millfork/docs/lang/types.md

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# Types

Millfork puts extra limitations on which types can be used in which contexts.

## Numeric types

* `byte` – 1-byte value of undefined signedness, defaulting to unsigned

* `word` – 2-byte value of undefined signedness, defaulting to unsigned
(alias: `int16`)

* `int24` – 3-byte value of undefined signedness, defaulting to unsigned
(alias: `farword`; this alias is deprecated and might be removed in the future)

* `long` – 4-byte value of undefined signedness, defaulting to unsigned
(alias: `int32`)

* `int40`, `int48`,... `int128` – even larger types

* `sbyte` – signed 1-byte value

* `ubyte` – unsigned 1-byte value

* `pointer` – the same as `word`, but variables of this type default to be zero-page-allocated
and you can index `pointer` variables (not arbitrary `pointer`-typed expressions though, `f()[0]` won't compile)
You can create pointer values by suffixing `.addr` to the name of a variable, function or array.  
**Work in progress**:
There's no reason to make a function return `pointer` yet, since currently to dereference it, 
you need to put it in a variable first anyway.

You can access single bytes of variables by using the following notations:

* for 2-byte-sized variables: `.lo` for the least significant byte and `.hi` for the most significant byte

* for larger variables: `.b0` for the least significant byte and then `.b1`, `.b2` and so on

You can also access words that are parts of variables:

* for 3-byte-sized variables: `.loword` is the word formed from `.b1` and `.b0` and `.hiword` is the word formed from `.b2` and `.b1`

* for 4-byte-sized variables: `.loword` is the word formed from `.b1` and `.b0` and `.hiword` is the word formed from `.b3` and `.b2`

Numeric types can be converted automatically:

* from a smaller type to a bigger type (`byte`→`word`)

* from a type of undefined signedness to a type of defined signedness (`byte`→`sbyte`)

* from a type of defined signedness to a type of undefined signedness (`sbyte`→`byte`)

## Typed pointers

For every type `T`, there is a pointer type defined called `pointer.T`.

Unlike raw pointers, they are not subject to arithmetic.

Examples:

    pointer.t p
    p.raw       // expression of type pointer, pointing to the same location in memory as 'p'
    p.lo        // equivalent to 'p.raw.lo'
    p.hi        // equivalent to 'p.raw.lo'
    p[0]        // valid only if the type 't' is of size 1 or 2, accesses the pointed element
    p[i]        // valid only if the type 't' is of size 1, equivalent to 't(p.raw[i])'
    p->x        // valid only if the type 't' has a field called 'x', accesses the field 'x' of the pointed element
    p->x.y->z   // you can stack it

## Boolean types

TODO

## Special types

* `void` – a unit type containing no information, can be only used as a return type for a function.

## Enumerations

Enumeration is a 1-byte type that represents a set of values:

    enum <name> { <variants, separated by commas or newlines> }
    
The first variant has value 0. Every next variant has a value increased by 1 compared to a previous one. 
 
Alternatively, a variant can be given a custom constant value, which will change the sequence.

If there is at least one variant and no variant is given a custom constant value,
then the enumeration is considered _plain_. Plain enumeration types can be used as array keys.
For plain enumerations, a constant `<name>.count` is defined,
equal to the number of variants in the enumeration.

Assigment between numeric types and enumerations is not possible without an explicit type cast:

    enum E {}
    byte b
    E e
    e = b       // won't compile
    b = e       // won't compile
    b = byte(e) // ok
    e = E(b)    // ok
    
Plain enumerations have their variants equal to `byte(0)` to `byte(<name>.count - 1)`.
    
Tip: You can use an enumeration with no variants as a strongly checked alternative byte type,
as there are no checks no values when converting bytes to enumeration values and vice versa.

## Structs

Struct is a compound type containing multiple fields of various types:

    struct <name> { <field definitions (type and name), separated by commas or newlines>}

A struct is represented in memory as a contiguous area of variables laid out one after another.

Struct can have a maximum size of 255 bytes. Larger structs are not supported.

You can access a field of a struct with the dot:

    struct point { word x, word y }
    
    point p
    p.x = 3
    p.y.lo = 4

Offsets are available as `structname.fieldname.offset`:

    pointer ptr
    ptr = p.addr
    ptr += point.y.offset
    // ptr points now at p.y
    
    // alternatively:
    ptr = p.y.addr

## Unions

    union <name> { <field definitions (type and name), separated by commas or newlines>}

Unions are pretty similar to structs, with the difference that all fields of the union
start at the same point in memory and therefore overlap each other.

    struct point { byte x, byte y }
    union point_or_word { point p, word w }
    
    point_or_word u
    u.p.x = 0
    u.p.y = 0
    if u.w == 0 { ok() }

Offset constants are also available, but they're obviously all zero.