The UCode Programming Language

A high level programming language designed to be fast to write, to compile and to run.

Note

The Project is not being maintain anymore. Why because I want to work on other things right now and learn everything I could of learned from this project I may comeback in the future to complete this Project.

If i do comeback here's the task list. Since i plan on deleting the trello board i used during the prject.

Pending (Stuff I plan doing on the current day)

• Fix: FindIndex Array_5 Test not working when using uclang test
• Add: Functor Doc
• Fix: Unique Test not runing in.

ToDo

• Make && be Lazy:
• Add BitSet in StandardLibrary
• Add Random Type,Shuffle Funcion for Buffer_t in SandardLibrary_
• Time API
• Json Parser
• Byte Serialization
• Add Buffer_t filter,InReverse,Map,ForEach Funcions
• HotReloading
• Fix Export Debuging Problems
• Fix int types to string not working
• Add Range types 0..1,0..=2, .. , ..10 10..
• Go Bindings
• Zig Bindings
• Rust Bindings
• Sort,FileIO,Math funcion
• Update Doc/Website
• More test for Complex Type Ex. String[] ,String[5],intString[]
• ULang Muthreading

End Note

UCode is a programming language designed to be embedded into existing software such as game engines while being a low-level language with modern and high-level features.

mainly

• does not require a garbage collector like C#.
• offers more functionality than Lua.
• is easier to use than C++.
• Uses Compile time power to reduce boilerplate.

Design Principles/Pillars

• Simple is better than complex.
• Zero-overhead abstractions
  • You don't pay for what you don't use.
  • What you do use is just as efficient as what you could reasonably write by hand.
• Productive
  • Scalable compilation times
  • Reliable Tooling.
  • gradual learning curve
• Reusable
  • multi-paradigm
  • Compile time power

Supported programming Languages

• C++ //This Repository
• Rust //rust binding,with idiomatic rust wappers and rust related tools for UCodeLang
• Zig //zig binding,with idiomatic zig wappers and zig related tools for UCodeLang
• C //Just Copy UCodeLangCAPI.h and the steal a static library from the releases

Features

Completely focused and specialized on Game Development and Game Engines.

Langue Features

• Constructors,Destructor
• Copy Constructors
• Move semantics
• rust enums
• Defer
• No implicit conversions
• Unsafe operations are behind like memory allocation are behind the unsafe keyword
• Rust like traits(working on)
• Go like concurrency(working on)
• Easy to use binary(working on) and Json(working on) serialization in Standard Library
• No Macros
• operator overloading
• function overloading
• generics
• Attributing tag system like C#
• panic and value base errors
• good compiled time analysis
• A standard Library designed for game development
• Module System

And More.

Library/Runtime Freatures

• Optional Runtime SandBoxing
• Flexible runtime
  • Code can be
  • [] jited,
  • interpreted
  • precompiled to native code
  • all working on the same runtime.
  • Runtime threading model can made for any threading Style (task based, event loop,etcetera)
• A Wasm BackEnd
• A C11 BackEnd
• Code be compiled to Native Executables for Linux(working on),Windows(working on) and Mac(working on)
• Able to view all classes,funcions,trait after compileing
• Able to strip output unneeded classes
• Able to catch Panic if you like
• Debuging
• Module System

Tooling Freatures

• Automatic Binding Generation
• Language server

Why use this Programming Language.

This Language was made because the lack of suitable scripting languages for a GameEngine's that allowed you for low-level control over memory and is easy to analyze for reflection.

for example

$Vec2:
 float x;
 float y;

$Weapon;

$Player:
 Vec2 pos;
 Weapon[] Weapons;

After compiling we will get assembly data that can be used to see all classes ,funcions and Fields. So it can be used in your inspector like most popular game engines.

the text below assume you compiled for a 64 CPU The VM is CPU agnostic except for CPU pointer sizes. it needs to be compiled for 64-bit or 32-bit which is trivial to do.

$Vec2:   //class size 8
 float x;//field offset 0
 float y;//field offset 4

$Weapon;//size 0

$Player: //class size 32
 Vec2 pos;//field offset 0
 Vector<Weapon> Weapons;//field offset [8-12 depending if the compiler added padding]

$Vector<Weapon>: //class size 24
 Weapon[&] _Data; //field offset 0
 uintptr _Size; //field offset 8
 uintptr _Capacity; //field offset 16

We want C# like assembly data but with C++ low level control over memory and without C# garbage collector.

also since we're making a new Language we can learn past languages mistakes with using Optional,Result types and enum variant types and removing exceptions and more.

Despite being made for game engines UCode does not need a VM it can be used by itself and can be compiled directly to C,Wasm and Native platform librarys.

or directly to native machine code when that gets done.

Why you should not use this Programming Language.

If your use case only needs a small language and will not be spending most of its time in the scripting language you shold use lua.

If you need static typing and C++ low-level ness but ok to have a Garbage Collector use Mono C# or Terra.

Downloads & Documentation

Website

PlayGround

Documentation

VSCode Extension

Geting Started for Users

How To Add To Your C++ Project

Download

Run The following in your terminal to install on linux/MacOs.

curl -L https://github.com/LostbBlizzard/UCodeLang/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sh

Or Download and run the UCodeLangSetup.exe on the latest release for Windows.

Example(User)

use ULang;//include standard Library.

|main[] -> int:
 int a = 10;
 int b = 20;

 var c = a + b;
 
 int[] List;

 List.Push(c);
 
 int&? LastItem = List.Back();

 match LastItem:
  Option(out myvalue):
  
    if myvalue == 30:
       Fmt::Print("myvalue does equal 30");
     
  Null: panic("List size was 0");

Example Entity component System

This Can be Fuound in UCodeIDE/src/AppObject/ECSExample.hpp and UCodeIDE/src/AppObject/test.uc.

use API;//Imgui,Vec2,Time
use ECS;//Component,Entity

$Player[Component]:
 float Speed = 1;
 |Start[this&]:
  entity().position2d() = [2,5];



 |Update[this&] -> void:
  
  var& pos = entity().position2d();//get rereference to entity position.
  float deltatime = Time::DeltaTime();
  
  if Imgui::KeyDown(ImKey::W):
    pos.Y += Speed * deltatime;
    
  if Imgui::KeyDown(ImKey::S):
    pos.Y -= Speed * deltatime;
  
  if Imgui::KeyDown(ImKey::A):
    pos.X -= Speed * deltatime;
  
  if Imgui::KeyDown(ImKey::D):
    pos.X += Speed * deltatime;

Example(Implementers)

#include <UCodeLang/UCodeLang.hpp>

int main()
{
  const char* MyUCode = "|main[] => 1;";

  UCodeLang::Compiler myCompiler;
  auto comilerRet = myCompiler.CompileText(MyUCode);


  if (!comilerRet.IsError())
  { 
    //your ucode was Compiled
    UCodeLang::RunTimeLangState State;

    UCodeLang::RunTimeLib Lib;
    Lib.Init(comilerRet.GetValue().OutPut.value());//initialize RunTimeLib using our Compiled code.


    State.AddLib(&Lib);//Add RunTimeLib
    State.LinkLibs();//Link libraries
   
    UCodeLang::Interpreter interpreter;
    interpreter.Init(&State);

    interpreter.Call(StaticVariablesInitializeFunc);//initialize our Static Variables.
    interpreter.Call(ThreadVariablesInitializeFunc);//initialize thread local/Interpreter local Variables.

    int Value = interpreter.RCall<int>("main");//Call main
    std::cout << " Got Value " << Value;


    interpreter.Call(ThreadVariablesUnLoadFunc);//Call Thread local Variables destructors.
    interpreter.Call(StaticVariablesUnLoadFunc);//Call Static Variables destructors.
  }
  else 
  {
    //your code some how failed to compile
  }
}

Dependencies

UCodeLang has a Dependency on zycore and zydis for debugging reasons and X86 code generation.

both are planned to be removed.

Project File Structure / github contributions

To build the project just download files or run.

git clone https://github.com/LostbBlizzard/UCodeLang.git

cd ./UCodeLang

After geting the Project Files Run.

• The InstallTools.bat file(If Your On Windows)

InstallTools.bat

• The InstallTools.sh file(If Your On Linux or MacOS)

./InstallTools.sh

the Last Step is uneeded if you dont need to build UCodeIDE.

Next Run.

• The VS_2019.bat file(If you use VS 2019) to build vs project files and open the project in visual studio.

./VS_2019.bat

• The VS_2022.bat file(If you use VS 2022) to build vs project files and open the project in visual studio.

./VS_2022.bat

• The GNU_Make.bat file(If you use GCC on windows) and run "make" to build it.

./GNU_Make.sh

make

• The GNU_Make.sh file(If you use GCC on linux or Mac) and run "make" to build it. or run

./GNU_Make.sh

make

• The XCode.sh file(If you use XCode) and and open the project in XCode.

./XCode.sh

The file Project Structure is lad out like this

• /Dependencies

  • "Contains the premake executable"

• /UC

  • "Is the command line tool"
  • "The thing users use to build ucode files and to run ucode."

• /UCApp

  • "The Testing playground"
  • /src
    • "use this when testing and debugging features."
    • "I dont care too much for what happends here."
  • /tests
    • "unit test and test helper functions."

• /UCodeAPI

  • "lots of ucode files"
  • "contains the standard library and other librarys."

• /UCodeLang

  • "the core of ucode-lang if your using this as a library add this to your include directory"

  • /Dependencies

    • "decompilers for testing"

  • /UCodeAnalyzer

    • "classes/functions for the UCodeLanguageSever."
    • "Tools for analyzing UCodeLang"

  • /UCodeLang

    • /Compilation
      • "were ucode get compiled"
    • /LangCore
      • "helpers and other stuff".
    • /RunTime
      • "were your Interpreter jit-Interpreters and runtime live"
      • "the jit-Interpreter compilers is in UCodeLang/Compilation/Back"

• /UCodeLanguageSever

  • "the runable language sever"
  • /src
    • "the code"

• /UCodeLanguageSeverLib

  • "the language sever with json and Language Server Protocol"
  • /json-develop
    • "json library"
  • /src
    • "the code"

• /UCodeDocumentation

  • "Were UCodeDocumentation is"
  • /Standardlibrary
    • "Generated from /UCodeAPI/UCodeDocumentation"

• /UCodeIDE

  • "Its use is for testing things that would be hard to test using a debugger"
  • "it's called the UCodeIDE but it really just an internal testing tool"

• /UCodeWebsite

  • "Were the UCodeWebsite is im not a web dev so it's probably just the bare minimum"

The project is meant too have as few dependencies as possible because it is meant to be easy to added to any c++ pojects.

use the github issue tab for bugs. use the github discussions to talk about the language and new features and language design. also keep it civil.

Also don't be shy to Criticize how things are implemented I know the code can be better in places thing.

Constructive criticism is welcome(dont be too harsh).

Please ask questions about anything Project since I barely documented anything.

the main branch for releases and the feature is where I do actual development.

The final vision of the Project has Backends for

• UCodeVM(Interpreter,JitInterpreter,NativeInterpreter)

• C11

• WebAssembly

• Windows(native executable),

• Linux(native executable),

• MacOs(native executable),

• X86

• X86_64

• Arm

• Arm64

Credits

The was Language was designed and developed by LostBlizzard On GitHub.

Who currently maintains the

• The UCodeLang cplusplus implementation of the language.

The UCodeGameEngine(being worked on) the primary reason The Language was made.

QA

• Q: UCodeLang is very similar to c++ and rust why not use Rust or C++?

  A: C++ is too compilcaicated of a language and is unanalyzable after compiling(without hacking the compiler).rust memory features is not that useful for my use cases and c++ Smart Pointer's is all i need.

• Q: Why is it written in c++.

  A: Most Game Engines and specifically my game engine is written in c++.c++ is still the best tool for making game engines.

• Q:Why not use LLVM for your backend.

  A:LLVM is too big of a dependency and writing backends my self gives me a good excuse to learn about Computers(The Reason im making a game engine). Also you just output llvm assembly text.

• Q:Why significant white space?

  A:Just Seemed Interesting also just looks nicer.

• Q:What is UCodeLang killer feature.

  A:UCodeLang is not the next big thing it's just a tool made for my specific use case.It takes the best Parts from languages i like and attempts to remove excess. Its a refined and streamline c++ in some ways.

• Q:What does UCode mean?

  A:The word UCode means nothing and has no history it just just a name I made up for a programming language idea.if you really want a meaning a meaning it when the idea was made it stand for Unsigned Code based on c/c++ unsigned keyword.

• Q:Do you like c++?

  A:I like it enough to spend a year making a new language using it but not enough to make my users for my Game Engine Use it(Sorry unreal).though i do really like c++ but also im aware of its flaws.

• Q:what next and when will be Language be done.

• A:When the repository Opens (preferably on 1/2/2023 The one year anniversary of making the jit project) most features would be done and dont really plan on adding more unless it Just too Good. I'll be around for an extra year to finish up the other architectures and backends and stabitly.at that point the project will be done and i can go on working on that game engine and go to work on biger and better things.Also I believe adding too many features can make a language worse.

• Q:what your opinion on new programming languages.

• A:The more the merrier especially for systems languages. Every language experiments the more we experiment the better languages by we learning from there mistakes.