Re: is there an "improved interactive mode"?

[Rob Shaw <rob@...>]

> On 2/24/06, Pavol Severa <pavol.severa@gmail.com> wrote:
> > I imagine there are some formal problems:
> > 1. a function call is a valid statement - still it would be nice if
> > its results were printed (except when it's nil)
>
>      Try putting a '=' before the expression or function call.
>
> --
> -alex

The '=' addition is really useful, if you look in lua.c
to see how it's done, the top of the stack is modified
just before it gets handed into lua:

> =math.sqrt(2)   <-->   return math.sqrt(2)

You can add whatever you want to the language this way,
without messing with the actual lua parser.  Here's a few
of my "improvements", mostly to save key strokes.

> iter 27   <-->   for i=1,27 do
> loop      <-->   end

This is copying syntax from a now-forgotten language, magicL.
In that language you could also define "commands", i.e.
functions without parentheses.  So I implemented

> command print

After saying that,

> print x '=' 5   <-->   print(x,'=',5)

now you can say

> iter 10
>> print i*i
>> loop

and get the expected result.  Adding sh is another:

> sh date   <-->   os.execute('date')

Now,

> sh vi lua.c
> sh make
> sh lua

and edit yourself, and run a new copy of yourself, within yourself!
This language is a lot of fun.

rob