Lime Language References

📘 Language definition for the little incomplete macro language

The Syntax

• Lisp-style sexpression-based syntax

(-> a 1) ; a comment
; comments starts from ';', ends at '\n'
(@ a)
((() () 'a) 1 2 3)

• Syntax sugar

(-> 世界 'world)
(@ 'Hello,_world!)
(@ "Hello, #{世界}!")

From-text types

• Sexpr () (() a b c) (b 'a)
• String "a" 'a 'a' <<-ENDaEND
• Symbol(Reference) a b :'a :"b"
• Char 'a 'b
• Number(byte/short/int/long/float/double) 1 0x2 0b3dec 32big 2.2
• Boolean #t #f
• Hash #h
• List #i

Syntax rules

Sexpr

'(' sexp_or_atom* ')'

(puts 'a)
(->" :"a symbol")
(puts (->" :"a symbol") () (r 1))
((? (> (rand) 0.5) puts exit) 0)

String

single-quote string

starts from: ' ends at: ), ,',\n

_ is seen as ' ' in single-quote string

'a_string "a string"
'dog "dog"
'' ""
'abc_defg'

double-quote string

starts from: " ends at: " (but not ")

double-quoted strings has #{} syntax sugar

"Hello" "Hello"
"H
e
llo" "H\ne\nllo"
"Are U #{okay}" (+ "Are U " (->" okay))

heredoc

<<-terminator\ncontent\nterminator

(eval <<-END
(puts 'emmmm "Hello")
END) (eval "(puts 'emmm \"Hello\")")

Symbol

a b c
10.times
:"with space"
:'with_space
:"#{won't process sugar}"

Char

'a
'b
'🐭

Number

starts: -,0-9 ends: ), ,\n

032
434
23.2
0x1
0b1
0o1
0x123i32
0x32f64

types: i8 -> byte i16 -> short i32 -> int i64 -> long f32 -> float f64 -> double big -> math.BigInteger dec -> math.BigDecimal

Fragment

#t true
#f false
#n nil
#g 1
#e 0
#l -1
#p 0.5
#h new a Hash
#i new a List