Idris2/CHANGELOG.md
Edwin Brady d5b5af91d1 Implement %macro flag
A %macro must always be fully applied. Whenever the elaborator
encounters a %macro application (except in a function LHS) it evaluates
the application and sends the result to %runElab. So:

%macro
foo : args -> Elab TT
...
def = foo a b c

is equivalent to

foo : args -> Elab TT
...
def = %runElab foo a b c
2020-06-01 17:55:54 +01:00

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Changes since Idris 2 v0.2.0
----------------------------
Language changes:
* `Bits8`, `Bits16`, `Bits32` and `Bits64` primitive types added, with:
+ `Num`, `Eq`, `Ord` and `Show` implementations.
+ Casts from `Integer`, for literals
+ Casts to `Int` (except `Bits64` which might not fit), `Integer` and `String`
+ Passed to C FFI as `unsigned`
+ Primitives added in `Data.Buffer`
* Elaborator reflection and quoting terms
+ Requires extension `%language ElabReflection`
+ API defined in `Language.Reflection`, including functions for getting types
of global names, constructors of data types, and adding new top level
declarations
+ Implemented `%macro` function flag, to remove the syntactic noise of
invoking elaborator scripts. This means the function must always
be fully applied, and is run under `%runElab`
Changes since Idris 2 v0.1.0
----------------------------
The implementation is now self-hosted. To initialise the build, either use
the [bootstrapping version of Idris2](https://github.com/edwinb/Idris2-boot)
or build from the generated Scheme, using `make bootstrap`.
Language changes:
* `total`, `covering` and `partial` flags on functions now have an effect.
* `%default <totality status>` has been implemented. By default, functions must
be at least `covering`
+ That is, `%default covering` is the default status.
* Fields of records can be accessed (and updated) using the dot syntax,
such as `r.field1.field2` or `record { field1.field2 = 42 }`.
For details, see https://idris2.readthedocs.io/en/latest/reference/records.html
* New function flag `%tcinline` which means that the function should be
inlined for the purposes of totality checking (but otherwise not inlined).
This can be used as a hint for totality checking, to make the checker look
inside functions that it otherwise might not.
* %transform directive, for declaring transformation rules on runtime
expressions. Transformation rules are automatically added for top level
implementations of interfaces.
* A %spec flag on functions which allows arguments to be marked for partial
evaluation, following the rules from "Scrapping Your Inefficient Engine"
(ICFP 2010, Brady & Hammond)
* To improve error messages, one can use `with NS.name <term>`
or `with [NS.name1, NS.name2, ...] <term>` to disable disambiguation
for the given names in `<term>`. Example: `with MyNS.(>>=) do ...`.
Library additions:
* Additional file management operations in `base`
* New module in `base` for time (`System.Clock`)
* New modules in `contrib` for JSON (`Language.JSON.*`); random numbers
(`System.Random`)
Compiler updates:
* Data types with a single constructor, with a single unerased arguments,
are translated to just that argument, to save repeated packing and unpacking.
(c.f. `newtype` in Haskell)
+ A data type can opt out of this behaviour by specifying `noNewtype` in its
options list. `noNewtype` allows code generators to apply special handling
to the generated constructor/deconstructor, for a newtype-like data type,
that would otherwise be optimised away.
* 0-multiplicity constructor arguments are now properly erased, not just
given a placeholder null value.
Other improvements:
* Various performance improvements in the typechecker:
+ Noting which metavariables are blocking unification constraints, so that
they only get retried if those metavariables make progress.
+ Evaluating `fromInteger` at compile time.
* Extend Idris2's literate mode to support reading Markdown and OrgMode files.
For more details see: https://idris2.readthedocs.io/en/latest/reference/literate.html
Changes since Idris 1
---------------------
Everything :). For full details, see:
https://idris2.readthedocs.io/en/latest/updates/updates.html