Ovum Compiler (ovumc)

The official compiler implementation for the Ovum Programming Language, written in C++. This compiler transforms Ovum source code (.ovum files) into executable bytecode for the Ovum Virtual Machine.

About Ovum

Ovum is a strongly statically typed, single-threaded programming language focused on safety, clarity, and performance. It features:

• Memory safety via garbage collection
• Immutability by default with explicit mutation using var
• Pure functions (pure) that are side-effect free and cacheable
• Interface-based polymorphism (no class inheritance)
• Kotlin-like syntax with minimal, predictable constructs
• JIT compilation with garbage collection for performance

Prerequisites

• CMake 3.25 or higher
• C++23 compatible compiler (GCC, Clang, or MSVC)
• Git (for dependency management)

Quick Start

Automated Installation

The easiest way to build and install the compiler:

./install.sh

This script will:

1. Configure CMake with Release build settings
2. Build the ovumc executable
3. Create a symbolic link in your home directory
4. Optionally install to /usr/bin (Linux) or provide Windows instructions

Manual Build

1. Configure the build:

   cmake -S . -B build

2. Build the compiler:

   cmake --build build --target ovumc

3. Build and run tests:

   cmake --build build --target ovumc_tests
   ctest --test-dir build

Usage

Once built, the ovumc compiler can be used to compile Ovum source files:

# Compile an Ovum source file
ovumc -m input.ovum -o output.oil -I ./ -D SOME_FLAG

# Show help
ovumc -h

Development

Building for Development

For development builds with debug information:

cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug
cmake --build build

Running Tests

The project includes comprehensive tests using Google Test:

# Run all tests
ctest --test-dir build

# Run specific test executable
./build/ovumc_tests.exe  # Windows
./build/tests/ovumc_tests  # Linux/macOS

Code Quality

The project includes:

• Clang-format configuration (.clang-format)
• Clang-tidy configuration (.clang-tidy)
• CI/CD pipeline with automated testing

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guidelines for details on:

• Code style and formatting
• Testing requirements
• Pull request process
• Issue reporting

Related Projects

• OvumLanguage - Main language repository with documentation and specifications
• OvumVM - Virtual Machine implementation
• OvumExamples - Examples of code in Ovum with bytecode

License

This project is licensed under the GPL-3.0 License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

• Issues: Report bugs and request features on GitHub Issues
• Documentation: Visit the Ovum Language Documentation for language documentation or view it online.