1 # This is a living document - delete things when done. Avoid discussion.
3 ## Needs implementations
5 ### Current version (Cataract Creek)
7 - allow global names to be used before they are declared. Assume global
8 if undeclared, and complain in final analysis.
9 If used in 'use' and 'case', then make it a label
10 - avoid definition loops in global constants
11 - allow type names to be used before declared. Need to re-evaluate all
12 type sizes after parse. avoid loops
13 - resolve the HACK of allowing assign from struct when name starts space.
14 - '?' prefix operator returns Boolean, index operator for strings. Can be used to
15 test for end-of-string
16 - ?? infix operator return LHS if '?' on it would succeed, else RHS
17 - reference to struct or intrinsic (@foo), with @new, @free, @nil and ? to test
18 - add [] as size-of-array
19 - replace [foo::] declaration of array with [] - fix all main() calls
21 ### Next Version (Govetts Creek)
22 - int nat cyc {i,n,c}{8,16,32,64} - maybe not cyc - it needs size.
23 - ops: # & | ~ &~ - no shift: use (N * #shift) or (N / #shift)
25 - make '.' modifier interpolate a deref if needed
26 - enum, with multi-valued names. enum foo { yes, no, many(10) }
27 bar:foo=.yes; if bar == .no... if ?bar.many: print bar.many, "items"
28 Maybe .true and .false for Boolean
29 - change use/case labels in ".name" which creates a local enum if no
31 - set, with bool or int members. set foo { pinned, memalloc, priority(4) }
32 bar:foo = .memalloc | .priority(2). if bar.pinned: bar.priority += 1
33 . array slices - references to arrays
34 - array access to read bytes from strings. How to get length? "?string[4]" ??
37 ### Subsequent version
38 - 'return' statement similar to 'use', but only valid a function context
39 - 'return' can take no value when function has inline/transparent return value
40 - simple methods. Define "func type.name...." and the name will only be visible
41 within namespace for type.
42 - optional args for functions - if value given
43 - named args? Needs to look like manifest structs
44 - array args - last parameter can collect all remaining as array if attribute 'open'
45 do I need attribute? Can anything be type compatible with both X and []X ??
46 - initial values for return parameters
47 - convert between string and array-of-cyc8
49 - transparent fields, parameters which are structs or pointers
50 - transparent fields which are arrays
51 - transparent results from functions to have same effect as inline-results
52 - manifest values for records: [.foo = a, .bar = b]
53 - manifest values for arrays: [expr = expr, ...]
54 - constant structure definitions
55 - const structures can inherit from another, and update select fields.
56 - 'use' labels *must* appear in case statements.
57 - 'then' can extend a case section into some other.
60 - const arrays that are initialized incrementally throughout the code,
61 and post-processed at compile-time, e.g. to sort or derive LR tables.
62 Maybe even across modules.
64 - union types - how do I want to support these? inheritance with variance?
66 - 'error' value for various types. NIL for pointer NaN for float, extra flag bit
67 for integers. -MAX_INT ??
68 - enum as array index. foo:[:enum]int. foo[.baz] = 23
70 - const fields in structs: like const, but in 'type' namespace, not 'module'
71 - 'borrowed' and 'owned' attributes for pointers. .free method
72 - interfaces - list of methods that must be defined
73 - standard interfaces to access operations: group, field, binary, logical
74 - modules - exported names in versions, and import lists
75 on types, fields, constants, etc
76 - foreach variable-list := make_generator() do
77 A generator has 'first', 'next' and 'finally' methods
78 'first' and 'next' return the same type which is conditional ('?' works)
79 'finally' returns some other type - possibly Tnone - which goes to
80 a set of case at end of loop
82 - attributes for fields and local variables
83 transparent - names inside can be accessed directly
85 handled - accesses convert to function calls??
86 constant - compile time constant - not stored
88 add-only - ?? like append-only.
89 read-only - set early never changed?
91 owned - Can be borrowed and freed
92 borrowed - There is somewhere this is borrowed from
94 pure - definitely not an error
96 attributes for whole struct
97 unsorted - fields appear as written
98 packed - like unsorted, but no gaps permitted.
100 - lambda functions for passing as arg to function.
101 Are these always there to provide an interface for a value?
102 Do I want a syntax for functions that just provides a value
103 func (a:number; b:string):number = a+b[]
106 - iso suffixes for number?
107 - static variables. Easy to implement, but need a syntax. Something
111 reference attributes for locks and refcounts etc
113 - do/go/run/fork/async complex statement
114 All local variables accessed in the body are read-only
115 and copied to a new frame, and code is run in a new thread.
116 Thread is mostly invisible. It interacts through shared objects,
117 particularly the caller might create a channel and the thread
118 might send messages on it. Any interesting handshakes
119 are mediated by appropriate data structures.
121 - arbitrary value asserts tied to variable attributes.
122 e.g. ranges for value and relationships between fields
123 These are tested by compiler at any changed. Somehow.
125 - expose parse info for editing by code run at compile time.
126 This allows new attributes to be implemented in app code.
127 E.g. handling bigendian fields by adding conversion functions.
129 - Finalize what a "main" program looks like.
130 should argv come from a library (sys.argv), or should environ go to main?
133 - constructors and destructors - or "after" ??
134 destructors, which can be declared inline
135 - vtables, fat pointers, list of approaches
136 - interfaces, inheritance
137 - closures, threads, co-routines, generators lamdas
138 - generics/templates. These should be just a compile-time
139 decision. Same code can be called with suitable methods passed, or
140 recompiled in the new context and then optimised.
141 - introspection / reflection ?
142 e.g. support serialization
143 find function given a string holding the name
144 measure coverage, adjust based on performance metrics
145 auto-create mock objects
146 Is this just parsing the details in the obj file?
148 - parameterised types, and dependant types
149 - message passing primitives
150 - overloading for numbers
152 - ensure list_head type concept can work
154 NO - pattern matching for destructuring??
155 - casts to and from "binary".
157 - ??? algebraic types
160 - augmented and overloaded pointers
161 An augmented pointer can also store a flag- for a bitlock etc
162 An overloaded pointer can alternately store an int - e.g. error code
163 - garbage collection?
164 - UTF8 string disection
166 - cvt() interface an format() function
167 - parsing: rexep? LALR? sscan?
169 - auto-growing buffer including strings