DynLex

A natural-language-like programming language that compiles to native code via LLVM.

Features

• Pattern-based syntax that reads like English
• Compiles to native executables via LLVM
• Static typing with full type inference
• Standard library written in DynLex itself
• VS Code extension with LSP support

Build

./scripts/build.sh

Requires C++23, Clang 20 or newer, CMake, Ninja, nlohmann_json, Git, and GNU binutils on ELF systems. scripts/build.sh checks out and caches the exact LLVM 23 fork recorded in metadata/LLVM_TOOLCHAIN; system LLVM installations are not used. Linked Git worktrees automatically share the primary checkout's .cache/llvm-toolchain directory. Set DYNLEX_LLVM_CACHE_DIR to use an explicit cache location instead. Build that toolchain independently with:

./scripts/build_llvm.sh native

The normal build uses -O2 while retaining debug information and compiler invariants. Use ./scripts/build.sh --debug when an unoptimized executable is needed for source-level debugging.

Browser Compiler

DynLex can be built as a browser-hosted compiler module (dynlex_web.js/.wasm) with a Monaco-based web UI. This target requires Emscripten (emcmake, emcc). The build compiles and caches a WebAssembly version of the same pinned LLVM fork with the WebAssembly and SPIR-V targets. The build fetches its pinned SPIRV-Cross revision and links the GLSL translator into the compiler module.

Build compiler WASM artifacts and copy them into the web app:

source ~/emsdk/emsdk_env.sh
./scripts/build_web.sh

The build script uses the active Emscripten SDK and builds the exact web LLVM toolchain recorded in metadata/LLVM_TOOLCHAIN.

./scripts/build_web.sh refreshes src/web/ide/public/compiler/dynlex_web.js and src/web/ide/public/compiler/dynlex_web.wasm; commit those files when updating the deployed web compiler.

Run the compiler WASM smoke test:

./scripts/test_web_smoke.sh

Run the web app:

cd src/web/ide
npm install
npm run dev

Refresh the deployable static web root (web/) after IDE changes:

./scripts/build_web_root.sh

View the deployable web site (web/) locally and open it in your browser:

./scripts/view_web.sh

Web layout:

• src/web/ide/: IDE source (Vite + Monaco)
• web/: deployable web root (site/wiki source + built IDE assets)

The web app uses:

• one editable /workspace/*.dl entry file plus read-only imported definitions
• bundled stdlib from /lib/*.dl in Emscripten virtual FS
• live debounced compile with diagnostics published by the DynLex language server
• one persistent DynLex LSP session for completion, hover, go-to-definition, semantic tokens, document symbols, quick fixes, and DynLex instantiation selection
• live WebGL2 previews for DynLex fragment/vertex shaders opened from the homepage shader gallery
• built-in light and dark themes
• Run executing the latest successful emitted program WASM

Compiler WASM C ABI exports:

• dynlex_web_init
• dynlex_web_set_main_source
• dynlex_web_compile_and_emit_wasm
• dynlex_web_compile_and_emit_shader_glsl
• dynlex_web_get_diagnostics_json
• dynlex_web_get_output_wasm_ptr / dynlex_web_get_output_wasm_len
• dynlex_web_get_output_wasm_base64
• dynlex_web_get_output_shader_glsl
• dynlex_web_get_shader_uniforms_json
• dynlex_web_get_compiler_log_json
• dynlex_web_lsp_exchange_json

Install Dependencies

Linux (apt/dnf/pacman/zypper):

./scripts/install.sh

macOS (Homebrew):

./scripts/install.sh
if brew info llvm@20 >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  export PATH="$(brew --prefix llvm@20)/bin:$PATH"
else
  export PATH="$(brew --prefix llvm)/bin:$PATH"
fi
export LIBRARY_PATH="$(brew --prefix glfw)/lib:$(brew --prefix freetype)/lib:$(brew --prefix)/lib${LIBRARY_PATH:+:$LIBRARY_PATH}"

The installer reuses tools already available on PATH and installs missing Homebrew formulae without upgrading unrelated installed packages. The Homebrew LLVM formula supplies the bootstrap Clang only; DynLex links the pinned fork built by scripts/build_llvm.sh.

Windows (winget):

.\scripts\install.ps1

The Windows installer also installs nlohmann_json through vcpkg and exports the package paths used by scripts/build.sh.

Usage

Compile a source file:

./build/dynlex program.dl -o program.out && ./program.out

Or execute DynLex source directly. Command-line source automatically imports lib/commands.dl, which provides the standard library and command-oriented libraries such as file operations:

./build/dynlex print 3
./build/dynlex 'move "a.txt" to "b.txt"'

The outer single quotes in the second example preserve DynLex's string quotes when the source passes through the shell.

Release

Compiler/release version source of truth is metadata/VERSION.

Create and push a release tag with automatic version bump:

./scripts/release.sh patch   # or: minor, major, set X.Y.Z

ASan Leak Check (With Third-Party Suppressions)

For sanitizer leak checks that ignore known process-lifetime allocations from third-party libraries (for example LLVM internals), use:

./scripts/asan_leak_check.sh

By default this runs build-asan/dynlex with scripts/lsan.supp.

Performance Benchmarks

Benchmark details, reproducible source programs, compiler settings, and hardware-specific results:

• tests/benchmarks/01_sum_100m.md
• tests/benchmarks/02_collatz.md

Times are hardware- and toolchain-dependent; run the benchmark files locally for your exact environment.

Ubuntu PPA Packaging

Launchpad packaging lives in packaging/launchpad. Use that directory for Debian metadata, source-package builds, and PPA publishing so the project root stays focused on the compiler itself.