Blip Programming Language

Overview

Blip is a simple, interpreted programming language designed for ease of use and flexibility. It supports variables, functions, loops, conditionals, lists, dictionaries, and built-in functions for mathematical, list, file, JSON, and HTTP operations. Blip is ideal for quick scripting tasks, API interactions, and learning programming concepts.

Syntax

Blip uses a straightforward syntax with Python-like semantics. Below are the key elements:

• Variables: Assign values using =. No type declarations needed.
• Functions: Defined with func keyword, followed by parameters and a body enclosed in end;.
• Loops: Supports for and while loops, with break and continue for control flow.
• Conditionals: Uses if, else, and end; for control flow.
• Lists: Created with [...], supports indexing (e.g., list[0]) and operations like append and pop.
• Dictionaries: Created with {"key": value}, supports key access (e.g., dict["key"]) or dot notation for identifiers (e.g., dict.key).
• File Operations: Functions for reading, writing, appending, and deleting files.
• JSON Operations: Functions for parsing and stringifying JSON, as well as reading and writing JSON files.
• Comments: Lines starting with # are ignored.
• Statements: Must end with a semicolon (;).
• Debug Mode: Enable with {debug} at the start of a script to show execution time.

Example syntax:

{debug}
x = 10;

func add(a, b)
    return a + b;
end;

for i in range(1, 5)
    print(i);
end;

if x > 5
    print("x is greater than 5");
else
    print("x is 5 or less");
end;

data = {"key": "value"};
print(data.key);

write_file("test.txt", "Hello, Blip!");
            

Built-in Functions

Blip provides a rich set of built-in functions for various tasks:

• print(arg, ...): Prints arguments to the console, space-separated.
• input(prompt=""): Reads user input with an optional prompt.
• int(x), float(x), str(x): Type conversions.
• abs(x), sqrt(x), sin(x), cos(x), tan(x), asin(x), acos(x), atan(x), atan2(y, x), sinh(x), cosh(x), tanh(x): Mathematical functions.
• log(x), log10(x), log2(x), exp(x): Logarithmic and exponential functions.
• floor(x), ceil(x), round(x): Rounding functions.
• max(arg, ...), min(arg, ...): Maximum and minimum values.
• pow(x, y): Power function (x raised to y).
• len(x), size(x): Returns length of lists or strings.
• type(x): Returns the type name of x.
• range(start, end, step): Generates a list of numbers.
• append(lst, item), pop(lst, index=-1): List operations to add or remove elements.
• sort(lst), reverse(lst): Sort or reverse a list.
• sum(lst), avg(lst): Sum or average of list elements.
• random(), randint(a, b): Random number generation.
• factorial(n), gcd(a, b), lcm(a, b), mod(x, y), div(x, y): Number theory functions.
• is_prime(n), fib(n): Prime check and Fibonacci number.
• pi(), e(), deg(x), rad(x): Mathematical constants and conversions.
• get(url, headers=None): Sends HTTP GET request, returns dictionary with status, content, json, and error keys.
• post(url, data=None, headers=None): Sends HTTP POST request with JSON data, returns dictionary with status, content, json, and error keys.
• read_file(file), write_file(file, data), append_file(file, data): File read, write, and append operations.
• file_exists(file), list_dir(dir="."), delete_file(file), file_size(file): File system operations.
• json_parse(string), json_stringify(data), read_json(file), write_json(file, data): JSON parsing and file operations.

For a full list, refer to the interpreter's b dictionary in the source code.

Examples

func fib(n)
    if n <= 0
        return 0;
    end;
    if n == 1
        return 1;
    end;
    a = 0;
    b = 1;
    for i in range(2, n + 1)
        temp = a + b;
        a = b;
        b = temp;
    end;
    return b;
end;

print(fib(10));
                

func factorial(n)
    if n <= 1
        return 1;
    end;
    return n * factorial(n - 1);
end;

print(factorial(5));
                

numbers = [1, 2, 3];
append(numbers, 4);
print(numbers);
print(numbers[2]);
print(numbers.length);
                

response = get("https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/todos/1");
print(response.status);
print(response.json);
data = {"title": "foo", "body": "bar", "userId": 1};
response = post("https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/posts", data);
print(response.status);
print(response.json);
                

write_file("test.txt", "Hello, Blip!");
content = read_file("test.txt");
print(content);
append_file("test.txt", "\nMore text.");
print(file_exists("test.txt"));
print(file_size("test.txt"));
                

data = {"name": "Blip", "version": 1.0};
write_json("config.json", data);
parsed = read_json("config.json");
print(parsed.name);
json_str = json_stringify(data);
print(json_str);
                

Known Errors

Below are common errors you may encounter when using Blip:

• SyntaxError: Missing ; All statements must end with a semicolon.
• SyntaxError: Expected ) Mismatched parentheses in function calls or expressions.
• SyntaxError: Expected ] Mismatched brackets in list indexing or creation.
• SyntaxError: Expected } Mismatched braces in dictionary creation.
• SyntaxError: Missing end Control structures (if, for, while, func) must end with end;.
• NameError: Variable 'name' not defined Referencing an undefined variable.
• NameError: Function 'name' not defined Calling an undefined function.
• TypeError: 'name' not indexable Attempting to index a non-list or non-string variable.
• TypeError: append() requires list Using append on a non-list variable.
• IndexError: Index out of range Accessing a list or string with an invalid index.
• KeyError: Key 'name' not found Accessing a non-existent dictionary key.
• ZeroDivisionError: Division by zero Dividing or taking modulo by zero.
• FileNotFoundError Attempting to read or write a non-existent file.
• JSON Error Invalid JSON string in json_parse or file in read_json.
• KeyboardInterrupt Program interrupted by Ctrl+C, handled gracefully with a message.