==========
For installation matters, cf. INSTALL.TXT
-Metalua 0.4.1
-=============
+Metalua 0.5
+===========
+
Metalua is a static metaprogramming system for Lua: a set of tools
that let you alter the compilation process in arbitrary, powerful and
maintainable ways. For the potential first-time users of such a
-system, a descripition of these tools, as implemented by Metalua,
+system, a description of these tools, as implemented by Metalua,
follows.
Dynamic Parsers
---------------
One of the tools is the dynamic parser, which allows a source file to
-change the grammar recognized by the parser, while it's being
+change the grammar recognized by the parser while it's being
parsed. Taken alone, this feature lets you make superficial syntax
tweaks on the language. The parser is based on a parser combinator
library called 'gg'; you should know the half dozen functions in gg
So if your parser won't natively let you specify infix operator
precedence and associativity easily, tough luck for you and your
code maintainers. With combinators OTOH, most of such useful
- functions already exist, and you can write your owns without
+ functions already exist, and you can write your own without
rewriting the parser itself. For instance, adding an infix operator
would just look like:
- To easily let users see sources as trees, as sources, or as
combination thereof, and switch representations seamlessly.
-- To offer the proper libraries, that won't force you to reinvent a
- square wheel, will take care of the most common pitfalls, won't
+- To offer the proper libraries that won't force you to reinvent a
+ square wheel will take care of the most common pitfalls and won't
force you to resort to brittle hacks.
On the former point, Lisps are at a huge advantage, their user syntax
error statements", "rename all local variables and their instances
into unique fresh names", "list the variables which escape this
chunk's scope", "insert a type-checking instruction into every
- assignments to variable X", etc. Most of non-trivial macros will
+ assignment to variable X", etc. Most of non-trivial macros will
require some of those global code transformations, if you really want
them to behave correctly.
extensions.
-Notworthy changes from 0.4 to 0.4.1
-===================================
+Noteworthy changes from 0.4.1 to 0.5
+====================================
+
+Simplification of the install and structure:
+
+- This release is included in Lua for Windows, so now it couldn't get simpler
+ for MS-Windows users!
+
+- Metalua is written in pure Lua again, thus making it platform-independant.
+ No more mandatory C libraries. Pluto interface might be back, as an option,
+ in a future version, but it's not worth the install trouble involved by
+ DLL dependencies.
+
+- Simpler build process, just run make.sh or make.bat depending on your OS.
+
+- Metalua libraries are now in a separate metalua/* package. This allows to
+ mix them with other Lua libraries, and to use them from plain Lua programs
+ if you FIXME
+
+
+Other changes:
+
+- new option -S in metalua: prints sources re-generated from AST, after macro
+ expansion.
+
+- compatible with more Lua VMs: 64 bits numbers, integral numbers, big endians...
+
+- some new extensions: xloop, xmatch, improved match.
+
+- ASTs now keep track of the source that generated them (API is not
+ mature though, it will be changed and broken).
+
+- improved table printer: support of a plain-Lua mode, alternative indentation
+ mode for deeply-nested tables.
+
+- added a generic table serializer, which handles shared and recursive
+ sub-tables correctly.
+
+- gg API has been made slightly more flexible, as a first step towards a
+ comprehensive syntax support for gg grammar definition. Follow the gg-syntax
+ branch on github for ongoing work.
+
+
+Noteworthy changes from 0.4 to 0.4.1
+====================================
- Proper reporting of runtime errors
- Interactive REPL loop
- Update to Pluto 2.2 and Lua 5.1.3
- Build for Visual Studio .NET
-Notworthy changes from 0.3 to 0.4
+Noteworthy changes from 0.3 to 0.4
=================================
- A significantly bigger code base, mostly due to more libraries:
friendly than the mlc from the previous version.
-- Metalua source libraries are looked for in environmemt variable
+- Metalua source libraries are searched for in environmemt variable
LUA_MPATH, distinct from LUA_PATH. This way, in an application
that's part Lua part Metalua, you keep a natural access to the
native Lua compiler.
Credits
=======
+
I'd like to thank the people who wrote the open source code which
makes Metalua run: the Lua team, the authors of Yueliang, Pluto, Lua
Rings, Bitlib; and the people whose bug reports, patches and
insightful discussions dramatically improved the global design,
-including John Belmonte, Olivier Gournet, Vyacheslav Egorov, David
-Manura, Olivier Gournet, Eric Raible, Laurence Tratt...
+including John Belmonte, Vyacheslav Egorov, David Manura, Olivier
+Gournet, Eric Raible, Laurence Tratt, Alexander Gladysh, Ryan
+Pusztai...
projects / metalua.git / blobdiff