Tiny v0.2.8 - Implicit Null Initialization and LSP Overhaul

This release adds implicit null initialization for variables and fields, restricts imports to exported symbols only, and rewrites the LSP's symbol analysis to use AST-based indexing instead of regex scanning.

Language Changes

• Implicit Null Initialization: Variables and fields can now be declared without an initializer. let x; is equivalent to let x = null;. Class fields follow the same rule, except const fields which still require an explicit initializer.
• Function Stub Declarations: Functions can now have their bodies omitted with a semicolon, allowing forward-declaration style stubs.
• Multiple Defer Statements: The restriction on a single defer per function scope has been removed. Multiple defer statements are now allowed.
• Enum Match Safety: Pattern matching on enums now validates that the value is an object before inspecting enum tags, preventing incorrect matches on non-object values.

Compiler Changes

• Semantic Error Pre-check: The compiler now runs semantic analysis before bytecode generation. Errors such as undefined variables and type mismatches are caught and reported upfront instead of silently producing broken bytecode.
• Target Normalization from Config: The pack and dist commands now read the target field from tiny.json and normalize it correctly. Previously, the config target was sometimes ignored when a CLI target was not provided.

LSP Changes

• AST-Based Symbol Indexing: The language server now builds its symbol index directly from the parsed AST when available, replacing the previous regex-based line scanning. This improves accuracy for nested classes, enums, interfaces, namespaces, and destructured variables.
• Private Import Filtering: Symbols not exported from imported files are now hidden from completions, hover, signature help, and document symbols. This prevents internal implementation details from leaking into the editor.
• Type Reference Tracking: Symbols now carry structured TypeRef information instead of plain strings, improving type display in inlay hints and completion items. Class, interface, and enum prefixes are stripped from inlay hint labels.
• Return Type Inference: Function return types are now inferred from the function body when not explicitly annotated, using analysis of all return statements.
• Enum Member Positions: Enum member symbols now track their actual line and column positions from the source text rather than defaulting to the enum declaration line.
• Union Type Callback Resolution: Callback parameter type resolution now correctly handles union types, extracting function signatures from individual union members.

Standard Library Stubs

• All standard library stubs have been updated to remove empty function bodies {} from declarations. Method signatures now end at the return type, matching the new parser support for stub declarations.
• HTTP server route handlers now specify their callback parameter types (e.g., function(RequestObject) instead of plain function).

Error Formatting

• Compiler and runtime errors are now colorized. File paths, line numbers, column numbers, error kinds, and stack traces are each styled with distinct colors for easier readability.
• Stack trace frames show function names in a distinct color with file and line information highlighted.

Installation and Downloads

To install Tiny, download the compiler binary for your specific operating system:

• Windows: Download tiny_windows_amd64.exe
• Linux: Download tiny_linux_amd64 for amd64 or tiny_linux_arm64 for arm64
• macOS (Apple Silicon): Download tiny_darwin_arm64

Note: The tiny_runtime_* assets listed in the releases page are managed automatically by the compiler during the pack and dist commands. You do not need to download them manually.