Dirlang

Dirlang is an esoteric programming language based on directories. This repository includes a JavaScript compiler as well as an interpreter, however, compilation is much faster.

Syntax

Other than directory names, Dirlang's syntax is completely different from text-based languages'. Directories are expected to be structured similarly to parse trees, recursively.

Example

Docs

Statements

Statement lists, including the root directory, are expected to consist of numbered folders containing the actual statements, as seen in the example above.

var

• Assigns a value to a variable. Variables can be shadowed.
• Parameters
  • name (raw): The variable's name
  • value (expression): The variable's value

if

• If the given condition is true, it executes the given commands. Otherwise, it executes the "else" block, if given.
• Parameters
  • condition (expression): The condition
  • commands (statement list): The list of statements to execute if the condition is true
  • else (statement list): The list of statements to execute if the condition is false

while

• Executes the given commands while the given condition is true
• Parameters
  • condition (expression): The condition
  • commands (statement list): The list of statements to execute while the condition is true

exec

• Executes an expression. Useful for calling functions when the return value isn't needed.
• Parameter: The expression to execute

return

• Returns a value from a function
• Parameter: The expression to return

break

• Stops executing a loop

Expressions

var

• Gets the value of a variable. Since functions are considered variables too, you also have to use this expression when referring to functions.
• Parameter: The variable's name

str

• Refers to a string (with some limitations because of folder names, depending on the OS)
• Parameter: The string's content

num

• Refers to a number
• Parameter: The number's value. Use a dot (.) for the decimal place. Spaces are ignored. Scientific notation is supported: <a>e+<b> = a*10^b and <a>e-<b> = a*10^(-b)

bool

• Refers to a boolean
• Parameter: For true, the folder should contain a folder named any placeholder. For false, the folder should be empty.

arr

• Refers to an array with no specific length
• Parameter: The folder should contain a numbered (indexed) list of expressions

obj

• Refers to a set of key-value pairs
• Parameter: The folder's sub-folders are the keys, and the sub-folders' children are the values (expressions)

fn

• Refers to a function. This expression doesn't declare a function, it only creates a reference. You have to assign a function to a variable in order to refer to it later.
• Parameters
  • args (raw list): The function's argument names
  • commands (statement list): The commands to execute

call

• Calls a function
• Parameters
  • fn (expression): The function to call. Can be a variable or a function expression (resulting in an IIFE).
  • args (expression list): A numbered list of expressions to pass to the functions as arguments