ssc/language.md

Language

SunScript is the name of the language parsed natively by ssc. It closely resembles both JavaScript and the native byte-code used by Super Mario Sunshine's SPC interpreter. A SunScript file uses the extension ".sun" for convenience. Below is a brief summary of the language's syntax.

Comments

Both single-line comments and multi-line comments are supported. A single line comment begins with // and ends at the next new-line character. A multi-line comment begins with /* and ends with */.

Variables

A variable is created by use of the var keyword and may initially be either declared or defined. A declaration leaves the variable with an undefined initial value, while a definition assigns a value to the variable explicitly:

var a;
var b = 33;

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There are three primitive types in SunScript, as shown in the following table. All variables are dynamically typed and can change at any time by simply assigning it an expression of another type.

Type	Example
int	132, -0xff
float	15.64, 9.0
string	"foo\nbar"

SunScript also has the two boolean keywords true and false (currently defined as the integers one and zero, respectively).

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To get the type of any variable or expression, use the typeof statement:

var a = 1.1 * 8;
var b = typeof(a);
var c = typeof(1.1 * 8); // you may also put expressions as the argument

Constants for the possible return values are defined in the standard include library.

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To explicitly cast to the integer and floating-point types, use the int and float casting statements:

const PI = 3.14;
var piIsExactlyThree = int(PI); // *gasp*

Constants

Read-only variables may be created via the const keyword. Only constant definitions are allowed; constant declarations are not supported.

To save space in the output binary, constants are not stored in the symbol table, nor are they compiled in the text section. Instead, they are simply evaluated each time they are actually used (similar to macros in CPP):

const PI = 3.14;
const TWOPI = 2 * PI;
const R = 300.0;

var circ = R * TWOPI; // this actually compiles to 'var circ = 300.0 * (2 * (3.14));'

Note: You may assign only expressions which are evaluated to be constant.

Callables

There are two types of callables in SunScript: builtins and functions. A builtin may only be declared (must not have a body), while a function may only be defined (must have a body). Callables may have any number of parameters.

To define a function, use the function keyword. For builtins, use the builtin keyword:

builtin getSystemFlag(flag);
builtin setSystemFlag(flag, value);

function setOnSystemFlag(flag) { setSystemFlag(flag, true); }
function setOffSystemFlag(flag) { setSystemFlag(flag, false); }

A callable may have any number of parameters. Each parameter is dynamically typed. A builtin may have a variadic signature by specifying an ellipsis keyword ... as the final parameter (variadic functions are not supported):

builtin print(...); // variadic builtin

print("Hello, ", "world!"); // this is legal
print("I have ", 3, " arguments."); // so is this

A callable's return value is also dynamic. Use a return statement to override the interpreter's default return value for a given code path.

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Functions and builtins may be called either as standalone statements or in expressions. To call a function or builtin, simply pass its name, followed by any arguments, each separated by a comma:

appearReadyGo(); // calls the function 'appearReadyGo' with no arguments
insertTimer(1, 0); // calls the function 'insertTimer' with two arguments, '1' and '0'

Note: You cannot call a function or builtin in code preceding its definition or declaration, respectively.

Modifiers

A declared symbol may be assigned compile-time modifiers. The modifiers follow their respective keywords in their declaration/definition:

var foo; // global symbol (can be resolved from other scripts)
var local bar; // global symbol (can be resolved only from the current script)

function local const getBaz() {
    return 132;
}

const local baz = getBaz(); // getBaz is marked as constant

ssc supports the following modifiers:

Modifier	Description
local	Resolves only within the current script file. Applies to only script-scope symbols.
const	Marks the symbol as constant. Allows for the symbol's use in const assignments.

The following matrix details which symbol types support which modifiers:

type	local	const
variable	✓
constant	✓
function	✓	✓
builtin		✓

Operators

Operators and their precedence in SunScript are largely borrowed from C++. The following table describes the operators supported by SunScript, as well as their precedence and associativity:

Precedence	Symbol	Name	Associativity
-1	= += -= *= /= %= &= `	=`	assignment compound assignment
0	`		`
1	&&	logical-AND	left
2	`	`	bitwise-OR
3	&	bitwise-AND	left
4	== !=	equality and inequality	left
5	< > <= >=	comparison	left
6	<< >>	bitwise-shift	left
7	+ -	addition and subtraction	left
8	* / %	multiplication, division, and modulo	left
9	! -	logical-NOT negation	right
10	[?:]	ternary conditional	right

Flow Control

SunScript has support for while, do, and for loops, as well as the exit, break, continue, and return statements:

function checkTime(time) {
    if (time < 30) {
        startMiss();
        exit;
    }
}
var i = 0;
while (i < 100) {
    checkTime(i);
    if (stop) {
        break;
    }
}

Named Loops

Loops may be named. To name a loop, simply prefix the loop with a label. break and continue statements may be passed the name of the loop which they affect:

outer_loop:
for (var a; a < 4; ++a) {
    for (var b; b < 4; ++b) {
        if (b == 2) break outer_loop;
    }
}

Importing

You may split a script amongst several files. Doing this requires the use of the import statement. Simply pass the name of the SunScript file to import:

import "constants.sun";
import "C:/math.sun";

Note: It is recommended to avoid using backslashes, as they may be interpreted as an escape.

Importing files is managed by the sunImportResolver instance passed to the compiler. The resolver can be the default (sunImportResolver.Default) or a completely custom one. If an import resolver fails to find a file, a compiler error will occur.

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The default import resolver, sunImportResolver.Default, imports scripts by searching and loading files from disk. Where the resolver looks for the script depends on whether the given name is absolute or relative:

• If the name is relative, then the resolver will first append the name to the directory of the current file. If the script then is not found there, it will then look for the script in the compiler's executable directory.
• If the name is absolute, then the resolver will simply look for the script only in the path specified.

The resolver also keeps track of all files that have been imported and will skip over files whose contents have already been compiled (in order to prevent recursion).