#pseudo-python
A Python to JavaScript / Ruby / C++ / Go / C# / PHP translator
Pseudo is a framework for high level code generation: it is used by this compiler to translate a subset of Python to all Pseudo-supported languages
Pseudo supports a very clear and somehow limited subset of a language:
-
basic types and collections and standard library methods for them
-
integer, float, string, boolean
-
lists
-
dicts
-
sets
-
tuples/structs(fixed length heterogeneous lists)
-
fixed size arrays
-
regular expressions
-
functions with normal parameters (no default/keyword/vararg parameters)
-
classes
- single inheritance
- polymorphism
- no dynamic instance variables
- basically a constructor + a collection of instance methods, no fancy metaprogramming etc supported
-
exception-based error handling with support for custom exceptions (target languages support return-based error handling too)
-
io: print/input, file read/write, system and subprocess commands
-
iteration (for-in-range / for-each / iterating over several collections / while)
-
conditionals (if / else if / else)
-
standard math/logical operations
pseudo-python checks if your program is using a valid pseudo-translatable subset of Python, type checks it according to pseudo type rules and generates a <filename>.pseudo.yaml
output file containing pseudo-ast code
[TODO]
you can directly run pseudo-python <filename.py> <lang>
e.g.
pseudo-python <filename.py> ruby
pseudo-python <filename.py> cpp
etc for all the supported pseudo languages (javascript, c++, c#, go, ruby and python)
a lot of work has been put into making pseudo-python error messages as clear and helpful as possible: they show the offending snippet of code and often they offer suggestions, list possible fixes or right/wrong ways to write something
the rules are relatively simple: currently pseudo-python infers everything from the usage of functions/classes, so you need to call/initialize all of your functions/classes (except for no-arg functions)
often you don't really need to do that for all of them, you just need
to do it in a way that can create call graphs covering all of them
(e.g. often you'll have a
calling b
calling x
and you only need to
have an a
invocation in your source)
variables can't change their types, the equivalents for builtin types are
list : List[@element_type] # generic
dict: Dictionary[@key_type @value_type] # generic
set: Set[@element_type] # generic
tuple: Array[@element_type] # for homogeneous tuples
Tuple[@element0_type, @element1_type..] # for heterogeneous tuples
int: Int
float: Float
int/float: Number
str: String
bool: Boolean
There are several limitations which will probably be fixed in v0.3
If you initialize a variable/do first call to a function with a collection literal, it should have at least one element(that limitation will be until v0.3)
All attributes used in a class should be initialized in its __init__
Other pseudo-tips:
-
Homogeneous tuples are converted to
pseudo
fixed length arrays and heterogeneous topseudo
tuples. in the futurepseudo-python
would analyze betterlists
/tuple
usage to classify them better inlist
/array
/tuple
categories (which can optimize the resulting code ingo
/c++
/c#
) -
attributes that aren't called from other classes are translated as
private
, the other ones aspublic
. The rule for methods is different:_name
ones are only translated asprivate
. That can be added as config option in the future -
multiple returns values are supported, but they are converted to
array
/tuple
-
single inheritance is supported,
pseudo-python
supports polymorphism but methods in children should accept the same types as their equivalents in the hierarchy (except__init__
)
The easiest way to play with the type system is to just try several programs: pseudo-python
errors should be enough to guide you, if not,
you can always open an issue