Terms

Table of Contents

Basics

• type
• Local Variables
• Top-Level Variables
• let

Primitive Value

• Integers
• Floats
• Texts
• Runes

Function

• (x1: a1, ..., xn: an) -> b
• function (x1: a1, ..., xn: an) { e }
• define f(x1: a1, ..., xn: an): c { e }
• e(e1, ..., en)
• e of {x1 = e1, ..., xn = en}
• exact e

ADT

• ADT Formation
• Constructors
• match

Necessity and Noema

• meta
• &a
• box
• letbox
• letbox-T
• case

Thread and Channel

• thread
• detach
• attach
• new-channel

Miscs

• quote
• magic
• introspect
• include-text
• admit
• assert
• _

Syntax Sugar

• let x on y1, ..., yn = e1 in e2
• *e
• use e {x1, ..., xn} in cont
• e::x
• if
• when cond { e }
• e1; e2
• try x = e1 in e2
• tie x = e1 in e2
• pin x = e1 in e2
• ?t
• [e1, ..., en]
• with / bind
• {e}

type

type is the type of types.

Example

define sample(): unit {
  // `type` used as a term
  let foo = type in
  Unit
}

// `type` used as a type
define identity(a: type, x: a): a {
  x
}

Syntax

type

Semantics

type is compiled into a pointer to base.#.imm.

Type

(Γ is a context)
----------------
  Γ ⊢ type: type

Local Variables

Example

define sample(): unit {
  // defining/using various local variables
  let x = Unit in
  let foo = x in
  let 'bar = foo in
  let buz' = 'bar in
  let _h-e-l-l-o = buz' in
  let αβγ = _h-e-l-l-o in
  let theSpreadingWideMyNarrowHandsToGatherParadise = αβγ in
  let 冥きより冥き道にぞ入りぬべきはるかに照らせ山の端の月 = Unit in
  let _ = Unit in

  // shadowing (not reassignment)
  let x = Unit in
  let x = type in
  let x =
    function (x: bool) {
      x // x: bool
    }
  in
  Unit
}

Syntax

The name of a local variable must satisfy the following conditions:

• It doesn't contain any of =() "\n\t:;,<>[]{}/*|
• It doesn't start with A, B, .., Z (the upper case alphabets)

Semantics

If the content of a variable x is an immediate value, x is compiled into the name of a register that stores the immediate. Otherwise, x is compiled into the name of a register that stores a pointer to the content.

Type

  Γ ⊢ a: type
----------------
Γ, x: a ⊢ x: a

Notes

• The compiler reports unused variables. You can use the name _ to suppress those.
• Variables in Neut are immutable. You'll need core.cell to achieve mutability.

Top-Level Variables

Example

import {
  core.bool {bool},
  B,
}

define sample(): unit {
  // using top-level variables
  let _ = bool // using an imported top-level name
  let _ = core.bool.bool // using the definite description of `core.bool.bool`
  let _ = B.bool // using a prefixed top-level name
  Unit
}

Syntax

The name of a top-level variable is a (possibly) dot-separated symbols, where each symbol must satisfy the following conditions:

• It doesn't contain any of =() "\n\t:;,<>[]{}/*|

Semantics

A top-level variable f is compiled into the following 3-word tuple:

(base.#.imm, 0, POINTER_TO_FUNCTION(f))

See the Note below for a more detailed explanation.

Type

(Γ is a context)     (c: a is defined at the top-level)
-------------------------------------------------------
                  Γ ⊢ c: a

Note

Let's see how top-level variables are compiled. Consider the following top-level functions:

// (source-dir)/sample.nt

// defining a top-level variable `increment`
define increment(x: int): int {
  add-int(x, 1)
}

define get-increment(): (int) -> int {
  increment // using a top-level variable `increment`
}

This increment and get-increment are compiled into LLVM functions like the below:

; (build-dir)/path/to/sample.ll

define fastcc ptr @"this.sample.increment"(ptr %_1) {
  %_2 = ptrtoint ptr %_1 to i64
  %_3 = add i64 %_2, 1
  %_4 = inttoptr i64 %_3 to ptr
  ret ptr %_4
}

define fastcc ptr @"this.sample.get-increment"() {
  ; `increment` in `get-increment` is lowered to the following code:

  ; calculate the size of 3-word tuples
  %_1 = getelementptr ptr, ptr null, i32 3
  %_2 = ptrtoint ptr %_1 to i64
  ; allocate memory
  %_3 = call fastcc ptr @malloc(i64 %_2)
  ; store contents
  %_4 = getelementptr [3 x ptr], ptr %_3, i32 0, i32 0
  %_5 = getelementptr [3 x ptr], ptr %_3, i32 0, i32 1
  %_6 = getelementptr [3 x ptr], ptr %_3, i32 0, i32 2
  store ptr @"base.#.imm", ptr %_4            ; tuple[0] = `base.#.imm`
  store ptr null, ptr %_5                     ; tuple[1] = null
  store ptr @"this.sample.increment", ptr %_6 ; tuple[2] = (function pointer)
  ; return the pointer to the tuple
  ret ptr %_3
}

Incidentally, these 3-word tuples are optimized away as long as top-level variables (functions) are called directly with arguments.

let

Example

define use-let(): unit {
  // 🌟 `let`
  let t = "test" in
  print(t)
}

define use-let(): unit {
  let bar =
    // 🌟 nested `let`
    let foo = some-func() in
    other-func(foo)
  in
  do-something(bar)
}

define use-let(): unit {
  // 🌟 `let` with a type annotation
  let t: &text = "test" in
  print(t)
}

let can be used to destructure an ADT value:

data item {
| Item(int, bool)
}

define use-item(x: item): unit {
  // 🌟 use `let` with a pattern
  let Item(i, b) = x in // ← here
  print-int(i)
}

define use-item-2(x: item): unit {
  // 🌟 use `let` with an of-pattern
  let Item of {i} = x in
  print-int(i)
}

Syntax

let x = e1 in e2

let x: t = e1 in e2

Semantics

let x = e1 in e2 binds the result of e1 to the variable x. This x can then be used in e2.

Type

Γ ⊢ e1: a     Γ, x: a ⊢ e2: b
-----------------------------
   Γ ⊢ let x = e1 in e2: b

Note

(1) let x = e1 in e2 isn't exactly the same as {function (x) {e2}}(e1). The difference lies in the fact that the type of e2 can't depend on x in let x = e1 in e2.

(2) When a pattern is passed, let is the following syntax sugar:

let pat = x in
cont

↓

match x {
| pat =>
  cont
}

Integers

Example

define foo(): unit {
  let _: int = 100 in
  //           ^^^
  let _: int16 = 100 in
  //             ^^^
  Unit
}

Syntax

3, -16, 424242, etc.

Semantics

The same as LLVM integers.

Type

The type of an integer is unknown in itself. It must be inferred to be one of the following types:

• int1
• int2
• ...
• int64

Note

• The type int is also available. For more, see Primitives.

Floats

Example

define foo(): unit {
  let _: float = 3.8 in
  //             ^^^
  let _: float32 = 3.8 in
  //             ^^^^^^
  Unit
}

Syntax

3.8, -0.2329, etc.

Semantics

The same as LLVM floats.

Type

The type of an integer is unknown in itself. It must be inferred to be one of the following types:

• float16
• float32
• float64

Note

• The type float is also available. For more, see Primitives.

Runes

Example

define foo(): unit {
  let _: rune = `A` in
  //            ^^^
  let _: rune = `\n` in
  //            ^^^
  let _: rune = `\n` in
  //            ^^^
  Unit
}

Syntax

`A`, `\n`, `\u{123}`, etc.

The available escape sequences in rune literals are the same as those of text literals.

Semantics

The value of a rune literal is a Unicode codepoint encoded in UTF-8.

The underlying representation of a rune is an int32.

Type

(Γ is a context)  (c is a rune literal)
---------------------------------------
         Γ ⊢ c: rune

Note

(1) You can write `\1234`, for example, to represent U+1234 (`ሴ`).

(2) We have the following equalities, for example:

`A` == magic cast(int32, rune, 0x41)
`Γ` == magic cast(int32, rune, 0xCE93)
`あ` == magic cast(int32, rune, 0xE38182)
`⭐` == magic cast(int32, rune, 0xE2AD90)

You can see this by calling the following function:

define print-star(): unit {
  // prints "⭐"
  printf("{}\n", [core.text.singleton(magic cast(int32, rune, 0xE2AD90))])
}

Texts

Example

define foo(): unit {
  let _: &text = "test" in
  //             ^^^^^^
  Unit
}

Syntax

"hello", "Hello, world!\n", "\u{1f338} ← Cherry Blossom", etc.

Below is the list of all the escape sequences in Neut:

The n in \u{n} must be a lowercase hexadecimal number.

Semantics

A text literal is compiled into a pointer to a tuple like the following:

(0, length-of-string, array-of-characters)

This tuple is static. More specifically, a global constant like the following is inserted into the resulting IR.

@"text-hello" = private unnamed_addr constant {i64, i64, [5 x i8]} {i64 0, i64 5, [5 x i8] c"hello"}

And a text like "hello": &text is compiled into ptr @"text-hello".

Type

(Γ is a context)  (t is a text literal)
---------------------------------------
         Γ ⊢ t: &text

Note

• In the current implementation, the set of recognized escape sequences like \n or \t are the same as that of Haskell.

(x1: a1, ..., xn: an) -> b

(x1: a1, ..., xn: an) -> b is the type of functions.

Example

// a function that accepts ints and returns bools
(value: int) -> bool

// this is equivalent to `(_: int) -> bool`:
(int) -> bool

// use a type variable
(a: type, x: a) -> a

// make the first argument implicit
<a: type>(x: a) -> a

// this is equivalent to `<a: _>(x: a) -> a`
<a>(x: a) -> a

Syntax

<x1: a1, ..., xn: an>(y1: b1, ..., ym: bm) -> c

The following abbreviations are available:

(y1: b1, ..., ym: bm) -> c

// ↓
// <>(y1: b1, ..., ym: bm) -> c


(b1, ..., bm) -> c

// ↓
// (_: b1, ..., _: bm) -> c


<a1, ..., an>(y1: b1, ..., ym: bm) -> c

// ↓
// <a1: _, ..., an: _>(y1: b1, ..., ym: bm) -> c

Semantics

A function type is compiled into a pointer to base.#.cls. For more, please see How to Execute Types

Type

  Γ, x1: a1, ..., xn: an, y1: b1, ..., ym: bm ⊢ c: type
--------------------------------------------------------
Γ ⊢ <x1: a1, ..., xn: an>(y1: b1, ..., ym: bm) -> c: type

function (x1: a1, ..., xn: an) { e }

function can be used to create a lambda abstraction (an anonymous function).

Example

define use-function(): int {
  let f =
    function (x: int, y: int) {
      let z = add-int(x, y) in
      mul-int(z, z)
    }
  in
  f(10, 20)
}

Syntax

function (x1: a1, ..., xn: an) {
  e
}

All the free variables of a function must be at the same layer of the function. For example, the following is not a valid term in Neut:

define return-int(x: meta int): meta () -> int {
  // here is layer 0
  box {
    // here is layer -1
    function () {
      letbox result =
        // here is layer 0
        x // ← error
      in
      result
    }
  }
}

because the free variable x in the function is at layer 0, whereas the function is at layer -1.

For more on layers, please see the section on box, letbox, and letbox-T.

Semantics

A function is compiled into a three-word closure. For more, please see How to Execute Types.

Type

    Γ, x1: a1, ..., xn: an ⊢ e: t
-----------------------------------------
Γ ⊢ function (x1: a1, ..., xn: an) {e}: t

Note

• Lambda abstractions defined by function are reduced at compile-time when possible. If you would like to avoid this behavior, consider using define.

define f(x1: a1, ..., xn: an): c { e }

define (at the term-level) can be used to create a function with possible recursion.

Example

define use-define(): int {
  let c = 10 in
  let f =
    // 🌟 term-level `define` with a free variable `c`
    define some-recursive-func(x: int): int {
      if eq-int(x, 0) {
        0
      } else {
        add-int(c, some-recursive-func(sub-int(x, 1)))
      }
    }
  in
  f(100)
}

Syntax

define name<x1: a1, ..., xn: an>(y1: b1, ..., ym: bm): c {
  e
}

The following abbreviations are available:

define name(y1: b1, ..., ym: bm): c {e}

// ↓
// define name<>(y1: b1, ..., ym: bm): c {e}


define name<a1, ..., an>(y1: b1, ..., ym: bm): c {e}

// ↓
// define name<a1: _, ..., an: _>(y1: b1, ..., ym: bm) -> c

As in function, all the free variables of a define must be at the same layer of the define.

Semantics

A term-level define is lifted to a top-level definition using lambda lifting. For example, consider the following example:

define use-define(): int {
  let c = 10 in
  let f =
    // 🌟 term-level `define` with a free variable `c`
    define some-recursive-func(x: int): int {
      if eq-int(x, 0) {
        0
      } else {
        add-int(c, some-recursive-func(sub-int(x, 1)))
      }
    }
  in
  f(100)
}

The code above is compiled into something like the below:

// the free variable `c` is now a parameter
define some-recursive-func(c: int, x: int): int {
  if eq-int(x, 0) {
    0
  } else {
    let f =
      function (x: int) {
        some-recursive-func(c, x)
      }
    in
    add-int(c, f(sub-int(x, 1)))
  }
}

define use-define(): int {
  let c = 10 in
  let f =
    function (x: int) {
      some-recursive-func(c, x)
    }
  in
  f(100)
}

Type

Γ, x1: a1, ..., xn: an, f: (x1: a1, ..., xn: an) -> t ⊢ e: t
------------------------------------------------------------
     Γ ⊢ (define f(x1: a1, ..., xn: an):t {e}): t

Note

• Functions defined by term-level define aren't inlined at compile-time, even if it doesn't contain any recursions.

e(e1, ..., en)

Given a function e and arguments e1, ..., en, we can write e(e1, ..., en) to write a function application.

Example

define use-function(): unit {
  let _ = foo() in
  //      ^^^^^
  let _ = bar(1) in
  //      ^^^^^^
  let _ = buz("hello", True) in
  //      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  Unit
}

Syntax

e(e1, ..., en)

Semantics

Given a funciton application e(e1, ..., en) the system does the following:

1. Computes e, e1, ..., en into values v, v1, ..., vn
2. Extracts the content of the closure v, obtaining the label of the closed function and the tuple of the free variables
3. Deallocates the tuple of the closure v
4. Calls the function label with the tuple and v1, ..., vn as arguments

Type

Γ ⊢ e: <x1: a1, .., xn: an>(y1: b1, .., ym: bm) -> c    Γ ⊢ e1: b1  ..   Γ ⊢ em: bm
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Γ ⊢ e(e1, .., en): c[x1 := ?M1, .., xn := ?Mn, y1 := e1, .., ym := em]

The ?Mis in the above rule are metavariables that must be inferred by the compiler.

Note

If the function e contains implicit arguments, holes are inserted automatically.

For example, consider the following code:

define id<a>(x: a): a {
  x
}

define use-id(): unit {
  id(Unit)
}

The id(Unit) in the example above is (conceptually) compiled into the below:

define _id(a: type, x: a): a {
  x
}

define use-id(): unit {
  _id(_, Unit) // ← a hole `_` is inserted here
}

e of {x1 = e1, ..., xn = en}

e of {x1 = e1, ..., xn = en} is an alternative notation of function application.

Example

define foo(x: int, y: bool, some-path: &text): unit {
  // whatever
}

define use-foo(): unit {
  // 🌟
  foo of {
    x = 10,
    y = True,
    some-path = "/path/to/file",
  }
}

Syntax

e of {x1 = e1, ..., xn = en}

Semantics

The same as e(e1, ..., en).

Type

The same as e(e1, ..., en).

Note

This notation might be useful when used in combination with ADTs:

data config {
| Config(
    count: int,
    path: &text,
    colorize: bool,
  )
}

constant some-config {
  Config of {
    count = 10,
    colorize = True,
    path = "/path/to/file", // you can reorder arguments
  }
}

If the argument is a variable that has the same name as the parameter, you can use a shorthand notation:

define use-foo(): unit {
  let x = 10 in
  let y = True in
  let some-path = "/path/to/file"
  // 🌟
  foo of {x, y, some-path}
}

exact e

Given a function e, exact e supplies all the implicit variables of e by inserting holes.

Example

define id<a>(x: a): a {
  x
}

define use-id() {
                           // 🌟
  let g: (x: int) -> int = exact id in
  Unit
}

Note that the following won't type-check:

define id<a>(x: a): a {
  x
}

define use-id() {
  let g: (x: int) -> int = id in
  Unit
}

This is because the type of id is <a>(x: a) -> a, not (x: ?M) -> ?M.

Syntax

exact e

Semantics

Given a term e of type <x1: a1, ..., xn: an>(y1: b1, ..., ym: bm) -> c,

exact e

is translated into the following:

function (y1: b1, ..., ym: bm) {
  e(_, ..., _, y1, ..., ym)
}

Type

       Γ ⊢ e: <x1: a1, ..., xn: an>(y1: b1, ..., ym: bm) -> c
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Γ ⊢ exact e: ((y1: b1, ..., ym: bm) -> c)[x1 := ?M1, ..., xn := ?Mn]

Here, ?Mis are metavariables that must be inferred by the type checker.

Note

As you can see from its semantics, an exact is just a shorthand of a "hole-application".

ADT Formation

After defining an ADT using the statement data, you can use the ADT.

Example

data my-nat {
| Zero
| Succ(my-nat)
}

define use-nat-type(): type {
  // 🌟
  my-nat
}

Syntax

The same as that of top-level variables.

Semantics

The same as that of top-level variables.

Type

If an ADT some-adt is nullary, the type of some-adt is type.

Otherwise, suppose that an ADT some-adt is defined as follows:

data some-adt(x1: a1, ..., xn: an) {..}

In this case, the type of some-adt is (x1: a1, ..., xn: an) -> type.

Constructors (ADT Introduction)

After defining an ADT using the statement data, you can use the constructors to construct values of the ADT.

Example

data my-nat {
| Zero
| Succ(my-nat)
}

define create-nat(): my-nat {
  // 🌟 (`Succ` and `Zero` are constructors)
  Succ(Succ(Zero))
}

Syntax

The same as that of top-level variables, except that constructors must be capitalized.

Semantics

The same as that of top-level variables.

Type

If a constructor c is nullary, the type of c is the ADT type. For example, consider the following code:

data some-adt {
| c1
}

data other-adt(a: type) {
| c2
}

In this case,

• the type of c1 is some-adt, and
• the type of c2 is other-adt(?M), where the ?M must be inferred by the compiler.

If a constructor c isn't nullary, the type of c is the function type that takes specified arguments and turns them into the ADT type. For example, consider the following code:

data some-adt {
| c1(foo: int)
}

data other-adt(a: type) {
| c2(bar: bool, buz: other-adt(a))
}

In this case,

• the type of c1 is (foo: int) -> some-adt, and
• the type of c2 is <a: type>(bar: bool, buz: other-adt(a)) -> other-adt(a).

match

You can use match to destructure ADT values or integers.

Example

data my-nat {
| Zero
| Succ(my-nat)
}

define foo(n: my-nat): int {
  // 🌟
  match n {
  | Zero =>
    100
  | Succ(m) =>
    foo(m)
  }
}

define bar(n: my-nat): int {
  // 🌟 (You can use nested patterns)
  match n {
  | Zero =>
    100
  | Succ(Succ(m)) => // ← a nested pattern
    200
  | Succ(m) =>
    foo(m)
  }
}

define eq-nat(n1: my-nat, n2: my-nat): bool {
  // 🌟 (`match` can handle multiple values)
  match n1, n2 {
  | Zero, Zero =>
    True
  | Succ(m1), Succ(m2) =>
    eq-nat(m1, m2)
  | _, _ =>
    False
  }
}

define literal-match(x: int): int {
  // 🌟 (You can use `match` against integers)
  match x {
  | 3 =>
    30
  | 5 =>
    50
  | _ =>
    add-int(x, 10)
  }
}

Syntax

match e1, ..., en {
| pattern-1 =>
  body-1
  ...
| pattern-m =>
  body-m
}

Semantics

The semantics of match is the same as the semantics of ordinary pattern matching, except that ADT values are consumed after branching.

For example, let's see how my-nat in the following code is used in match:

data my-nat {
| Zero
| Succ(my-nat)
}

The internal representation of n: my-nat is something like the below:

Zero:
  (0) // 1-word tuple
Succ:
  (1, pointer-to-m) // 2-word tuple

When evaluating match, the computer inspects the first element of the "tuple" n.

define foo(n: my-nat): int {
  // 🌟 (inspects the first element of `n` here)
  match n {
  | Zero =>
    100
  | Succ(m) =>
    foo(m)
  }
}

If the first element is 0, which means that we found an ADT value of Zero, the computer frees the outer tuple of (0), and then evaluates 100.

If the first element is 1, which means that we found an ADT value of Succ, the computer gets the pointer to the second element of n, binds it to m, frees the outer tuple of (1, pointer-to-m), and then evaluates foo(m).

Type

Γ ⊢ e1: a1
...
Γ ⊢ en: an

Γ, arg_{1,1}: t_{1,1}, ..., arg_{1, k_{1}}: t{1, k_{1}} ⊢ pat-1: a1
Γ, arg_{1,1}: t_{1,1}, ..., arg_{1, k_{1}}: t{1, k_{1}} ⊢ body-1: b

...

Γ, arg_{m,1}: t_{m,1}, ..., arg_{m, k_{m}}: t{m, k_{m}} ⊢ pat-m: an
Γ, arg_{m,1}: t_{m,1}, ..., arg_{m, k_{m}}: t{m, k_{m}} ⊢ body-m: b

(for all i = 1, ..., m, pat-i is a pattern for e1, ..., en)
(the sequence pat-1, ..., pat-m is a exhaustinve matching against e1, ..., en)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Γ ⊢ match e1, ..., en {
    | pat-1 => body-1
    ...
    | pat-m => body-m
    }: b

The above might be a bit overwhelming. Please see the following Note for an example.

Note

An example of the application of the typing rule of match:

Γ ⊢ n: my-nat

Γ ⊢ Zero: my-nat // pat-1
Γ ⊢ 100: int // body-1

Γ, m: my-nat ⊢ Succ(m): my-nat // pat-2
Γ, m: my-nat ⊢ foo(m): int // body-2

(Zero and Succ(m) are patterns for n)
(the sequence Zero, Succ(m) is a exhaustinve matching against n)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Γ ⊢ match n {
    | Zero => 100
    | Succ(m) => foo(m)
    }: int

meta

Given a type a: type, meta a is the type of a in the "outer" layer.

Example

                     // 🌟
define axiom-T<a>(x: meta a): a {
  letbox-T result = x in
  result
}

Syntax

meta a

Semantics

For every type a, meta a is compiled into the same term as a.

Type

Γ ⊢ t: type
----------------
Γ ⊢ meta t: type

Note

meta is the T-necessity operator in that we can construct terms of the following types:

• (meta (a) -> b, meta a) -> meta b (Axiom K)
• (meta a) -> a (Axiom T)

Note that meta (a) -> b means meta {(a) -> b} and not (meta a) -> b.

&a

Given a type a: type, the &a is the type of noemata over a.

Example

data my-nat {
| Zero
| Succ(my-nat)
}

                     // 🌟
define foo-noetic(n: &my-nat): int {
  case n {
  | Zero =>
    100
  | Succ(m) =>
    foo-noetic(m)
  }
}

Syntax

&t

Semantics

For every type a, &a is compiled into base.#.imm.

Type

Γ ⊢ t: type
-----------
Γ ⊢ &t: type

Note

• Values of type &a can be created using on.
• Values of type &a are expected to be used in combination with case or *e.
• Since &a is compiled into base.#.imm, values of type &a aren't discarded or copied even when used non-linearly.
• See the Note of box to see the relation between &a and meta a

box

box e can be used to "lift" the layer of e.

Example

define use-noema<a>(x: &a, y: &a): meta b {
  // layer 0
  // - x: &a at layer 0
  // - y: a  at layer 0
  box x {
    // layer -1
    // x:  a at layer -1
    // y: &a at layer 0 (cannot be used here; causes a layer error)
    x
  }
}

Syntax

box x1, ..., xn { e } // n >= 0

We say that this box captures the variables x1, ..., xn.

Semantics

Given noetic variables x1: &a1, ..., xn: &an, the term box x1, ..., xn { e } copies all the xis and execute e:

box x1, ..., xn { e }

↓

let x1 = copy-noema(x1) in
...
let xn = copy-noema(xn) in
e

Type

Γ1; ...; Γn; Δ ⊢ e1: a
------------------------------------- (□-intro)
Γ1; ...; Γn, &Δ ⊢ box Δ {e1}: meta a

where Γ1; ...; Γn is a sequence of contexts.

Layers

The body of define is defined to be at layer 0:

define some-function(x: int): int {
  // here is layer 0
  // `x: int` is a variable at layer 0
  add-int(x, 1)
}

Since box e lifts the layer of e, if we use box at layer 0, the layer of e will become -1:

define use-box(x: int): meta int {
  // here is layer 0
  box {
    // here is layer -1
    10
  }
}

In layer n, we can only use variables at the layer. Thus, the following is not a valid term:

define use-box-error(x: int): meta int {
  // here is layer 0
  box {
    // here is layer -1
    add-int(x, 1) // error: use of a variable at layer 0 (≠ -1)
  }
}

We can incorporate variables outside box by capturing them:

define use-box-with-noema(x: &int): meta int {
  // here is layer 0
  // x: &int at layer 0
  box x {
    // here is layer -1
    // x: int at layer -1
    add-int(x, 1) // ok
  }
}

The body of this term is typed as follows:

--------------
x: int ⊢ x: int // layer -1
---------------------------
x: int ⊢ add-int(x, 1): int // layer -1
-------------------------------------------- (□-intro with Δ = (x: int))
· ; x: &int ⊢ box x {add-int(x, 1)}: meta int  // layer 0

Here, · is the empty context.

Incidentally, the rule "The body of define is at layer 0" is not really necessary. We can simply replace the 0 with any integer.

Note

"But what after all is the & in &a?" ―Let's give an answer to this question.

Firstly, observe that the following derivation is admissible in Neut:

Γ1; ...; Γn; x: a, Δ ⊢ e: b
-------------------------------- (slide)
Γ1; ...; Γn, x: meta a; Δ ⊢ e: b

Also, by setting Δ = · in the typing rule of box, we obtain the following:

Γ1; ...; Γn; · ⊢ e: a
-------------------------------- (□-intro')
Γ1; ...; Γn ⊢ box Δ {e}: meta a

Thus, we can perform the following derivation:

Γ1; ...; Γn; Δ ⊢ e: a
----------------------------- (slide)
...
----------------------------- (slide)
Γ1; ...; Γn, meta Δ; · ⊢ e: a
-------------------------------------  (□-intro')
Γ1; ...; Γn, meta Δ ⊢ box {e}: meta a

That is to say, the following rule is admissible without using &:

Γ1; ...; Γn; Δ ⊢ e: a
------------------------------------- (□-intro-slide)
Γ1; ...; Γn, meta Δ ⊢ box {e}: meta a

Now, compare the above with the rule of box:

Γ1; ...; Γn; Δ ⊢ e: a
------------------------------------- (□-intro)
Γ1; ...; Γn, &Δ ⊢ box Δ {e}: meta a

As you can see, we can obtain (□-intro) from (□-intro-slide) by replacing meta Δ with &Δ. That is to say, &a is the "structurally-defined" variant of meta a.

If we write meta Δ instead of &Δ in (□-intro), the rule is equivalent to (□-intro'). By giving the "structural" part a name different from meta, the rule (□-intro) restricts the way how variables in &Δ (which could have been the same as meta Δ) are used.

In this sense, &a is the T-necessity modality defined through structural rules.

letbox

You can use letbox to "unlift" terms.

Example

define roundtrip(x: meta a): meta a {
  // here is layer 0
  box {
    // here is layer -1
    letbox tmp =
      // here is layer 0
      x
    in
    tmp
  }
}

define try-borrowing(x: int): unit {
  // here is layer 0
  // x: int (at layer 0)
  letbox tmp on x =
    // here is layer 1
    // x: &int (at layer 1)
    some-func(x)
  in
  // here is layer 0
  // x: int (at layer 0)
  Unit
}

Syntax

letbox result = e1 in
e2

letbox result on x1, ..., xn = e1 in
e2

Semantics

letbox result on x1, ..., xn = e1 in
e2

↓

let x1 = unsafe-cast(a1, &a1, x) in
...
let xn = unsafe-cast(an, &an, xn) in
let result = e1 in
let x1 = unsafe-cast(&a1, a1, x) in
...
let xn = unsafe-cast(&an, an, xn) in
cont

Type

Γ1; ...; Γn, &Δ ⊢ e1: meta a
Γ1; ...; Γn; Δ, Δ', x: a ⊢ e2: b
------------------------------------------------ (□-elim-K)
Γ1; ...; Γn; Δ, Δ' ⊢ letbox x on Δ = e1 in e2: b

Note

Given a term e1 at layer n + 1, letbox x = e1 in e2 is at layer n:

define roundtrip(x: meta a): meta a {
  box {
    // here is layer -1 (= n)
    letbox tmp =
      // here is layer 0 (= n + 1)
      x
    in
    // here is layer -1 (= n)
    tmp
  }
}

In layer n, we can only use variables at the layer. Thus, the following is not a valid term:

define use-letbox-error(x: meta int): int {
  // here is layer 0
  // x: meta int (at layer 0)
  letbox tmp =
    // here is layer 1
    x // error: use of a variable at layer 0 (≠ 1)
  in
  // here is layer 0
  tmp
}

We can incorporate variables outside letbox by using on:

define use-letbox(x: int): int {
  // here is layer 0
  // x: int (at layer 0)
  letbox tmp on x =
    // here is layer 1
    // x: &int (at layer 1)
    let _ = x in // ok
    box { Unit }
  in
  // here is layer 0
  10
}

letbox-T

You can use letbox-T to get values from terms of type meta a without changing layers.

Example

define extract-value-from-meta(x: meta int): int {
  // here is layer 0
  // x: meta int (at layer 0)
  letbox-T tmp =
    // here is layer 0
    x // ok
  in
  // here is layer 0
  tmp
}

Syntax

letbox-T result = e1 in
e2

letbox-T result on x1, ..., xn = e1 in
e2

Semantics

letbox-T result on x1, ..., xn = e1 in
e2

↓

let x1 = unsafe-cast(a1, &a1, x) in
...
let xn = unsafe-cast(an, &an, xn) in
let result = e1 in
let x1 = unsafe-cast(&a1, a1, x) in
...
let xn = unsafe-cast(&an, an, xn) in
cont

Type

Γ1; ...; Γn, &Δ ⊢ e1: meta a
Γ1; ...; Γn, Δ, Δ', x: a ⊢ e2: b
-------------------------------------------------- (□-elim-T)
Γ1; ...; Γn, Δ, Δ' ⊢ letbox-T x on Δ = e1 in e2: b

Note that the layer of e1, e2, letbox-T (..) are the same.

Note

letbox-T doesn't alter layers:

define extract-value-from-meta(x: meta int): int {
  // here is layer 0
  letbox-T tmp =
    // here is layer 0
    x
  in
  // here is layer 0
  tmp
}

on doesn't alter the layers of variables, too:

define extract-value-from-meta(x: int): int {
  // here is layer 0
  // x: int (at layer 0)
  letbox-T tmp on x =
    // here is layer 0
    // x: &int (at layer 0)
    x
  in
  // here is layer 0
  // x: int (at layer 0)
  tmp
}

case

You can use case to inspect noetic ADT values or integers.

Example

data my-nat {
| Zero
| Succ(my-nat)
}

define foo-noetic(n: &my-nat): int {
  case n {
  | Zero =>
    100
  | Succ(m) =>
    // the type of foo-noetic is `(&my-nat) -> int`
    foo-noetic(m)
  }
}

Syntax

case e1, ..., en {
| pattern-1 =>
  body-1
  ...
| pattern-m =>
  body-m
}

Semantics

The semantics of case is the same as match, except that case doesn't consume ADT values.

Type

Γ ⊢ e1: a1
...
Γ ⊢ en: an

Γ, arg_{1,1}: t_{1,1}, ..., arg_{1, k_{1}}: t{1, k_{1}} ⊢ pat-1: a1
Γ, arg_{1,1}: &t_{1,1}, ..., arg_{1, k_{1}}: &t{1, k_{1}} ⊢ body-1: b

...

Γ, arg_{m,1}: t_{m,1}, ..., arg_{m, k_{m}}: t{m, k_{m}} ⊢ pat-m: an
Γ, arg_{m,1}: &t_{m,1}, ..., arg_{m, k_{m}}: &t{m, k_{m}} ⊢ body-m: b

(for all i = 1, ..., m, pat-i is a pattern for e1, ..., en)
(the sequence pat-1, ..., pat-m is a exhaustinve matching against e1, ..., en)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Γ ⊢ case e1, ..., en {
    | pat-1 => body-1
    ...
    | pat-m => body-m
    }: b

Note

An example of the application of the typing rule of case:

Γ ⊢ n: &my-nat

Γ ⊢ Zero: my-nat // pat-1
Γ ⊢ 100: int // body-1

Γ, m: my-nat ⊢ Succ(m): my-nat // pat-2
Γ, m: &my-nat ⊢ foo-noetic(m): int // body-2

(Zero and Succ(m) are patterns for n)
(the sequence Zero, Succ(m) is a exhaustinve matching against n)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Γ ⊢ case n {
    | Zero => 100
    | Succ(m) => foo-noetic(m)
    }: int

thread

A thread in Neut is the type of a thread (much like promises in other languages).

Example

thread(int) // the type of a thread that returns int

thread((int) -> bool) // the type of a thread that returns (int) -> bool

Syntax

thread(t)

Semantics

For any type t, the type thread(t) is compiled into a pointer to a closed function that discards and copies the values of the type in the following manner:

• Discard e: thread(t): Waits the thread e to finish and discard the result along the type t, and then returns 0
• Copy e: thread(t): Waits the thread e to finish, copies the result along the type t, creates an already-finished thread, and returns it as a clone.

The type t is inside the internal representation of a term e: thread(t). Because of that, for any t, thread(t) is compiled to the same closed function. For more, see the following Note.

Type

Γ ⊢ t: type
----------------
Γ ⊢ thread(t): type

Note

(1) The internal representation of e: thread(t) is a "3-word + 1-byte" tuple like the below:

   (thread-id, t, result-value-or-none, finished)
//  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  ^^^^^^^^
//  3-word                              1-byte

When a thread is created,

• the value of result-value-or-none is initialized to 0, and
• the value of finished is also initialized to 0.

When a thread is completed,

• the value result-value-or-none is updated to the result of the thread, and
• the value finished is updated to 1.

(2) As you can see from the semantics, you must use threads linearly to perform parallel computation.

(3) A thread in Neut is a thin layer over pthread.

detach

You can use detach to create a new thread.

Example

define foo(): thread(int) {
  detach {
    print("fA");
    1
  }
}

define bar(): thread(int) {
  let f =
    detach {
      print("fA");
      1
    }
  in
  whatever();
  f
}

Syntax

detach {
  e
}

Semantics

detach { e } creates a new thread and starts computation of e in that thread.

Type

Γ ⊢ e: a
-------------------------
Γ ⊢ detach { e }: thread(a)

Note

• detach internally uses pthread.

attach

You can use detach to wait for a thread and get its result.

Example

define foo(f: thread(int)): int {
  attach { f }
}

define bar(f: thread((int) -> bool)): bool {
  let k = attach { f } in
  k(100)
}

Syntax

attach { e }

Semantics

attach waits given thread to finish and gets its resulting value.

It also frees the 3-word + 1-byte tuple that represents a thread after getting the result.

Type

Γ ⊢ e: thread(a)
-------------------
Γ ⊢ attach { e }: a

Note

• attach internally uses pthread.

new-channel

You can create channels using new-channel and send/receive values using those channels.

Example

define sample(): unit {
  let ch0 = new-channel() in
  let ch1 = new-channel() in
  // use channels after turning them into noemata
  let result on ch0, ch1 =
    let f =
      detach {
        let message0 = receive(ch0) in // receive value from ch0
        send(ch1, add-int(message0, 1)); // send value to ch1
        message0
      }
    in
    let g =
      detach {
        let message1 = receive(ch1) in // receive value from ch1
        add-int(message1, 1)
      }
    in
    send(ch0, 0); // send value to ch0
    let v1 = attach { f } in
    let v2 = attach { g } in
    print("hey")
  in
  // ... cont ...
}

Syntax

new-channel(e)

Semantics

new-channel creates a new channel that can be used to send/receive values between threads.

The internal representation of channel(a) is something like the below:

(queue, thread-mutex, thread-cond, a)

The queue is the place where inter-channel values are enqueued/dequeued. More specifically,

• the function send: <a>(ch: &channel, x: a) -> unit enqueues values to there, and
• the function receive: <a>(ch: &channel) -> a dequeues values from there.

The thread-mutex is initialized by pthread_mutex_init(3). This field is used to update the queue in a thread-safe way.

The thread-cond is initialized by pthread_cond_init(3). This field is used to update the queue in a thread-safe way.

Type

Γ ⊢ a: type
-----------------------------
Γ ⊢ new-channel(): channel(a)

You must use an "actual" type at the position of a in the typing rule above.

For more, see let-on.

Note

• Channels are intended to be used with threads.
• You'll use a channel after turning them into a noema (as in the example above).
• You can use send: <a>(ch: &channel, x: a) -> unit to enqueue a value to the channel.
• You can use receive: <a>(ch: &channel) -> a to dequeue a value from the channel. receive blocks if there is no value to read.
• new-channel: <a>() -> channel(a) is a normal function defined in the core library.

Also, channel(a) can be used as a basis for mutable variables. The idea is to create a channel that is always of length 1. The type cell(a) is there to represent such a channel:

Below is an example of using the type cell:

define sample(): int {
  let xs: list(int) = [] in

  // create a new cell using `new-cell`
  let xs-cell = new-cell(xs) in

  // create a noema of a cell
  let result on xs-cell =
    // mutate the cell using `mutate` (add an element)
    mutate(xs-cell, function (xs) {
      Cons(1, xs)
    });

    // peek the content of a cell using `borrow`
    borrow(xs-cell, function (xs) {
      let len = length(xs) in
      print-int(len) // => 1
    })

    // mutate again
    mutate(xs-cell, function (xs) {
      Cons(2, xs)
    });

    // get the length of the list in the cell, again
    borrow(xs-cell, function (xs) {
      let len = length(xs) in
      print-int(len) // => 2
    })

    ...
  in
  ...
}

Here, the type of related wrapper functions are:

// create a new channel
new-cell<a>(x: a): cell(a)

// mutate the content of a cell by `f`
mutate<a>(ch: &cell(a), f: (a) -> a): unit

// borrow the content of a cell and do something
borrow<a>(ch: &cell(a), f: (&a) -> unit): unit

// clone the content of a cell
clone<a>(ch: &cell(a)): a

The definition of, for example, mutate is essentially something like the below:

define mutate<a>(ch: &cell(a), f: (a) -> a): unit {
  let ch = Magic.cast(&cell(a), &channel(a), ch) in
  let v = receive(ch) in
  send(ch, f(v))
}

quote

You can use quote to wrap the types of "safe" values by meta {..}.

Example

define quote-int(x: int): meta int {
  quote {x}
}

define quote-bool(x: bool): meta bool {
  quote {x}
}

define quote-function(f: (int) -> bool): meta (int) -> bool {
  quote {f} // error; won't typecheck
}

Syntax

quote {e}

Semantics

quote {e}

↓

e

Type

Γ ⊢ e: a
(a is an "actual" type)
-----------------------
Γ ⊢ quote {e}: meta a

Here, an "actual" type is a type that satisfies all the following conditions:

• It doesn't contain any free variables
• It doesn't contain any noetic types
• It doesn't contain any function types
• It doesn't contain any "dubious" ADTs

Here, a "dubious" ADT is something like the below:

// the type `joker-x` is dubious since it contains a noetic argument
data joker-x {
| Joker-X(&list(int))
}

// the type `joker-y` is dubious since it contains a functional argument
data joker-y {
| Joker-Y(int -> bool)
}

// the type `joker-z` is dubious since it contains a dubious ADT argument
data joker-z {
| Joker-Z(joker-y)
}

Note

(1) Unlike box, quote doesn't alter layers.

(2) quote doesn't add extra expressiveness to the type system. For example, quote on bool can be replaced with box as follows:

define quote-bool(b: bool): meta bool {
  quote {b}
}

↓

define quote-bool(b: bool): meta bool {
  if b {
    box {True}
  } else {
    box {False}
  }
}

quote on either(bool, unit) can also be replaced with box as follows:

define quote-either(x: either(bool, unit)): meta either(bool, unit) {
  quote {b}
}

↓

define quote-either(x: either(bool, unit)): meta either(bool, unit) {
  match x {
  | Left(b) =>
    if b {
      box {Left(True)}
    } else {
      box {Left(False)}
    }
  | Right(u) =>
    box {Right(Unit)}
  }
}

quote is there only for convenience.

magic

You can use magic to perform weird stuff. Using magic is an unsafe operation.

Example

// empty type
data descriptor {}

// add an element to the empty type
constant stdin: descriptor {
  magic cast(int, descriptor, 0) // 🌟 cast
}

define malloc-then-free(): unit {
  // allocate memory region (stack)
  let ptr = magic alloca(int64, 2) in // allocates (64 / 8) * 2 = 16 byte

  // allocate memory region (heap)
  let size: int = 10 in
  let ptr: int = magic external malloc(size) in // 🌟 external

  // store a value
  let value: int = 123 in
  magic store(int, value, ptr); // 🌟 store

  // load and print a value
  let value = magic load(int, ptr) in // 🌟 load
  print-int(value); // => 123

  // free the pointer and return
  magic external free(ptr); // 🌟 external
  Unit
}

Syntax

magic cast(from-type, to-type, value)

magic store(lowtype, stored-value, address)

magic load(lowtype, address)

magic alloca(lowtype, num-of-elems)

magic external func-name(e1, ..., en)

magic external func-name(e1, ..., en)(vararg-1: lowtype-1, ..., vararg-n: lowtype-n)

A "lowtype" is one of the following:

• int1, int2, ..., int64
• float16, float32, float64
• pointer

You can also use int and float as a lowtype. These are platform-dependent lowtypes. If the target architecture is 64-bit, int is interpreted as int64.

Semantics

magic cast (a, b, e) casts the term e from the type a to b. cast does nothing at runtime.

magic store(lowtype, value, address) stores a value value to address. This is the same as store in LLVM.

magic load(lowtype, address) loads a value from address. This is the same as load in LLVM.

magic alloca(lowtype, num-of-elems) allocates memory region on the stack frame. This is the same as alloca in LLVM.

magic external func(e1, ..., en) can be used to call foreign functions (or FFI). See foreign in Statements for more information.

magic external func(e1, ..., en)(e{n+1}: lowtype1, ..., e{n+m}: lowtypem) can also be used to call variadic foreign functions like printf in C. A use of such varidic external can be found in the core library here.

Type

Γ ⊢ t1: type
Γ ⊢ t2: type
Γ ⊢ e: t1
-----------------------------
Γ ⊢ magic cast(t1, t2, e): t2


Γ ⊢ stored-value: t1
Γ ⊢ address: t2
Γ ⊢ t3: type
(value-type is a low-type)
------------------------------------------------------
Γ ⊢ magic store(value-type, stored-value, address): t3


Γ ⊢ address: t1
Γ ⊢ t2: type
(value-type is a low-type)
------------------------------------------------------
Γ ⊢ magic load(value-type, address): t2


Γ ⊢ e1: t1
...
Γ ⊢ en: tn
Γ ⊢ t: type
(func-name is a foreign function)
--------------------------------------------------
Γ ⊢ magic external func-name(e1, ..., en): t


Γ ⊢ e1: t1
...
Γ ⊢ en: tn
Γ ⊢ e{n+1}: t{n+1}
...
Γ ⊢ e{n+m}: t{n+m}
(lt-1 is a low-type)
...
(lt-m is a low-type)
Γ ⊢ t: type
(func-name is a foreign function)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Γ ⊢ magic external func-name(e1, ..., en)(e{n+1}: lt-1, ..., e{n+m}: lt-m): t

Note

Except for cast, the result type of magic is unspecified. You may have to supply annotations.

introspect

You can use introspect key {..} to introspect the compiler's configuration.

Example

define arch-dependent-constant(): int {
  introspect target-arch {
  | arm64 =>
    1
  | amd64 =>
    2
  }
}

define os-dependent-constant(): int {
  introspect target-os {
  | linux =>
    1
  | default =>
    // `2` is returned if target-os != linux
    2
  }
}

Syntax

introspect key {
| value-1 =>
  e1
  ...
| value-n =>
  en
}

You can use the following configuration keys and configuration values:

You can also use default as a configuration value to represent a fallback case.

Semantics

Firstly, introspect key {v1 => e1 | ... | vn => en} looks up the configuration value v of the compiler by key. Then it reads the configuration values v1, ..., vn in this order to find vk that is equal to the v. If such a vk is found, introspect executes the corresponding clause ek. If no such vk is found, introspect will report a compilation error.

The configuration value default is equal to any configuration values.

Type

(key is a configuration key)

(v1 is a configuration value)
Γ ⊢ e1: a

...

(vn is a configuration value)
Γ ⊢ en: a
------------------------------------------
Γ ⊢ introspect key {
    | v1 => e1
      ...
    | vn => en
    }: a

Note

• The branching of an introspect is resolved at compile-time.

include-text

You can use include-text to embed the content of a static file into a source file at compile time.

Example

import {
  static {some-file}
}

define use-some-file(): unit {
  let t &text = include-text(some-file) in
  print(t)
}

Syntax

include-text(key)

Sematics

The compiler expands include-text(foo) into the content of foo at compile time.

If foo isn't a key of a UTF-8 file, include-text(foo) reports a compilation error.

Type

(Γ is a context)    (k is a static file's key)
----------------------------------------------
Γ ⊢ include-text(k): &text

Note

You may also want to read the section on static files in Modules.

admit

You can use admit to suppress the type checker and sketch the structure of your program.

Example

define my-complex-function(): unit {
  admit
}

Syntax

admit

Sematics

Evaluating admit will exit the program, displaying a message like the following:

admit: /path/to/file.nt:1:2

When admit exits a program, the exit code is 1.

Type

Γ ⊢ t: type
------------
Γ ⊢ admit: t

Note

• admit is the undefined in Haskell.
• admit is intended to be used ephemerally during development.

assert

You can use assert to ensure that a condition is satisfied at run-time.

Example

define fact(n: int): int {
  assert "the input must be non-negative" {
    ge-int(n, 0)
  };
  if eq-int(n, 0) {
    1
  } else {
    mul-int(n, fact(sub-int(n, 1)))
  }
}

Syntax

assert "any-string" {
  e
}

Semantics

If the build mode is release, assert does nothing.

Otherwise, assert "description" { condition } evaluates condition and checks if it is True. If it is True, the assert simply evaluates to Unit. Otherwise, it reports that the assertion "description" failed and exits the execution of the program with the exit code 1.

Type

Γ ⊢ condition: bool
--------------------------------------------
Γ ⊢ assert "description" { condition }: unit

_

_ is a hole that must be inferred by the type checker.

Example

define id(a: type, x: a): a {
  x
}

define use-hole(): unit {
  id(_, Unit) // ← using a hole (inferred to be `unit`)
}

Syntax

_

Semantics

_ is a hole that must be inferred by the type checker. If the type checker resolves a hole into a term e, this hole behaves the same as e. If the type checker can't resolve a hole, the type checker reports a compilation error.

Type

Γ ⊢ e[tmp := e1]: a
-------------------
Γ ⊢ e[tmp := _]: a

Note

Please do not confuse a hole with the _ in let _ = e1 in e2.

on

let x on y = e1 in e2 can be used to introduce noetic values in a specific scope.

Example

define play-with-let-on(): unit {
  let xs: list(int) = [1, 2, 3] in
  let len on xs =
    // the type of `xs` is `&list(int)` here
    length(xs)
  in
  // the type of `xs` is `list(int)` here
  print-int(len)
}

Syntax

let y on x1, ..., xn = e1 in
e2

Semantics

let result on x1, ..., xn = e1 in
e2

// ↓ desugar

letbox-T result on x1, ..., xn = quote {e1} in
e2

Type

Derived from the desugared form.

*e

You can use *e to create a non-noetic value from a noetic value.

Example

define clone-list<a>(xs: &list(a)): list(a) {
  case xs {
  | Nil =>
    Nil
  | Cons(y, ys) =>
    Cons(*y, clone-list(ys))
  }
}

Syntax

*e

Semantics

*e

↓

embody(e)

where the function embody is defined in the core library as follows:

// core.box

// □A -> A (Axiom T)
inline axiom-T<a>(x: meta a): a {
  letbox-T x' = x in
  x'
}

inline embody<a>(x: &a): a {
  axiom-T(box x {x}) // ← this `box` copies the hyle of `x`
}

Type

Derived from the desugared form.

Note

Intuitively, given a noema e: &a, *e: a is a clone of the hyle of the noema.

This clone is created by copying the hyle along the type t.

The original hyle is kept intact.

use e {x1, ..., xn} in cont

You can use use e {x1, ..., xn} in cont as a shorthand to destructure an ADT that has only one constructor.

Example

data config {
| Config(
    path: &text,
    count: int,
  )
}

define use-config(c: config): unit {
  use c {count} in
  print-int(count)
}

// cf.
define use-config-2(c: config): unit {
  let Config of {count} = c in
  print-int(count)
}

Syntax

use e {x1, ..., xn} in
cont

Semantics

use is the following syntax sugar:

use e {x1, ..., xn} in
cont

↓

let K of {x1, ..., xn} = e in
cont

Here, the K is the only constructor of the type of e. If the type of e contains more than one constructor, use results in a compilation error.

Type

Derived from the desugared form.

e::x

You can use e::x to extract a value from an ADT value.

Example

data config {
| Config(
    path: &text,
    count: int,
  )
}

define use-config(c: config): unit {
  print-int(c::count)
}

Syntax

e::x

Semantics

:: is the following syntax sugar:

e::x

↓

use e {x} in
x

Type

Derived from the desugared form.

Note

One possible use of :: is to select a function from a record of functions:

// dictionary.nt ---------------------------------

...

// declare a record of functions (like signatures in OCaml)
data trope(k) {
| Trope(
    insert: <v>(k, v, dictionary(k, v)) -> dictionary(k, v),
    lookup: <v>(&k, &dictionary(k, v)) -> ?&v,
    delete: <v>(k, dictionary(k, v)) -> dictionary(k, v),
  )
}

// foo.nt ----------------------------------

import {
  Dict,
  ...
}

// create a record of functions
constant intdict: Dict.trope(int) {
  // ... whatever ...
}

// ... and use a function of the record
define make-big-dict(): dictionary(int, int) {
  loop(700000, Dict.empty(), function (acc, _) {
    let key = random(1000000) in
    let val = random(1000000) in
    intdict::insert(key, val, acc) // 🌟
  })
}

You can find a working example of such a use case in the core library.

if

You can use if as in other languages.

Example

define foo(b1: bool): unit {
  if b1 {
    print("hey")
  } else {
    print("yo")
  }
}

define bar(b1: bool, b2: bool): unit {
  let tmp =
    if b1 {
      "hey"
    } else-if b2 {
      "yo"
    } else {
      "pohe"
    }
  in
  print(tmp)
}

Syntax

if b1 { e1 } else-if b2 { e2 }  ... else-if b_{n-1} { e_{n-1} } else { en }

Semantics

if is the following syntax sugar:

if b1 { e1 } else-if b2 { e2 }  ... else-if b_{n-1} { e_{n-1} } else { en }

↓

match b1 {
| True => e1
| False =>
  match b2 {
  | True => e2
  | False =>
    ...
    match b_{n-1} {
    | True => e_{n-1}
    | False => en
    }
  }
}

Type

Derived from the desugared form.

when cond { e }

You can use when cond { e } to perform e only when cond is true.

Example

define foo(b1: bool): unit {
  when b1 {
    print("hey")
  }
}

Syntax

when cond {
  e
}

Semantics

when is the following syntax sugar:

when cond {
  e
}

↓

if cond {
  e
} else {
  Unit
}

Type

Derived from the desugared form.

e1; e2

You can use e1; e2 to perform sequential operations.

Example

define foo(): unit {
  print("hello");
  print(", ");
  print("world!");
  print("\n")
}

Syntax

e1;
e2

Semantics

e1; e2 is the following syntax sugar:

let _: unit = e1 in
e2

Type

Derived from the desugared form.

try x = e1 in e2

try is a shorthand for match + either.

Example

define get-value-or-fail(): either(error, int) {
  // .. whatever ..
}

define foo(): unit {
  try x1 = get-value-or-fail() in
  try x2 = get-value-or-fail() in
  print-int(add-int(x1, x2))
}

Syntax

try x = e1 in
e2

Semantics

try x = e1 in e2 is a shorthand of the below:

match e1 {
| Left(err) =>
  Left(err)
| Right(x) =>
  e2
}

Type

Derived from the desugared form.

Note

The definition of either is as follows:

data either(a, b) {
| Left(a)
| Right(b)
}

tie x = e1 in e2

You can use tie as a "noetic" let.

Example

data config {
| Config(
    foo: int,
    bar: bool,
  )
}

define use-noetic-config(c: &config): int {
  tie Config of {foo} = c in
  *foo
}

Syntax

tie x = e1 in
e2

Semantics

tie x = e1 in e2 is a shorthand of the below:

case e1 {
| x =>
  e2
}

Type

Derived from the desugared form.

pin x = e1 in e2

You can use pin to create a value and use it as a noema.

Example

// before
define foo(): unit {
  let xs = make-list(123) in
  let result on xs = some-func(xs) in
  let _ = xs in
  result
}

↓

// after
define foo(): unit {
  pin xs = make-list(123) in
  some-func(xs)
}

Syntax

pin x = e1 in
e2

Semantics

pin x = e1 in
e2

↓

let x = e1 in
let tmp on x = e2 in
let _ = x in
tmp

?t

You can use ?t to represent an optional type.

Example

define foo(x: int): ?int {
  if eq-int(x, 0) {
    Right(100)
  } else {
    Left(Unit)
  }
}

Syntax

?t

Semantics

?t is the following syntax sugar:

?t

↓

either(unit, t)

Type

Derived from the syntax sugar.

[e1, ..., en]

You can use [e1, ..., en] to construct a list.

Example

define make-int-list(): list(int) {
  [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
}

Syntax

[e1, ..., en] // n >= 0

Semantics

[e1, ..., en] is the following syntax sugar:

[e1, ..., en]

↓

Cons(e1, Cons(..., Cons(en, Nil)...))

Type

Derived from the desugared form.

with / bind

You can use with / bind as "do-notations" in other languages.

Example

// define a monadic bind
define either-bind<e, a, b>(x: either(e, a), k: (a) -> either(e, b)): either(e, b) {
  match x {
  | Left(err) =>
    Left(err)
  | Right(value) =>
    k(value)
  }
}

define test(): either(&text, int) {
  // ... and supply it to `with`
  with either-bind {
    bind _: bool = Left("hello") in
    bind _: bool = Left("hello") in
    bind _ = Right(True) in
    bind _: bool =
      bind _ = Right(True) in
      Left("hello")
    in
    bind _: bool = Left("hello") in
    bind _: type = Right(int) in
    Right(10)
  }
}

Syntax

with f {
  e
}

bind x = e1 in
e2

bind x: t = e1 in
e2

Semantics

with / bind is the syntax sugar defined by the following five translation rules:

// (1) -----------------------------------------------------

with f {
  bind x = e1 in
  e2
}

↓

f(
  with f {e1},
  function (x) {
    with f {e2}
  }
)

// (2) -----------------------------------------------------

with f {
  LET x = e1 in // LET must be one of `let`, `try`, or `tie`
  e2
}

↓

LET x = with f {e1} in
with f {e2}


// (3) -----------------------------------------------------

with f {
  e1;
  e2
}

↓

with f {e1};
with f {e2}

// (4) -----------------------------------------------------

with f {
  use e {x1 ..., xn} in
  cont
}

↓

use e {x1, ..., xn} in
with f {cont}

// (5) -----------------------------------------------------

with f {e}

↓

e

The rule (5) is used only when all the other rules are unavailable.

Type

Derived from the desugared form.

Note

• with/bind is the ordinary do-notation except that:
  • it must have an explicit monadic binder, and
  • it doesn't have monadic return.

{e}

{e} can be used as parentheses in other languages.

              // 🌟
define foo(f: {(int) -> (bool)} -> bool): bool {
  let g =
    function (x: int) {
      True
    }
  in
  f(g)
}


// cf.
define bar(f: (int) -> (bool) -> bool): bool {
  f(10)(True)
}

Syntax

{e}

Semantics

The semantics of {e} is the same as e.

Type

Γ ⊢ e: a
----------
Γ ⊢ {e}: a