WalkLang

Getting started | Learn | Documentation | Contributing

This repository contains the WalkLang compiler, language specification, examples, tests, documentation, generated reference docs, and release tooling.

WalkLang compiles .walk source through generated C into native executables:

.walk source -> Go compiler -> generated C -> native executable

A small WalkLang program looks like this:

func: add(a, b)
    return: + a b

out: add(2, 3)

Why WalkLang?

• Predictability: indentation-based syntax, explicit module boundaries, and a stable v1 language contract keep programs easy to read and reason about.
• Native output: WalkLang emits understandable C, then uses the system C compiler to build native executables.
• Tooling: project mode, tests, formatting, diagnostics, package workflows, editor support, API docs generation, and release scripts are part of the repo.

Version Map

WalkLang currently has three version layers:

• Stable language contract: v1.9, defined by docs/SPEC.md, docs/COMPATIBILITY.md, and the v1 compatibility tests.
• Current compiler/tooling/docs release: v5.7.0, focused on draft recoverable stdin and parse helpers while keeping v1.9 stable.
• Experimental implemented language surface: v2 through v2.2 features such as structs, methods, and simple generic functions are implemented, but are not part of the stable v1 compatibility promise.

What Works Today

• .walk files compile through generated C into native executables.
• Stable v1.9 syntax, diagnostics, modules, tests, and standard-library helpers are documented and compatibility-tested.
• Draft do:, io, parse, and process helpers are implemented for current compiler experiments, but they are not part of the stable v1.9 contract.
• walk run, direct walk file.walk, walk build, walk check, walk test, walk fmt, walk clean, walk package, walk docs, walk debug-map, walk lsp, walk repl, and walk version are implemented.
• Project mode supports walk init, walk.toml, source/test layout, builds, checks, tests, formatting, and cleanup.
• Static docs and generated API reference output are repo-owned and deployed through GitHub Pages; live custom-domain HTTPS readiness is tracked in STATUS.md.

Quick Start

Read the install guide, then run a .walk file directly:

scripts/install-local.sh v5-local
walk run playground/route_ranker.walk
walk playground/route_ranker.walk

Then build a small project:

walk init hello
cd hello
walk check
walk build
./build/hello
walk test

Installing From Source

If you want to install from this repository, see INSTALL.md.

Getting Help

Start with the docs index at docs/README.md. The public docs site is built from docs/ and public/ in this repository and configured for walklang.wlkrlabs.com/docs. Until public community channels exist, use this repository's issue tracker for bugs and design questions.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

For a project overview and implementation direction, see ARCHITECTURE.md, ROADMAP.md, and STATUS.md.

License

WalkLang source code is distributed under the terms of the Apache License 2.0.

See LICENSE for details.

Trademark

The WalkLang name, logo, and brand identity are protected project marks owned by Shane Walker / WLKRLABS.

If you want to use the WalkLang name, logo, or brand identity, read TRADEMARKS.md.