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@ -4,150 +4,8 @@ MoonScript is a programmer friendly language that compiles into
[Lua](http://ww.lua.org/). It gives you the power of the fastest scripting
language combined with a rich set of features:
* Provides a clean syntax using significant whitespace that avoids all the
keyword noise typically seen in a Lua script.
See <http://moonscript.org>.
* Adds table comprehensions, implicit return on functions, classes,
inheritance, scope management statements `import` & `export`, and a
convenient object creation statement called `with`.
* Can be loaded directly from a Lua script without an intermediate compile
step. It even knows how to tell you where errors occurred in the original
file when they happen.
Creating an instance of a class and calling a method:
class Thing
name: "unknown"
class Person extends Thing
say_name: -> print "Hello, I am", @name
with Person!
.name = "Moonscript"
\say_name!
MoonScript can either be compiled into Lua and run at a later time, or it
can be dynamically compiled and run using the *moonloader*. It's as simple
`require "moon"` in order to have Lua understand how to load and run any
MoonScript file.
The command line tools also let you run MoonScript directly from the
command line, like any first-class scripting language.
## Installation
### Installing with LuaRocks
The easiest way to install is to use Lua rocks and the provide rockspec.
LuaRocks can be obtained [here](http://www.luarocks.org/) or from your package
manager.
After it is installed, run the following in a terminal:
~> wget https://raw.github.com/leafo/moonscript/master/moonscript-dev-1.rockspec
~> luarocks install moonscript-dev-1.rockspec
This will provide the `moon` and `moonc` tools along with the `moonscript`
Lua module.
### Optional
If you are on Linux and want to run *watch* mode, which compiles `.moon` files to
`.lua` files as they are changed, you can install
[linotify](https://github.com/hoelzro/linotify).
## Learning
Read the [reference manual](docs/index.md).
## Command Line Use
Two tools are installed with MoonScript, `moon` and `moonc`.
`moonc` is used for transforming MoonsScript code into a Lua file.
It takes a list of files, compiles them all, and creates the associated `.lua`
files in the same directories.
### moon
`moon` can be used to run MoonsScript files directly from the command line,
without needing a separate compile step. All MoonsScript files are compiled in
memory as they are run.
~> moon my_script.moon
Any MoonScript files that are required will also be compiled and run
automatically.
When an error occurs during runtime, the stack trace is rewritten to give line
numbers from the original `.moon` file.
If you want to disable error rewriting, you can pass the `-d` flag. A full list
of flags can be seen by passing the `-h` or `--help` flag.
### moonc
`moonc` is used for transforming a MoonsScript file into a Lua file.
It takes a list of files, compiles them all, and creates the associated `.lua`
files alongside the `.moon` files.
~> moonc my_script1.moon my_script2.moon ...
You can control where the compiled files are put using the `-t` flag, followed
by a directory.
`moonc` can also take a directory as an argument, and it will recursively scan
for all MoonScript files and compile them.
Combined with `linotify` on linux, the `-w` flag can be used to watch all files
that match the given search path for changes, and then compile them only when
required.
A full list of flags can be seen by passing the `-h` or `--help` flag.
## Overview of Differences & Highlights
A more detailed overview of the syntax can be found in the
[documentation](docs/index.md).
* Whitespace sensitive blocks defined by indenting
* All variable declarations are local by default
* `export` keyword to declare global variables, `import` keyword to make local
copies of values from a table
* Parentheses are optional for function calls, similar to Ruby
* Fat arrow, `=>`, can be used to create a function with a self argument
* `@` can be prefixed in front of a name to refer to that name in `self`
* `!` operator can be used to call a function with no arguments
* Implicit return on functions based on the type of last statement
* ':' is used to separate key and value in table literals instead of `=`
* Newlines can be used as table literal entry delimiters in addition to `,`
* `\` is used to call a method on an object instead of `:`
* `+=`, `-=`, `/=`, `*=`, `%=` operators
* `!=` is an alias for `~=`
* Table comprehensions, with convenient slicing and iterator syntax
* Lines can be decorated with for loops and if statements at the end of the line
* If statements can be used as expressions
* Class system with inheritance based on metatable's `__index` property
* Constructor arguments can begin with `@` to cause them to automatically be
assigned to the object
* Magic `super` function which maps to super class method of same name in a
class method
* `with` statement lets you access anonymous object with short syntax
## Dependencies
The following are used in MoonScript:
* [Lua 5.1](http://lua.org)
* [LPeg](http://www.inf.puc-rio.br/~roberto/lpeg/lpeg.html)
* [LuaFileSystem](http://keplerproject.github.com/luafilesystem/)
* [alt-getopt](http://luaforge.net/projects/alt-getopt/)
* and optionally on Linux [linotify](https://github.com/hoelzro/linotify)
## License (MIT)