2025-05-13: Fuzion May Update

Last month saw a large number of minor fixes in the Fuzion language, compiler and base library combined with some larger progress towards native library interfacing via value types and callbacks.

• General

  • We thank Nina Hinkkanen for her work as an intern and wish her all the best for her future in the cyber security field!

• Fuzion language

  • add support for none lib features for short hand access of open type parameters (#5166). This permits, e.g., base library code code like

      items := [(1,"eins"),(2,"zwei")]
      keys := a.map items->items.values.0
      vals := a.map items->items.values.1
            

    to be written as

      items := [(1,"eins"),(2,"zwei")]
      keys := a.map (.0)
      vals := a.map (.1)
            

  • remove support for double-slash comments (#5075). Single line comments must be introduced using # now as in

      beast := 666   # chapter 13, verse 18 of the Book of Revelation
            

• Parser

  • Improved error output for Qualifier expected for '.this' expression errors, fix #5156 (#5157, #5159)

• Front end

  • add impl. restriction error for unsupported contracts such as preconditions for fields or postconditions for intrinsics (#5009)

  • avoid errors caused by additional lambda argument (#4986)

  • avoid NullPointerException to fix #5114 (#5129)

  • do not suppress inline code for ? : in case of previous errors (which resulted in additional, confusing errors), fix #5114 (#5142)

  • extend syntax sugar to convert numliterals to required type (#4981). This simplifies type generic code for numeric types such that instead of

      triple(n T : numeric) => n * T.from_u32 3
            

    you can now write

      triple(n T : numeric) => n * 3
            

    and then use this, e.g., as follows

      triple (complex 2 3) |> say  # will print `6+9i`
            

  • fix crash when trying to infer result type of lambda with no arguments (#5020)

  • Fix position of inheritance calls generated for cotype, fix #5003 (#5005)

  • improve error when failing to resolve partial application (#5032)

  • raise better error for say <| ([0,1,2].map 42) (#5040)

  • specify possible argument count for suggested features in error message (#5017)

  • AstErrors, fix NPE (#5109)

  • fix crash when failing to infer type parameters in call (#5024)

  • fix scoped visibility handling for extension features, fix #5082 (#5084)

  • raise error when adding field without parent in module (#5023)

  • Select, fix NPE (#5132)

  • suppress subsequent error on argument count in #5114 (#5131)

  • Fix 4992: Type constraint using.this results in error (#5000)

• Middle End

  • fix unjustified error for reading uninitialized field created by DFA (#5094)

  • fuir: clazzOuterRef now always return NO_CLAZZ for native, fields etc. (#5012)

• JVM and C back end

  • jvm: change type of functions descriptor args array (#5011)

  • c: convert some functions to windows native (#5074)

  • c: zero memory (securely) (#5034)

  • c/jvm: add initial support for native values (#5021)

• Windows

  • fzE_date_time add support for nano seconds (#5089)

  • build args and env in win.c (#5087)

  • fix fzE_dir_read, exclude NULL-byte from length (#5081)

  • fix problems related to tests/process_utf8 (#5096)

  • fix test process (#5091)

  • use wide char api explicitly (#5028)

  • install libsqlite via msys (#5103)

  • readd workaround for unicode problem (#5101)

  • tests: add skip_win option (#5105)

  • create link libclang.dll, clang.dll (#5033)

• fz tool

  • changed all options to camelCase (#5150)

• Base library

  • New base library features

    • add order, choice of less/greater/equal as result type for infix ⋄ instead of magic constants -1, 0 and +1 (#5118, #5133)

    • add String.lines, splitting the String at \n (#5154)

    • add process.close_in to close standard input (#5108)

    • implement calendar.duration.type.lteq (#5112)

    • String add write_to, writing String to installed writer (#5123)

    • write_result, add ok, shorthand to check if writing was successful (#5155)

  • Changes to the following standard library features

    • change ordered_map arg types to Sequence (#5136)

    • make String.trim_start/trim_end public (#5158)

    • fix argument order inconsistency in scan and fold in Sequence (#5004)

    • fix hierarchy of faults, contract_fault now used by pre_fault, post_fault, and check_fault, (#5139)

    • make Lazy inherit from monad (#5036)

    • mark bind in outcome as fixed, so parse_result can reuse the name (#5010)

    • mark Set.add as abstract (#5113, #5167)

    • rename try as exception (#5117)

  Removed library features

  • remove num.sign (#5127)

  • made type_of lazy and removed type_of_lazy (#5053)

• Tests

  • test: use run_tests.fz (#5134)

  • tests add reg. test #1726 (#5031)

  • tests: add reg. test #2701 (#5035)

  • tests: add test #4422 (#5037)

  • tests: call wait at the end, did only work because of buffering (#5098)

  • tests: change test process to print complete env (#5083)

  • tests: file/dir, use unicode symbols (#5027)

  • tests: fix comments in tests/visibility_scoping (#5093)

  • tests: include target when generating rerun command (#5066)

  • tests: try workaround broken pipe problem (#5088)

  • skip native_value test on jvm backend because of #5026 (#5044)

• Documentation

  • fixed links to features in other modules (e.g., when inheriting from feature in different module (#5014)

• Build infrastructure

  • port run_tests to Fuzion (#5110)

  • run_tests: fix failing precondition in failed tests enumeration (#5168)

  • run windows tests every workday (#5143)

  • makefile: add helper to rerecord effects (#5144)

  • Makefile: include API docs in make target doc (#5079)

  • workflow: programmatically determine clang major version (#5029)

  • Switched to long options (#5107)

• Fuzion Idioms

  • Added new idioms #315, #330, #332, #336, #340, #342.

Cheers,

--The Fuzion Team.