lambdant

A Javascript dialect for modern functional programming.

Table of Contents

• Get
• Hello World
• Purpose
• Ecosystem
• Files
• Scripts
• Usage
• Language
• Javascript FFI
• TODO

Get

Globally install the cli tools:

# npm i -g lambdant 

Locally install the standard library:

$ npm i stdlm

Add the following line to your .vimrc for syntax highlighting:

au BufEnter,BufNewFile,BufRead *.lm set filetype=javascript

Hello World

hello.lm

&'Hello, world!'

$ lm e hello.lm
  'Hello, world!'

Purpose

Lambdant is a Javascript dialect that...

• is geared towards general-purpose functional programming
• encourages purity but does not require it
• provides easy and intuitive Javascript ffi

Ecosystem

• stdlm - standard library
• lambdant-loader - webpack loader

Files

• ./lang/grammar.g contains the Jison grammar
• ./lang/lexer.l contains the Jison lex file
• ./src/parser.js is the parser script, compiled by jison ./lang/grammar.g ./lang/lexer.l -o .src/parser.js
• ./src/gen.js generates an ESTree compliant Javascript ast given a Lambdant ast
• ./src/index.js exposes three API calls:
  • parse(LambdantSource) -> LambdantAST parses a Lambdant source string and returns a Lambdant ast
  • generate(LambdantAST) -> ESTreeAST converts a Lambdant ast into an ESTree ast
  • serialize(ESTreeAST) -> JavascriptSource generates Javascript source from an ESTree ast

Scripts

make build generates ./src/parser.js from ./lang/grammar.g and ./lang/lexer.l.
make suite evaluates each of the scripts in ./examples.

Usage

CLI

dump: dump Lambdant source, Lambdant ast, ESTree ast, and Javascript source for a Lambdant file

$ lm d file.lm

compile: transform Lambdant source file into Javascript and write it to stdout

$ lm c file.lm

eval: transform Lambdant source file into Javascript and run it in a new node process

$ lm e file.lm

eval-arg: transform Lambdant source string into Javascript and run it in a new node process

$ lm a '& Math.log10 1000'
  3

Node

import { parse, generate, serialize } from 'lambdant'
import { readFileSync as read, writeFileSync as write } from 'fs'
 
const source = read('script.lm', 'utf8')
const lm_ast = parse(source)
const es_ast = generate(lm_ast)
const js_source = serialize(es_ast)
 
write('script.js', js_source)

Note

These commands will automatically prepend an import statement for the standard library (@$ = require 'stdlm';) to each Lambdant source file. This is useful for testing and development, but not recommended for production code. To opt out, suffix the mode argument with a dash:

$ lm d- file.lm # dump file.lm without implicit prelude 
$ lm c- file.lm # compile file.lm without implicit prelude 
$ lm e- file.lm # evaluate file.lm without implicit prelude 
$ lm a- 'code' # evaluate code without implicit prelude 

Language

Note: for all examples below, assume that standard library functions have been preassigned e.g.

@{ add, sub } = require 'stdlm';
add 2 (sub 2 1) -> 3

Operator Associativity/Precedence

()
.
!
application
* !!
:
?/
&

Values

2 -> 2
'abc' -> 'abc'
() -> null
<1, 2, 3> -> [1, 2, 3]
{ a: 5, b: 6, c } -> { a: 5, b: 6, c: c }

Expressions

add

add 2 3 -> 5
console.log() // null
console.log! // (newline)

Comments

• single comments begin with a # and end with a newline
• multiline comments begin with a ## and end with ## or a single comment

# single comment
 
## begin comment
&'this code will not be reached'
# end comment
 
# begin comment
&'this code will be reached'
# end comment

Lambdas

add

# single lambda
[x: add 2 x] 3 -> 5
 
# nested lambda
[x:[y: add x y]] 2 3 -> 5
 
# nested lambda shorthand
[x y: add x y] 2 3 -> 5
 
# multivariate lambda
[x y, add x y] (2, 3) -> 5
 
# thunk
[:'in a thunk!']! -> in a thunk!
 
# noop
[:] -> (noop)
 
# destructuring lambda
[{ add } <a, b>: add a b] $ <1, 2> -> 3

Blocks

Every statement in a block, except for the last, must be semicolon-terminated.
If the last expression is terminated, the function will return undefined, otherwise, it will return the expression.

@write = process.stdout.write : String;
write 'This will not return: ';
write [: 42;]!;
console.log!;
write 'This will return: ';
write [: 42]!;
console.log!
 
// This will not return: undefined
// This will return: 42

Declaration

@some_var

Definition

add

# basic
@name = 'John';
name -> 'John'
 
# destructuring
@{ x } = { x: 40 };
@<y> = <2>;
add x y -> 42

Assignment

# basic
@w;
w = 5;
w -> 5
 
# destructuring
@a; @b;
<a, b> = <1, 2>;
add a b -> 3;
 
# destructuring
@obj = { a: 5 };
obj.a = 42;
obj.a -> 42

Conditionals

Conditionals take the form of test ? consequent : alternate. If you need to make multiple statements within a branch, wrap the branch in an immediately-invoked thunk. is not mod

@odd = [x: (not : is 0) (mod x 2)];
@result = odd 3 ? 'odd!' / 'even!' -> 'odd!'

Members

# native access
Date.now! -> 1481926731041
 
# computed access
<1, 9, 8, 4>.(2) -> 8

Javascript FFI

Constructors

Javascript new has unconventional function call semantics; its arity changes depending on the context of the expression.

new (Date) // <Date>
new (Date)() // <Date>
const now = new Date
now() // Error!

It is best to use a function with better defined arity, like create:

(create Array <5>).fill 0 -> [0, 0, 0, 0, 0]

Multivariate Functions

The standard library provides currying and uncurrying facilities up to 5-arity.
add uncurry2 curry3

uncurry2 [x y: add x y] !! <1, 2> -> 3
uncurry2 [x y: add x y] (1, 2) -> 3
curry3 Date.UTC 1982 9 1 -> 402278400000
((Array 5).fill 0).map (uncurry2 [- i: i]) -> [0, 1, 2, 3, 4]

You can also use multivariate lambda literals and spreads for multivariate calls.
sum

[x y z, sum <x, y, z>] !! <1, 2, 3> -> 6
((Array 5).fill 0).map [- i, i] -> [0, 1, 2, 3, 4]

Native Combinators

T-combinator (*)

reverse application
add

(2 * add) 1 -> 3

infix expressions
add

add 2 3 -> 5
2 *add 3 -> 5
3 *[x: add 2 x] -> 5

reverse postfix expressions
add

3 *(2 *add) -> 5

B-combinator (:)

Composes functions. add

(add 2 : add 1) 3 -> 6

P-combinator (&)

Prints and returns the argument.
This combinator has the lowest precedence -- to avoid confusion, place a space between the combinator and the expression if the expression contains a space and is not delimited.
Calls log under the hood; reassigning $ will break this functionality. add

&42 -> 42 // 42
& add 40 2 -> 42 // 42
&(add 40 2) -> 42 // 42

E-combinator (!)

Evaluates a thunk. (Calls a function with zero arguments.)
This is preferable to calling with null (()).

process.exit!

A'-combinator (!!)

Applies a sequence to a multivariate function. (Spreads an array into a function.)
Useful for Javascript FFI.

@date_args = <1982, 9, 1>;
Date.UTC !! date_args -> 402278400000
Date.UTC(1982, 9, 1) -> 402278400000

TODO

• loops (optional, can be implemented with conditionals and recursion)
• dedicated syntax highlighting
• add tests