Scriptol, for robotics and apps built on Web standards

The Scriptol language created in 2001 by Denis Sureau was defined according to seven rules: simplicity, security, conformance to standards, objectivity, multiple orientations, portability, easy teaching.
The scriptol code is either interpreted or compiled in JavaScript, PHP or C++, a scriptol program may be built as a binary executable.
Control structures are different and more powerful than in classical languages, allowing pattern-matching and automata (DFA). Security is one main goal of the language and variables are typed.
It is an universal language for robotics, making dynamic web pages, scripting, prototyping or HTML 5 based applications. It allows to integrate XML in source code.
Several innovations in Scriptol have been adopted by other languages ​​created since 2001. It is the first language to have reactive variables, thus combining reactive and imperative programming.

Evolution of programming languages

You may use Scriptol:

A new version of the language, Scriptol 2, appears in 2014 along with a compiler to JavaScript.

Features of Scriptol

Syntax:

Statements are terminated by end of line.
Xml-like terminators: /if, /while, etc...
Each operator has only one usage, not several acccording the context as in C.
Scalar types are those of the real life: text, number, real, etc...
Compound assignments have the form: 

x + 1 // means for: x = x + 1

Data structures:

Scalars, xml, class.

Control structures:

Composite if:

You can mix different types of comparisons and compare different types of data from one test to another.

if a
= 10: print "equal"
< 10: print "less"
else
      print "more"
/if

While:

The while structure has several form and the let terminator protects against infinite loops. 

while x < 10
  print x
/while    // infinite loop
while x < 10
   print x  
let x + 1

Function definition:

The header is similar to that of C but several types may be returned together. The terminator is the return statement, the keyword only if the function returns nothing. 

int, text funcname(... arguments...)
    ...statements...
return a, b

Simple print command:

The print command sends a newline after the text. The echo command does not.

print "Hello world!"

Scan structure:

The contents of two lists are added and printed.

var list1=[1,2,3]
var list2=[10,20,30]
for i, v in list1
   print v + list2[i]
/for

Should print: 11 22 33.

Embedding code into HTML page:

The scriptol code is converted to PHP by the solp compiler. 

<?sol
    print "code embedded inside html";
?>

Using reactive variables

This allows programming by formulas without having to write the code update the variables.

react v1
react v2
react sum = v1 + v2
sum.output = 'document.getElementById("sum").value = this.value;'

The v1 and v2 variables are assigned through the HTML interface. The HTML element with id "sum" will be updated whenever the contents of the variables v1 and v2 will be changed.

Scriptol 2

With the appearance of a compiler generating JavaScript code, the language has been adapted to a new audience. Originally created as a front-end in PHP 4, the language made ​​ programming easier with classes and inheritance, foreach and other structures PHP was missing at the time. PHP 5 has cost scriptol a part of its interest, and in addition the Hack language that adds typed variable, confirms this trend. The language had to adapt to a new environment.

The syntax is closer to the standard that is developed over time, where or a different syntax has no interest in itself:

Scriptol 2 requires editing of existing programs by simple substitutions without grammatical change.

Scriptol 3

The version 3 of the language, which generates only JavaScript code, implements the concept of reactive programming and goal. The language is also simplified to get rid of function useful only for the PHP target code.

A goal is a condition represented by an expression to which a group of statements is associated, which is executed in a loop until the condition is satisfied. Since it is possible to make a goal dependent on another goal, complex processes can be transposed more intuitively than with procedural programming. And since goal may be asynchronous, it is easy also to program a robot.

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