Build-in functions
Fol has some build-in functions offered by compiler, and you access them by . (with space/newline/bracket before):
var contPoint: ptr[int] = 10; // make a pointer and asign the memory to value of 10
.print(.pointer_value(contPoint)); // print the dereferenced value of pointer
Macro system
are a very complicated system, and yet can be used as simply as in-place replacement. A lot of build-in macros exist in the language to make the code more easy to type. Below are some system defined macros.
For example, wherever $ is before any variable name, its replaced with .to_string. Or wherever ! is before bol name, its replaced with .not but when the same ! is placed before ptr it is replaced with .delete_pointer.
def '$'(a: any): mac = '.to_string'
def '!'(a: bol): mac = '.not '
def '!'(a: ptr): mac = '.delete_pointer';
def '*'(a: ptr): mac = '.pointer_value';
def '#'(a: any): mac = '.borrow_from';
def '&'(a: any): mac = '.address_of';
Alternatives
Alternatives are used when we want to simplify code. For example, define an alternative, so whenever you write +var it is the same as var[+].
def '+var': alt = 'var[+]'
def '~var': alt = 'var[~]'
def '.pointer_content': alt = '.pointer_value'
Defaults
Defaults are a way to change the default behaviour of options. Example the default behaviour of str when called without options. By defalt str is it is saved on stack, it is a constant and not public, thus has str[pil,imu,nor], and we want to make it mutable and saved on heap by default:
def 'str': def[] = 'str[new,mut,nor]'
Templates
Templates are supposed to be mostly used for operator overloading. They are glorified functions, hence used with pro or fun instead of def.
For example here is how the != is defined:
fun '!='(a, b: int): bol = { return .not(.eq(a, b)) }
.assert( 5 != 4 )
or define $ to return the string version of an object (careful, it is object$ and not $object, the latest is a macro, not a template):
pro (file)'$': str = { return "somestring" }
.echo( file$ )
WITH ALTERNATIVES, MACROS AND TEMPLATES, YOU CAN COMPLETELY MAKE A NEW TYPESYSTEM, WITH ITS OWN KEWORSD AND BEHAVIOUR. HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT SUGGESTED, RELAYING HEAVILY ON IT, THE CODE MIGHT LOOSES THE READABILITY WHEN SOMEONE ELSE WANTS TO USE.