README
¶
Boi lang
The documentation is lacking, so for now just refer to this code snippet.
boi, "Hello, Boi!" boi
boi! set greet "Hello," boi
boi! set subject "Boi!" boi
boi, boi:greet " " boi:subject boi
For a comprehensive example with comments, check out demo.boi
What is Boi-lang?
This is an experimental language developed as a joke.
Boi-lang takes things way outside the box. It features dynamic scoping and only one variable type (byte array), which Boi-lang lets you pass around however you please.
My inspiration for this work of "art" can be attributed to a Facebook group with the following title:
we post the word "boi" every day until the James Webb telescope is launched
Every line contains the word "boi".
Why?
Developing a silly programming language is fun, and makes it possible to explore new ideas without worrying about quality and consistency.
How?
Every statement begins with a keyword (ex: boi!) and ends with the
statement terminator, which is boi.
There are different keywords which will explained further:
| keyword | Description |
|---|---|
boi! |
Call a function |
boi? |
Call a function, and execute succeeding statements if it returns true |
boi, |
Shorthand to call say function |
boi: |
Shorthand to call set function |
Using Functions
Every function call begins with the boi! keyword, followed by a list of tokens
where the first token is the function name. Note that since variables are tokens,
the function name can be taken from a variable.
say function
The say function outputs its input arguments to standard out Example:
boi! say "Hello, Boi!" boi
Output:
Hello, Boi!
set function
The set function takes two parameters - a variable name and value Example:
boi! set subject "Boi!" boi
boi! say "Hello, " boi:subject boi
Output
Hello, Boi!
nyan function
The nyan function takes any number of parameters, strings them
together and returns the output so it's available in the
ret:exit variable.
Conditionals
Conditionals distinguish computers from calculators. A language without conditionals is, well, a calculator.
Conditionals aren't very useful in Boi-lang yet, but here's an example anyway:
boi? nyan true boi
boi! say "the nyan function returned true" boi
BOI
Note that block statements end with BOI.
Also note that "true" is a string. See the "truth semantics" section below for more information.
Truth Semantics
Every variable in Boi-lang is an array of bytes. This makes the truth semantics very simple:
| Situation | Memory (hex) | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Variable doesn't exist | N/A | false |
| ASCII string 'false' | 66 61 6c 73 65 | false |
| Literal binary value 0 | 00 | false |
| Anything else | any of not the above | true |
Terms & Syntax
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Identifier | A valid Boi-lang identifier is any valid string. |
| String | A string can be "in double-quotes with \"escaped quotes\"", or outside\ quotes\ with\ escaped\ spaces. |
| Token | A token in Boi-lang refers to an input value, which is a string or variable. |
Documentation
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There is no documentation for this package.
Source Files