zeta 0.1.3

# Zeta Grammar

#### Version 0.0.1



## Contents


- [Todo](#todo)
- [Grammar Notation](#grammar-notation)
- [Definitions](#definitions)
  + [Lexical](#lexical)
  + [Primary](#primary)
  + [Intermediate](#intermediate)
  + [Type Expression](#type-expression)
  + [Expression](#expression)
  + [Pattern](#pattern)
  + [Statement](#statement)


## Todo


+ Generics
  > e.g. `fn:<T: type, Y: T> gen_func (x: T) -> T { x + Y }`
+ `extern` label for functions and variables
  > Escape name mangling system for C FFI
+ Metaprogramming syntax 
  > e.g. `meta for`, `emit`, `quotes`?, `meta` variables?
+ Macros? 
  > Something like a `meta` function with `meta` variables as parameters?
+ CTFE syntax 
  > e.g. `#some_func(constants)`
+ Annotation syntax
  > e.g. `#[inline]`, `#[packed]`


## Grammar Notation


* `(element_a element_b etc)`
  > Grouping `element_a` and `element_b` and `etc`

* `element_a | element_b | etc`
  > One of `element_a` or `element_b` or `etc`

* `element+`
  > One or more repetitions of `element`

* `element*`
  > Zero or more repetitions of `element`

* `element~`
  > Zero or one of `element`

* `element{n,N}`
  > Repetitions of `element` between `n` and `N` times

* `'a'...'z'`
  > Any character between and including `a` and `z`

  > (`between` in terms of [numerical representation](http://www.asciitable.com/), e.g. `a` is `97` and `z` is `122`)


## Definitions


### Lexical


```ebnf
LETTER = 'a'...'z' | 'A'...'Z' ;
DIGIT = '0'...'9' ;
HEX_DIGIT = 'a'...'f' | 'A'...'F' | DIGIT ;
BIN_DIGIT = '0' | '1' ;
UNICODE = '\u{0}'...'\u{10FFFF}' ;

SIMPLE_ESCAPE = '\\' ('\\' | "'" | '"' | 'r' | 'n' | 't' | '0') ;
ASCII_ESCAPE = "\\a" '{' HEX_DIGIT{1,2} '}' ;
UNICODE_ESCAPE = "\\u" '{' HEX_DIGIT{1,6} '}' ;
CHAR_ESCAPE = SIMPLE_ESCAPE | ASCII_ESCAPE | UNICODE_ESCAPE ;
```


### Primary


```ebnf
ignore = '_' ;

identifier = ((LETTER | ignore) (LETTER | DIGIT)+) | (LETTER (LETTER | DIGIT)*) ;

nil = "nil" ;

bool = "true" | "false";

decimal = (DIGIT (DIGIT | ignore)* '.')~  DIGIT (DIGIT | ignore)* ('e' ('+' | '-')~ DIGIT (DIGIT | ignore)*)~ ;
hexadecimal = "0x" (HEX_DIGIT | ignore)+ ;
binary = "0b" (BIN_DIGIT | ignore)+ ;
char = "'" (UNICODE | CHAR_ESCAPE) "'" ;
constant = "nan" | "inf" ;

number = decimal | hexadecimal | binary | char | constant ;

string = '"' (UNICODE | CHAR_ESCAPE)* '"' ;

literal = nil | bool | number | string ;

primary = identifier | literal ;
```


### Intermediate


```ebnf
struct_field = identifier ':' type_expression ;
enum_field = identifer ('=' expression)~ ;
sum_tuple_variant = '(' type_expression (, type_expression)* ')' ;
sum_struct_variant = '[' struct_field (, struct_field)* ']' ;
sum_field = identifier (sum_tuple_variant | sum_struct_variant)~ ;

ident_chain = identifier ('.' identifier)* ;

patt_tuple_field = (identifier '=' expression) | pattern ;
patt_struct_field = identifier ((('as' identifier)~ ('=' expression)~) | (':' pattern)) ;

overloadable_operator = '^' | '@' | "not" | '!' | '+' | '-'
                      | '+' | '-' | '*' | '/' | '%'
                      | "!=" | "==" | "<" | ">" | "<=" | ">="
                      | "and" | "or" | "xor"
                      | "&" | "|" | "~" | "lshift" | "rshift"
                      | ".." | "..."
                      | "->" | '.' | "[]"
                      | "as"
                      | "()"
                      | '='
                      ;

function_param = pattern ':' type_expression ;

match_branch = ((identifier '=' expression) | pattern) '=>' statement ;

label = ":<" identifier '>' ;
```


### Type Expression


```ebnf
texpr_name     = identifier ;
texpr_pointer  = '^' type_expression ;
texpr_array    = '[' expression ']' type_expression ;
texpr_tuple    = '(' (type_expression (',' type_expression)*)~ ')' ;
texpr_struct   = "struct" '[' (struct_field (',' struct_field)*)~ ']' ;
texpr_union    = "union" '[' (struct_field (',' struct_field)*)~ ']' ;
texpr_enum     = "enum" '[' (enum_field (',' enum_field)*)~ ']' ;
texpr_sum      = "sum" '[' (sum_field (',' sum_field)*)~ ']' ;
texpr_function = "fn" texpr_tuple ("->" type_expression)~ ;

type_expression = texpr_name
                | texpr_pointer
                | texpr_array
                | texpr_tuple
                | texpr_struct
                | texpr_union
                | texpr_enum
                | texpr_sum
                | texpr_function
                ;
```


### Expression


```ebnf
expr_primary   = primary ;
expr_sem_group = '(' expression ')' ;
expr_unary     = ('^' | '@' | "not" | '!' | '+' | '-' | "sizeof" | "alignof" | "offsetof") expression ;
expr_binary    = expression ('+' | '-' | '*' | '/' | '%' | "!=" | "==" | "<" | ">" | "<=" | ">=" | "and" | "or" | "xor" | "&" | "|" | "~" | "lshift" | "rshift" | ".." | "..." | "else") expression ;
expr_call      = expression '(' (expression (',' expression)*)~ ')' ;
expr_member    = expression '.' identifier ;
expr_subscript = expression '[' expression ']' ;
expr_cast      = expression 'as' type_expression ;
expr_compound  = (':' type_expression ':')~ '[' (compound_field (',' compound_field)*)~ ']' ;
expr_block     = stmt_block | stmt_conditional | stmt_match ;

expression = expr_primary
           | expr_sem_group
           | expr_unary
           | expr_binary
           | expr_call
           | expr_member
           | expr_subscript
           | expr_cast
           | expr_compound
           | expr_block
           ;
```


### Pattern


```ebnf
patt_ignore = ignore ;
patt_name   = ident_chain ;
patt_expr   = '=' expression ;
patt_tuple  = '(' patt_tuple_field (',' '...')~ (',' patt_tuple_field)* ')' ;
patt_sum    = ident_chain patt_tuple ;
patt_struct = ident_chain '[' ('...' | (patt_struct_field (',' patt_struct_field)* (',' '...')~)) ']' ;
patt_else   = pattern else pattern ;
patt_enums  = ident_chain '{' expression '}' ;

pattern = patt_ignore
        | patt_name
        | patt_expr
        | patt_tuple
        | patt_sum
        | patt_struct
        | patt_else
        | patt_enums
        ;
```

### Statement


```ebnf
stmt_block        = '{' statement* expression~ '}' ;

stmt_mod          = "mod" identifier (stmt_block | ';') ;

stmt_import       = "import" string ('as' identifier)~ ';' ;
stmt_export       = "export" statement ;

stmt_use          = "use" ident_chain ('as' identifier)~ ';' ;
stmt_type_alias   = "type" identifier ':' type_expression ';' ;

stmt_struct       = "struct" identifier '[' (struct_field (',' struct_field)*)~ ']' ;
stmt_union        = "union" identifier '[' (struct_field (',' struct_field)*)~ ']' ;
stmt_enum         = "enum" identifier '[' (enum_field (',' enum_field)*)~ ']' ;
stmt_sum          = "sum" identifier '[' (sum_field (',' sum_field)*)~ ']' ;

stmt_impl         = "impl" type_expression stmt_block ;

stmt_function     = "fn" (overloadable_operator | identifier) '(' (function_param (',' function_param)*)~ ')' ("->" type_expression)~ (stmt_block | ';') ;
stmt_declaration  = "let" pattern (':' type_expression)~ ('=' expression)~ ';' ;

stmt_assign       = expression '=' expression ';' ;
stmt_mod_assign   = expression ("+=" | "-=" | "*=" | "/=" | "%=") expression ';' ;

stmt_loop_control = ("break" | "continue") identifier ';' ;
stmt_return       = "return" expression ';' ;

stmt_conditional  = "if" expression stmt_block ("else" "if" expression stmt_block)* ("else" stmt_block)~ ;
stmt_match        = "match" expression '{' (match_branch (',' match_branch)*)~ '}' ;

stmt_for          = "for" label~ pattern "in" expression stmt_block ;
stmt_while        = "while" label~ expression stmt_block ;
stmt_loop         = "loop" label~ stmt_block ("until" expression ';') ;

stmt_expression   = expression ';' ;

statement = stmt_block
          | stmt_mod
          | stmt_import
          | stmt_export
          | stmt_use
          | stmt_type_alias
          | stmt_struct
          | stmt_union
          | stmt_enum
          | stmt_sum
          | stmt_impl
          | stmt_function
          | stmt_declaration
          | stmt_assign
          | stmt_mod_assign
          | stmt_loop_control
          | stmt_return
          | stmt_conditional
          | stmt_match
          | stmt_for
          | stmt_while
          | stmt_loop
          | stmt_expression
          ;
```


[^](#zeta-grammar)