Oker Programming Language

Overview

Oker is a custom interpreted programming language designed with human-readable syntax and comprehensive language features.
The project consists of a C++ compiler/interpreter backend with a web-based frontend interface for interactive development and testing.

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System Architecture

Backend Architecture

• Language: C++17
• Build System: CMake
• Architecture: Traditional compiler pipeline with interpreter
• Components:
  Lexer → Parser → Semantic Analyzer → Code Generator → Virtual Machine

Frontend Architecture

• Technology: Vanilla JavaScript with HTML/CSS
• Server: Python HTTP server for API endpoints
• Interface: Single-page application with real-time compilation

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Core Language Features

• Natural language-like syntax (say, let, if, while, repeat)
• Object-oriented programming with classes
• Error handling with try/fail blocks
• File I/O operations
• Built-in functions and type system

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Key Components

Compiler Pipeline (C++)

• Lexer (src/lexer.cpp/.h): Tokenizes source code into language tokens
• Parser (src/parser.cpp/.h): Builds Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) from tokens
• Semantic Analyzer (src/semantic.cpp/.h): Type checking and semantic validation
• Code Generator (src/codegen.cpp/.h): Generates bytecode from AST
• Virtual Machine (src/vm.cpp/.h): Executes generated bytecode
• Built-ins (src/builtins.cpp/.h): Standard library functions

Web Interface (JavaScript/Python)

• Frontend (web/app.js): Interactive code editor with compilation features
• HTTP Server (web/server.py): REST API for compilation requests
• UI (web/index.html, web/style.css): Modern web interface with syntax highlighting

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Testing Infrastructure

• Unit tests for all compiler components
• Test files for lexer, parser, semantic analysis, and code generation
• CMake-integrated testing framework

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Data Flow

1. Source Code Input: User writes Oker code in web interface
2. Tokenization: Lexer breaks code into tokens
3. Parsing: Parser constructs AST from tokens
4. Semantic Analysis: Validates types and semantics
5. Code Generation: Produces bytecode instructions
6. Execution: Virtual machine interprets bytecode
7. Output: Results displayed in web interface

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Web API Flow

1. User submits code via web interface
2. JavaScript sends POST request to Python server
3. Python server invokes C++ compiler binary
4. Compilation results returned as JSON
5. Frontend displays output, tokens, AST, or bytecode

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External Dependencies

Build Dependencies

• CMake (3.16+)
• C++17 compatible compiler
• Python 3 (for web server)

Development Tools

• Address sanitizer for debugging
• Comprehensive compiler flags for code quality
• Testing framework integration

Web Dependencies

• Font Awesome icons
• Modern web browser with ES6 support
• No external JavaScript frameworks (vanilla JS approach)

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Deployment Strategy

Local Development

• CMake build system for cross-platform compilation
• Debug builds with sanitizers for development
• Release builds with optimization for production

Web Interface

• Simple Python HTTP server for development
• Static file serving for HTML/CSS/JS
• RESTful API for compilation requests

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Testing Strategy

• Unit tests for all compiler components
• Integration tests through web interface
• Automated testing via CMake

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User Preferences

Preferred communication style: Simple, everyday language.

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Recent Changes

• July 08, 2025: Fixed compilation errors in Symbol and Function structs by adding default constructors
• July 08, 2025: Fixed missing <cmath> include in VM for modulo operations
• July 08, 2025: Successfully built Oker compiler binary with full functionality
• July 08, 2025: Set up web interface with Python HTTP server on port 5000
• July 08, 2025: Fixed comment parsing issue - tilde comments not properly implemented in lexer
• July 08, 2025: Verified all core language features working: variables, functions, math operations, string operations
• July 08, 2025: MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH - Fixed function declarations and jump resolution completely
• July 08, 2025: Fixed string concatenation type system to allow mixed string/non-string operations
• July 08, 2025: All critical compiler issues resolved - comments, functions, expressions, blocks, conditionals, loops all working

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Current Status

✅ Compiler builds successfully and generates working executable
✅ Web interface operational with code editor and compilation features
✅ Core language features functional: variables, arithmetic, strings, functions
✅ Built-in functions implemented: str(), len(), upper(), lower()
✅ Example programs working correctly
✅ Comments (~) parsing and handling completely functional
✅ Function declarations (makef) with parameters working perfectly
✅ String concatenation with mixed types working
✅ Control structures (if/else, while, repeat) fully operational
✅ All compiler phases working: lexer, parser, semantic analyzer, code generator, VM

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Known Issues

• Test suite has multiple definition errors (tests still functional individually)
• All core language features are now fully functional

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Changelog

July 08, 2025 — Initial setup and complete implementation