readme.md

Styff

A small functional language based on system Fω with pattern unifiction, implicit parameters, GADTs, and compilation to native.

Example

data Nat : ∗ where
| zero : Nat
| succ : Nat → Nat

let three = succ (succ (succ zero))

data List (a : ∗) : ∗ where
| nil  : List a
| (::) : a → List a → List a

let nums : List Nat = zero :: succ zero :: succ (succ zero) :: three :: nil

(* pattern matching *)
let rec (+) (a : Nat) (b : Nat) : Nat =
  match a with
  | zero . b
  | succ a' . succ (a' + b)
  end

let rec (++) {T : ∗} (xs : List T) (ys : List T) : List T =
  match xs with
  | nil . ys
  | x :: xs' . x :: (xs' ++ ys)
  end

Current Features

• function definitions
  • local definitions let f = ... in ...
  • recursive functions let rec
• type definitions type t = ...
  • local type definitions let type t = ... in ...
  • type-level lambdas
• rank N polymorphism forall x y z . t2 written as {x y z} → t2
  • optionally-explicit instantiation e {t}
• higher kinded quantification
  • kind annotations on type binders
• data declarations
  • both data parameters and indices
  • GADT syntax
  • shallow pattern matching
    • scoped type variables (without "dot patterns")
    • matching on indexed types
• user-defined infix operator
  • infix type formers
  • infix patterns
• compilation to javascript

Future Ideas/TODOs

• builtins

  • int, bool, float
  • plus, minus, times, div (for both ints and floats)
  • and, or, if
  • comparisons

• bring back ∀ syntax sugar

• logging (for debugging and good errors)

• small & super simple module system and stdlib