to 18 and has_ticket
create no = order is not equal to nothing

Conditionals

An if can chain with else if and end with a bare else. Close it with end.

if age is less than 18
    show "You are a minor."
else if age is less than 65
    show "You are an adult."
else
    show "You are a senior."
end

Loops

Three loops cover almost everything — a counted loop, a collection loop, and a conditional loop.

repeat 5 times
    show "Hello World!"
end

for each fruit in fruits
    show fruit
end

create count = 0
while count is less than 3
    show "count is " + count
    count = count + 1
end

Functions

A function is a reusable piece of logic. Parameters are introduced with with; return a value with give back.

function calculate_tax with price
    create tax = price * 0.1
    give back tax
end

function greet with name
    give back "Hello, " + name
end

create total = calculate_tax(100)
show greet("Alice")

Functions are values

A function can be stored in a variable, passed to another function, and returned from one. A lambda is the same function written without a name — the same with, the same give back, the same end:

create double as function with n
    give back n * 2
end

show double(21)                    # 42

function apply with fn, x
    give back fn(x)
end

show apply(double, 5)              # 10
show apply(function with n
    give back n + 1
end, 5)                            # 6 — passed inline

That is what makes the list transforms in the standard library work: they take a function and apply it for you.

Default & named arguments

A parameter can carry a default (= value), so callers may leave it out. And any argument can be passed by name — name = value — which lets a call explain itself and skip over defaulted parameters in the middle. Named arguments follow the positional ones.

function connect with host, port = 443, timeout = 30
    show "connecting to " + host + ":" + text(port)
end

connect("api.zornux.com")                    # all positional; port and timeout default
connect("api.zornux.com", timeout = 10)      # positional host, then named — port stays 443
connect(host = "api.zornux.com", port = 8080) # all named

That's the core of everyday Zornux. Next, meet the built-in functions in the Standard Library.