serene/docs/spec.org

Serene's Language Specification

• Basic Types
• Special Forms
  • def:
• Unsorted
  • Eval
• Glossary

\clearpageνll≠wpage

\chapter{Overview of Serene}

Basic Types

Special Forms

def:

def has the following form:

  (def <NAME> <VALUE>)

• Defines a global binding
• Returns the name of the binding as a symbol
• <NAME> has to be a symbol
• If def is not a top level expression, it will create an undef global binding which will be set to the <VALUE> when the execution flow reaches the def itself.

Unsorted

Eval

Evaluating any form using eval will add the form to the namespace containing the eval expression.

Glossary

Symbol

A Lisp Symbol. Just a symbol. A name that might be bound to a value and evaluates to the value.

IR Symbol

The Symbol infrastructure essentially provides a non-SSA mechanism in which to refer to an

operation in IR symbolically with a name. On MLIR level they are different from native symbols even though we use them to refer to native symbols. But they don't necessarily map to native symbols.

Native Sybol

As the name suggests native symbols refer to native code symbols. Like those you find in an

object file.