A Function-oriented Dialect of JavaScript

I wanted a better syntax for JavaScript, but alternatives like coffee-script are basically separate languages. That's not what I wanted, so I made Papuascript. Papuascript retains all the basic elements of JavaScript, with a few differences intended to help keep track of side effects, and generally make function-oriented programming a little easier.

Papuascript takes many syntactic ideas from Haskell.

Features

• Line-for-line translation to JavaScript, for easy debugging.
• Two-way translatable - every JavaScript program has a Papuascript translation.
• No new reserved words (per above)
• Greatly reduces the need for punctuation without introducing ambiguity.
• Very concise function definition.
• Significant whitespace, with simple rules.
• The := operator is used for assigning values to variables defined in an outer scope, helping you keep track of side effects.
• Assignments have no return value. This is not a bug, it's a feature. Seriously.
• Nested functions can be made more readable using <-. This allows you to make code written in continuation-passing style look more like standard imperative code. This is similar to the "do" syntax in Haskell.
• TODO: Allow significant whitespace to be suspended, a la Haskell's {} syntax

Some translations

JavaScript	Papuascript
var a = 5	a = 5
a = 5	a := 5 (only for variables in outer scope)
foo(bar, spam)	foo bar spam
foo()	same
var foo = bar	foo = bar
a === b	a == b
a == b	no equivalent
a = b = c	a = c, b = c
while (row = getRow()) {	while row = getRow(); row
a ? b : c	?? a : b : c
void 0	undefined
a[2]	a.2 or a[2]
// comment	same
/* comment */	same (but can be nested)
var x, y	same - use to set scope w/o assigning a value

Javascript:

var add = function(x, y) {
   return x + y;
};

Papuascript:

add = \x y -> x + y

Javascript:

for (var i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
   blah(i);
}

Papuascript:

for i = 0; i < 5; i++
   blah i

Syntactic sugars

See doc/SyntacticSugar.md

TODO: explain syntax

Whitespace

An indented block begins with a line that is more indented than the line above it; the indented block ends with (but does not include) the first line less indented than the block.

if x
    y = x     // begin indented block A
    if x > z
        foo   // indented block B

    z = y.bar // end indented block A

spam()

The line above an indented block is the parent line. The indented block is interpreted as either a continuation of the parent line or as a proper block belonging to the parent line, according to the following rules:

• An indented block is a block if: a. Its parent line ends in -> b. Its parent line begins with a block-forming keyword. These keywords are: - if - else - for - while - do - switch - case - default - try - catch - finally
• Otherwise, the block is a continuation of the parent line.

while foo == bar
    // this is a block
    doStuff()
    doOtherStuff()
    bar = newBar()

dinner = corned
    beef +
    cabbage  // this is a single statement

Function calls

f a b c becomes f(a,b,c) in Javascript. To call a function with no arguments, use f().

Precedence

Function calls have higher precedence then operators.

Papuascript	JavaScript
a b c + foo bar * spam	a(b, c) + foo(bar) * spam
a b (foo + bar) c	a(b, foo + bar, c)

Space-dot

A dot . preceded immediately by a space has lower left-precedence than a function call. Thus, foo bar .spam eggs is equivalent to (foo bar).spam eggs. This is to allow for method-chaining without parentheses.

Assignments are not expressions

Papuascript attempts to separate statements used for their side-effects from statements that return a value. Assignments have effects, so x = y does not return a value in Papuascript. Something like a = b = c will generate a syntax error. The same is true for other assignment operators, such as +=, ++, and :=. Likewise, for, while, export, and import have no return value.

if, switch, and try are expressions

These constructs do return a value. In each case, the value returned will be the value of the last statement executed.

The following will assign the value 1 to the variable x:

counter = 3
x =
    if counter < 0
        -1
    else if counter > 0
        1
    else
        0

Function literals

\x -> x * x becomes function(x) { return x * x; } in JavaScript.

Return values

The return value of a function is the value of the last statement evaluated in it. If that statement is one that returns no value, such as an assignment, a for-loop, or a while-loop, it returns undefined.

Variable scope and :=

a = 4 assigns 4 to a local variable a. It is equivalent to the JavaScript var a = 4. To alter the value of a variable from an outer scope, you must use b := 4. Note that function arguments and this refer to variables outside the current scope.

The CPS arrow

In JavaScript, there are often times when a function literal is passed as the last argument to another function. This is especially common when attaching an event listener, or any time one is using a function that employs continuation-passing style. To make this easier, and to assist the coder who wants to employ a more function-oriented approach, Papuascript takes a cue from Haskell. The following two pieces of code are equivalent:

updateOnClick = \domElement ->
    domElement.addEventListener 'click' \e ->
        if checkEventIsOK e
            domElement.update()

updateOnClick theBigButton

is equivalent to

updateOnClick = \domElement ->
    e <- domElement.addEventListener 'click'
    if checkEventIsOK e
        domElement.update()

updateOnClick theBigButton

Note that the function body extends to the bottom of the block, so no statements can be put after the call to domElement.addEventListener. Thus, this syntax is mainly useful in cases where continuation passing is being used heavily.

The pound sign

# encloses the rest of the line in parentheses.

Switch cases

Cases do not fall through, so there is no need to use the break statement there. To associate multiple cases with a single block, separate them with commas: case 1, case 2