hakorune/docs/guides/language-guide.md

Nyash Language Guide

Start here to learn Nyash language basics and find deeper references.

• Syntax Cheat Sheet: quick-reference/syntax-cheatsheet.md
• Full Language Reference (2025): reference/language/LANGUAGE_REFERENCE_2025.md
• Phase 12.7 Grammar (match / ternary / sugar):
  • Overview: development/roadmap/phases/phase-12.7/grammar-specs/README.md
  • Tokens & Grammar: development/roadmap/phases/phase-12.7/ancp-specs/ANCP-Token-Specification-v1.md
• Sugar transformations (?., ??, |> ...): tools/nyfmt/NYFMT_POC_ROADMAP.md

Common Constructs

• Ternary operator: cond ? then : else (Phase 12.7); lowered to If-expression
• Match expression (pattern matching): match value { pat => expr, _, ... }
• Null-coalesce: x ?? y → match x { null => y, _ => x }
• Safe access: a?.b → match a { null => null, _ => a.b }

Minimal Examples

• Ternary

  static box Main {
    main(args) {
      local a = 3
      local b = 5
      // Nested ternary is supported
      local v = (a < b) ? ((b < 0) ? 40 : 50) : 60
      return v
    }
  }
  

• Match as expression block (last expression is the value)

  static box Main {
    main(args) {
      local d = "1"
      // Each arm can be a block; the last expression becomes the value
      local dv = match d {
        "0" => { print("found zero") 0 }
        "1" => { print("found one") 1 }
        _ => { print("other") 0 }
      }
      return dv
    }
  }
  

must_use Notes

• Match arms are expressions. When using a block arm { ... }, the last expression is the resulting value; statements without a final expression yield no usable value.
• Ternary is an expression; ensure both branches are type-compatible at MIR level (e.g., both yield integer or both yield string handle in current phase).

When you need the implementation details

• Tokenizer: src/tokenizer.rs
• Parser: src/parser/expressions.rs, src/parser/statements.rs
• Lowering to MIR: src/mir/builder/** Statement Separation (Semicolons)
• Newline separates statements by default; semicolons are optional.
• Use semicolons only when placing multiple statements on one line.
• Minimal ASI rules: newline does not end a statement when the line ends with an operator/dot/comma, or while inside grouping.