enso/docs/syntax
Kaz Wesley 33904912ee
Move annotations into fields of Function and ConstructorDefinition (#11374)
Move annotations into fields of Function and ConstructorDefinition.

# Important Notes
New syntax: Constructor argument-definition lines
- Each argument in a type-constructor definition may be specified on its own (indented) line.

Relaxed syntax: Unparenthesized arguments to annotations
- A generic annotation now uses the rest of the line as its argument expression; the expression no longer needs to be parenthesized.
2024-10-23 20:35:06 +00:00
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assignment.md Add a markdown style guide (#1022) 2020-07-21 13:59:40 +01:00
comments.md Make Random.Seed private. Remove unused TEXT_ONLY (#8783) 2024-01-17 17:15:51 +00:00
encoding.md Add a markdown style guide (#1022) 2020-07-21 13:59:40 +01:00
function-arguments.md Add a markdown style guide (#1022) 2020-07-21 13:59:40 +01:00
functions.md Implement full new-lambda syntax (#10756) 2024-08-06 17:02:32 +00:00
imports.md Replace all from ... export all with explicit exports (#10369) 2024-07-11 19:34:25 +02:00
layout.md Add a markdown style guide (#1022) 2020-07-21 13:59:40 +01:00
literals.md Vue dependency update, better selection performance, visible quotes in text inputs (#9204) 2024-03-06 15:34:07 +00:00
macros.md Complete the implementation of the Enso lexer (#1177) 2020-10-30 14:06:24 +00:00
naming.md Update 'naming' docs (#3858) 2022-11-24 12:55:42 +00:00
projections.md Add a markdown style guide (#1022) 2020-07-21 13:59:40 +01:00
README.md Add a markdown style guide (#1022) 2020-07-21 13:59:40 +01:00
top-level.md Add a markdown style guide (#1022) 2020-07-21 13:59:40 +01:00
types.md Move annotations into fields of Function and ConstructorDefinition (#11374) 2024-10-23 20:35:06 +00:00

layout title category tags order
section-summary Enso's Syntax syntax
syntax
readme
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Enso's Syntax

When working with a programming language, the syntax is the first thing that a user encounters. This makes it utterly integral to how users experience the language, and, in the case of Enso, the tool as a whole.

Enso is a truly novel programming language in that it doesn't have one syntax, but instead has two. These syntaxes are dual: visual and textual. Both are first-class, and are truly equivalent ways to represent and manipulate the program. To that end, the design of the language's syntax requires careful consideration, and this document attempts to explain both the what, of Enso's syntax, but also the why.

Furthermore, Enso is novel in the fact that it does not enforce any artificial restriction between the syntaxes of its type and value levels: they are one and the same. This enables a staggering level of uniformity when programming in the language, allowing arbitrary computations on types, because in a dependently-typed world, they are just values.

The various components of Enso's syntax are described below: