README.md

Genesis Programming Language

---

• Genesis Programming Language
  • ⚠️ Pre-Release Notice
  • 📖 Table of Contents
  • 🎯 About
  • ✨ Features
    • Currently Implemented
    • In Development
  • Installation
    • Global Installation (Recommended)
    • Local Development
  • Quick Start
    • 1. Create a Genesis file
    • 2. Build and run
    • 3. Output
  • 📚 Language Guide
    • Variable Declarations
    • Functions
    • Control Flow
    • Expressions
  • 🔧 CLI Usage
    • Commands
    • Examples
  • 📚 Standard Library
    • Built-in Functions
      • print(...args)
  • 💡 Examples
    • Example 1: Basic Calculator
    • Example 2: Conditional Logic
    • Example 3: Nested Functions
  • Roadmap
    • Version 0.9.4 (Current)
    • Version 1.0.0 (Target: March 2025)
    • Version 1.1.0 and Beyond
  • 🤝 Contributing
    • How to Contribute
    • Good First Issues
  • 📄 License
  • 🔗 Links
  • 🙏 Acknowledgments

⚠️ Pre-Release Notice

Genesis is currently in pre-1.0 development and is NOT production-ready. Many features are still being implemented and the language specification is subject to change. Use at your own risk and expect breaking changes.

Current Status: Version 0.9.4 - Active Development

---

📖 Table of Contents

• About
• Features
• Installation
• Quick Start
• Language Guide
• CLI Usage
• Standard Library
• Examples
• Roadmap
• Contributing
• License

---

🎯 About

Genesis is a general-purpose programming language designed with a focus on:

• Familiarity - C++-style syntax that's easy to learn for developers from C, C++, Java, or JavaScript backgrounds
• Type Safety - Stricter typing than JavaScript while maintaining simplicity
• JavaScript Integration - Transpiles to clean, readable JavaScript for seamless ecosystem integration
• No Runtime Overhead - Runs anywhere JavaScript runs (browsers, Node.js, Deno) without additional dependencies

Genesis combines the familiar syntax of compiled languages with the flexibility and ubiquity of JavaScript.

---

✨ Features

Currently Implemented

✅ Static Typing - Declare variables with types (int, float, string, char, bool, double, void) ✅ Functions - Full function support with typed parameters and return values ✅ Control Flow - If/else statements and conditionals ✅ Operators - Arithmetic, comparison, and logical operators ✅ Built-in Functions - print() function for console output ✅ Clean Transpilation - Generates readable, well-formatted JavaScript ✅ CLI Tool - Command-line interface for building and running Genesis code

In Development

🚧 Loops - For and while loops (parser support exists, transpiler in progress) 🚧 Arrays - Array types and operations 🚧 Classes - Object-oriented programming support 🚧 Modules - Import/export system 🚧 Standard Library - Comprehensive built-in utilities

---

Installation

Global Installation (Recommended)

npm install -g genesis-project

Local Development

git clone https://github.com/Simpleboi/Genesis.git
cd Genesis
npm install
npm run build
npm link

---

Quick Start

1. Create a Genesis file

Create a file named hello.gen:

void greet(string name) {
    print("Hello, ");
    print(name);
}

int add(int x, int y) {
    return x + y;
}

greet("World");

int result = add(5, 3);
print(result);

2. Build and run

# Transpile to JavaScript
genesis build hello.gen --out hello.js

# Or transpile and run immediately
genesis run hello.gen

3. Output

Hello,
World
8

---

📚 Language Guide

Variable Declarations

Genesis requires explicit type declarations:

int age = 25;
float price = 19.99;
string name = "Alice";
bool isActive = true;
double pi = 3.14159265359;

Transpiles to:

let age = 25;
let price = 19.99;
let name = "Alice";
let isActive = true;
let pi = 3.14159265359;

Functions

Functions use C-style syntax with typed parameters and return types:

// Function with return value
int multiply(int a, int b) {
    return a * b;
}

// Void function
void sayHello(string name) {
    print("Hello, " + name);
}

// Function calls
int product = multiply(4, 5);
sayHello("Genesis");

Transpiles to:

function multiply(a, b) {
    return a * b;
}

function sayHello(name) {
    print("Hello, " + name);
}

let product = multiply(4, 5);
sayHello("Genesis");

Control Flow

int x = 10;

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

Expressions

int a = 10;
int b = 20;
int sum = a + b;
int difference = a - b;
int product = a * b;
int quotient = b / a;

bool isEqual = (a == b);
bool isGreater = (a > b);

---

🔧 CLI Usage

Commands

# Build (transpile) a Genesis file
genesis build <file.gen> [--out <output.js>]

# Run (transpile and execute) a Genesis file
genesis run <file.gen>

# Show version
genesis --version

# Show help
genesis --help

Examples

# Transpile and save to file
genesis build src/main.gen --out dist/main.js

# Transpile and print to stdout
genesis build src/main.gen

# Transpile and run immediately
genesis run src/main.gen

---

📚 Standard Library

Genesis automatically injects essential built-in functions into all transpiled code.

Built-in Functions

print(...args)

Outputs values to the console.

print("Hello");
print("Sum:", 5 + 3);

Transpiles to:

console.log("Hello");
console.log("Sum:", 5 + 3);

More standard library functions coming soon!

---

💡 Examples

Example 1: Basic Calculator

int add(int a, int b) {
    return a + b;
}

int subtract(int a, int b) {
    return a - b;
}

int multiply(int a, int b) {
    return a * b;
}

int divide(int a, int b) {
    return a / b;
}

int x = 10;
int y = 5;

print("Addition:", add(x, y));
print("Subtraction:", subtract(x, y));
print("Multiplication:", multiply(x, y));
print("Division:", divide(x, y));

Example 2: Conditional Logic

int max(int a, int b) {
    if (a > b) {
        return a;
    } else {
        return b;
    }
}

int larger = max(15, 20);
print("The larger number is:", larger);

Example 3: Nested Functions

int square(int n) {
    return n * n;
}

int sumOfSquares(int a, int b) {
    return square(a) + square(b);
}

int result = sumOfSquares(3, 4);
print("3² + 4² =", result);  // Output: 25

More examples can be found in the src/examples/ directory.

---

Roadmap

Version 0.9.4 (Current)

• Basic lexer and parser
• Variable declarations with types
• Function declarations and calls
• Return statements
• If/else statements
• Binary expressions
• Built-in print function
• CLI tool

Version 1.0.0 (Target: March 2025)

• While loops
• For loops
• Arrays and array operations
• String manipulation
• Type checking and validation
• Better error messages
• Comprehensive standard library
• Full test coverage

Version 1.1.0 and Beyond

• Classes and objects
• Interfaces
• Generics
• Module system (import/export)
• Enums
• Switch statements
• Try/catch error handling
• Async/await support
• Package manager integration
• IDE support (syntax highlighting, LSP)
• Sourcemap generation
• Watch mode
• REPL (Read-Eval-Print Loop)

See Issues for detailed feature requests and bug reports.

---

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Genesis is an open-source project and we'd love your help.

How to Contribute

Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines on:

• Development setup
• Project architecture
• Coding standards
• Testing requirements
• Pull request process
• How to add new language features

Good First Issues

Looking for a place to start? Check out issues tagged with good first issue.

---

📄 License

Genesis is licensed under the ISC License.

Copyright (c) 2024 Nathaniel E. Paz

Permission to use, copy, modify, and/or distribute this software for any
purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.

---

🔗 Links

• GitHub: https://github.com/Simpleboi/Genesis
• Issues: https://github.com/Simpleboi/Genesis/issues
• Documentation: See CLAUDE.md for technical architecture details
• Contributing: See CONTRIBUTING.md for contribution guidelines

---

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built with TypeScript
• CLI powered by Commander.js
• Tested with Jest

---

Made with ❤️ by Nathaniel E. Paz

⭐ Star this repository if you find it interesting!