ROADMAP.md

Roadmap - Self-hosted compiler

• Check correct implementation of a trait.
• no_mangle attribute to avoid function mangling.
• Format command (rivet fmt .).
• Replace Python scripts with Rivet scripts.
• Explicit function/method overloading:

  func bool_to_string(b: bool) -> string { ... }
  func int_to_string(i: int32) -> string { ... }
  
  func to_string { bool_to_string, int_to_string }
  
  func main() {
      @assert(to_string(true) == "true");
      @assert(to_string(10) == "10");
  }

• Constant-folding: x := 2 * 2; => x := 4;.
• Optimize code, inline functions/methods annotated with inline, delete unused code, etc.
• (Atomic) Reference-Counting for traits, tagged enums, strings, dynamic arrays and structs.
• Better support for embedded structs.
• undefined for uninitialized variables: x: [5]uint8 := undefined;.
• Add @is_defined() builtin function.
• Generic support: Struct<T> { f: T; } => Struct:<T>(f: @default(T)).
• Lambdas + Closures: sum := |a: int32, b: int32| [my_inherited_var] a + b;.
• Anonymous structs: my_obj := struct(my_field: 1, other_field: true, pwd: "abc");.
• extern (C) import for C interop:

  extern (C) import {
      include <stdio.h>
      define MY_FLAG
      include "../header.h"
      if MY_FLAG_FROM_C {
          include_dir "../my_c_dir/"
      }
  }
  
  func xyz() { }

• Replace c/libc definitions by extern (C) import declarations.