Bob/ROADMAP.md

Bob Language Development Roadmap

Current Status

Bob is a working programming language with a solid foundation. Here's what's currently implemented:

✅ Core Language Features

Data Types & Variables

• Numbers: Integers, floats, automatic conversion
• Strings: Literals, concatenation, multiplication
• Booleans: true, false
• None: Null value representation
• Variables: Declaration, assignment, scoping
• Assignment System: Dual system (statements + expressions for loops)

Operators

• Arithmetic: +, -, *, /, %
• Comparison: ==, !=, >, <, >=, <=
• Logical: &&, ||, ! (with short-circuit evaluation)
• Bitwise: &, |, ^, <<, >>, ~
• Compound Assignment: +=, -=, *=, /=, %=, &=, |=, ^=, <<=, >>=
• Ternary: condition ? valueIfTrue : valueIfFalse

Control Flow

• If Statements: if, else, else if chains
• While Loops: Basic, nested, complex conditions
• For Loops: All clause variations, nested loops
• Do-While Loops: Basic, nested, break/continue support
• Break/Continue: Full support in all loop types

Functions

• Function Declaration: func name(params) { body }
• Parameters: Any number of parameters
• Return Values: Explicit and implicit returns
• Closures: Lexical scoping with variable capture
• First-Class Functions: Functions as values, parameters, return values
• Anonymous Functions: func(params) { body }
• Nested Functions: Functions defined inside other functions
• Recursion: Full support including deep recursion
• Tail Call Optimization: Trampoline-based optimization to prevent stack overflow

Data Structures

• Arrays/Lists: Full support with indexing, assignment, and built-in functions
• Maps/Dictionaries: Full support with key-value pairs and built-in functions
• Array Operations: len(), indexing, assignment, nested arrays
• Dictionary Operations: keys(), values(), has(), indexing, assignment

Standard Library

• print(): Output with automatic type conversion
• assert(): Testing with custom error messages
• type(): Runtime type checking
• toString(): Universal string conversion
• toNumber(): String-to-number conversion
• input(): User input capability
• time(): Microsecond precision timing
• random(): Random number generation (properly seeded)
• len(): Get length of arrays and strings
• keys(): Get all keys from dictionaries
• values(): Get all values from dictionaries
• has(): Check if key exists in dictionary
• eval(): Evaluate strings as Bob code
• sleep(): Pause execution for specified seconds
• exit(): Terminate program with exit code

Advanced Features

• String Operations: Bidirectional string + number concatenation
• Number Formatting: Smart significant digits
• Memory Management: Automatic cleanup with shared pointers
• Error Handling: Comprehensive error reporting with context
• Testing Framework: Built-in assert function
• Operator Precedence: Full precedence hierarchy
• Variable Shadowing: Proper scoping rules
• Interactive Mode: Full REPL with error handling

Current Limitations

Advanced Language Features

• No Classes/Objects: No object-oriented programming
• No Modules/Imports: No code organization system
• No Exception Handling: No try-catch blocks
• No Type Annotations: No static type checking
• No Generics: No parametric polymorphism

Standard Library Gaps

• No File I/O: No reading/writing files
• No Network I/O: No HTTP or socket operations
• No Math Library: No advanced mathematical functions (sqrt, max, min, etc.)
• No Date/Time: No date manipulation (except time())
• No String Processing: No split, join, toUpper, toLower functions

Development Tools

• No Debugger: No debugging tools
• No Profiler: No performance analysis
• No Package Manager: No dependency management

Future Development Phases

Phase 1: Standard Library Expansion (High Priority)

File I/O

var content = readFile("data.txt");
writeFile("output.txt", "Hello World");
var lines = readLines("config.txt");

Implementation Plan:

• Add readFile() function for reading entire files
• Add writeFile() function for writing files
• Add readLines() function for reading files line by line
• Add error handling for file operations

Math Library

var result = sqrt(16);      // 4.0
var max = max(5, 10, 3);    // 10
var min = min(5, 10, 3);    // 3
var abs = abs(-42);         // 42

Implementation Plan:

• Add sqrt() for square root
• Add max() and min() for multiple arguments
• Add abs() for absolute value
• Add pow() for exponentiation
• Add floor(), ceil(), round() for rounding

String Processing

var parts = split("a,b,c", ",");  // ["a", "b", "c"]
var joined = join(parts, "-");    // "a-b-c"
var upper = toUpper("hello");     // "HELLO"
var lower = toLower("WORLD");     // "world"

Implementation Plan:

• Add split() for string splitting
• Add join() for array joining
• Add toUpper() and toLower() for case conversion
• Add trim() for whitespace removal
• Add replace() for string replacement

Phase 2: Advanced Language Features (Medium Priority)

Exception Handling

try {
    var result = 10 / 0;
} catch (error) {
    print("Error: " + error);
}

Implementation Plan:

• Add try/catch syntax
• Implement exception objects
• Add throw statement
• Integrate with existing error system

Object System Foundation

// Convert everything to inherit from Object base class
// Enable method calls on all types
// Prepare foundation for classes and modules

Implementation Plan:

• Unify type system under Object base class
• Convert functions to proper objects
• Enable method calls on all data types
• Update Value union to work with object system

Classes & Objects

class Person {
    init(name, age) {
        this.name = name;
        this.age = age;
    }
    
    greet() {
        return "Hello, I'm " + this.name;
    }
}

Implementation Plan:

• Add class keyword and syntax
• Implement constructors with init()
• Add method definitions
• Support inheritance

Phase 3: Module System (Lower Priority)

Modules/Imports

import "math.bob";
import "utils.bob" as utils;

var result = math.sqrt(16);
var helper = utils.format("Hello");

Implementation Plan:

• Add import statement syntax
• Implement module loading from files
• Support namespace aliases
• Create built-in modules (math, utils, etc.)

Phase 4: Development Tools (Lower Priority)

Debugger

debugger;  // Breakpoint
var x = 5;
// Step through code

Implementation Plan:

• Add debugger statement
• Implement breakpoint functionality
• Add step-through debugging
• Create debug console interface

Profiler

// Built-in performance analysis
// Function call timing
// Memory usage tracking

Implementation Plan:

• Add performance measurement functions
• Track function call times
• Monitor memory usage
• Generate performance reports

Implementation Guidelines

For Each New Feature:

1. Lexer: Add new tokens if needed
2. Parser: Add new expression/statement types
3. AST: Define new node types
4. Interpreter: Implement evaluation logic
5. Testing: Create comprehensive test cases

Testing Strategy:

// Use the built-in assert function for testing
assert(add(2, 3) == 5, "add(2, 3) should equal 5");
assert(len([1, 2, 3]) == 3, "Array length should be 3");
assert(has({"a": 1}, "a"), "Dictionary should have key 'a'");

Code Quality Standards:

• Comprehensive Testing: Every feature needs test coverage
• Error Handling: Graceful error messages with context
• Documentation: Update language reference
• Performance: Consider memory and speed implications
• Professional Code: Clean, maintainable, production-ready

Success Metrics

Completed ✅

• Core language syntax and semantics
• All basic operators and expressions
• Control flow statements
• Functions and closures
• Tail call optimization
• Arrays and dictionaries
• Standard library basics
• Random number generation
• Interactive REPL
• Testing framework
• Comprehensive error handling
• Memory management
• Assignment system design
• Code quality improvements

In Progress 🔄

• File I/O implementation
• Math library functions
• String processing functions

Planned 📋

• Exception handling system
• Object system foundation
• Classes and objects
• Module system
• Development tools

Resources

• BOB_LANGUAGE_REFERENCE.md - Complete language documentation
• test_bob_language.bob - Comprehensive test suite
• Crafting Interpreters - Excellent resource for language implementation

Recent Major Achievements

Data Structures Implementation

• Full array support with indexing and assignment
• Complete dictionary system with key-value operations
• Built-in functions: len(), keys(), values(), has()
• Nested data structures support

Standard Library Expansion

• random() function with proper seeding
• eval() for dynamic code execution
• sleep() for timing control
• exit() for program termination

Code Quality Improvements

• Professional code cleanup
• Performance optimizations
• Consistent error handling
• Memory leak prevention

Advanced Language Features

• Tail call optimization with trampoline system
• Comprehensive error reporting with context
• Interactive REPL with full language support
• Memory management with automatic cleanup

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Last updated: January 2025