zc - what if C, but easier

NOTE: I don't recommend using this in production. Here be dragons!

zc is a single header library for C which adds some nice QOL features, such as:

• less scary looking code (Integer list myList = many(Integer, 10) vs int* myList = malloc(sizeof(int) * 10))
• OOP patterns (objects, classes, methods, constructors, destructors) (no inheritance, because no one need that anyway)
• No disgusting yuckies from C++ like operator overloading, name mangling, and hidden allocation
• Very small library, easy to understand

To get started, do this:

git clone https://chookspace.com/max/zc
cd zc
sudo make install

Read the docs below to know how to use

Docs

Create an entry point for your program

entry {

}

From here, do stuff like this:

entry {
    print("Hello, World!");
}

Variables

Variables are defined in a similar way to C.

Integer x; // defines x with no value
x is 5; // gives x a value
print(x);

String y is "dingus"; // assign with a value
print(y)

Integer list z is many(Integer, 10); // Creates a list with space for 10 integers
for (Integer a is 0; a < 10; a increment) z[a] is a * 10; // Give them all a value

Classes

Due to the nature of the C preprocessor which this project makes heavy use of, defining classes works differently in zc to other programming languages.

Create a class:

class(Car, {
    String make;
    Integer year;
    Method(Car, drive, void, Integer fuel); // usage: Method(className, methodName, returnType, args...)
    Destructor(Car);
});

Define it's methods:

method(Car, drive, void, Integer fuel) {
    printf("A %s can drive %d km with %d fuel", self->make, fuel * 5, fuel); // Use self to access the other fields in the class
}

destructor(Car) {
    free(self->make);
}

Finally, make a constructor:

constructor(Car, String make, Integer year) {
    return (Car) {
        .make is make,
        .year is year,
        .drive is __Car_drive, // format for methods is __ClassName_methodName
        .destructor_fn is destroyCar // format for destructor is destroyClassName
    };
}

Use your newly made class:

entry {
    Car myCar = newCar("Toyota", 1996);
    myCar.drive(&myCar, 32);

    // Don't forget to forget when you're done!
    // If you don't have a destructor, this call won't compile.
    forget(myCar);
}