embedded-language-ideas/README.md

Embedded Language Ideas

I would like a scripting language to be able to easily embed in a host application with the following features:

• Sandboxed for secure execution of untrusted code

  For example, the language should not automatically make available functionality that allows scripts to arbitrarily read or write files in the host filesystem, or spawn processes, or establish network connections.

• Dynamically typed

• Multi-paradigm

  The language should support imperative, object-oriented, and some functional aspects.

• Supports nil, Boolean, Integer, Float, String, Array, Hash, and Class types

• Supports closures

Features of Other Languages to Use or Avoid

• Lua

  • Good:
    • Great C API documentation
  • Not so good:
    • 1-based array indexing
    • The '#' operator not handling nil values within an array

• Javascript

  • Not so good:
    • Having both a null and undefined value is overcomplicated.
    • Classes/types are not types, so typeof returns a string.

• Ruby

  • Good:
    • One nil value
    • Clear definition of which objects are "falsey"
    • Functional blocks

Syntax Ideas

Declare a variable

var foo := 42;

Declare a function

function foo(a, b)
{
    a + b;
}

Similar to Ruby, the result of the last expression is returned from a function, so an explicit return is not needed.

Anonymous Function

var f = function(x) { x * x; }