enso/docs/syntax
Kaz Wesley e47bdd3e17
Implement full new-lambda syntax (#10756)
Implement full `ArgumentDefinition` syntax for new-lambda arguments, e.g `\a=1 (b:Integer = 23)-> a + b`; add backend support for new lambdas.

Emit an error when any syntactic operator is used outside of its associated syntax (fixes #10473).

Phase out complex arguments for old-lambdas: It is now a syntax error to specify default arguments for an old-lambda. This capability had no usage in real code; affected tests have been updated to test new lambdas. For now, old lambdas can continue to be used with simple arguments; if default arguments are desired, a new-style lambda can be used.
2024-08-06 17:02:32 +00:00
..
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 Use .. to identify autoscoped constructors (#9285) 2024-03-06 10:28:15 +01:00

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: