A statement like:
for (i in 1..2)
When run in the REPL declares a local variable ("i"), but not inside
a function or method body. This hit a corner case in the compiler
where it didn't have the correct slot indexes set up.
That corner case is because sometimes when you compile a chunk, local
slot zero is pre-allocated -- either to refer to "this" or to hold the
closure for a function so that it doesn't get GCed while running. But
if you're compiling top-level code, that slot isn't allocated. But top
level code for the REPL *should* be, because that gets invoked like a
function.
To simplify things, *every* compiled chunk now pre-allocates slot zero.
That way, there are fewer cases to keep in mind.
Also fixed an issue where a GC during an import could collected the
imported module body's closure.
Fix #456.
Wren is a small, fast, class-based concurrent scripting language
Think Smalltalk in a Lua-sized package with a dash of Erlang and wrapped up in a familiar, modern syntax.
System.print("Hello, world!")
class Wren {
flyTo(city) {
System.print("Flying to %(city)")
}
}
var adjectives = Fiber.new {
["small", "clean", "fast"].each {|word| Fiber.yield(word) }
}
while (!adjectives.isDone) System.print(adjectives.call())
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Wren is small. The VM implementation is under 4,000 semicolons. You can skim the whole thing in an afternoon. It's small, but not dense. It is readable and lovingly-commented.
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Wren is fast. A fast single-pass compiler to tight bytecode, and a compact object representation help Wren compete with other dynamic languages.
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Wren is class-based. There are lots of scripting languages out there, but many have unusual or non-existent object models. Wren places classes front and center.
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Wren is concurrent. Lightweight fibers are core to the execution model and let you organize your program into an army of communicating coroutines.
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Wren is a scripting language. Wren is intended for embedding in applications. It has no dependencies, a small standard library, and an easy-to-use C API. It compiles cleanly as C99, C++98 or anything later.
If you like the sound of this, let's get started. You can even try it in your browser! Excited? Well, come on and get involved!