AHA! Lang 1.4.0 Is Out

The AHA! Lang 1.4.0 release is the biggest leap since the project started — and it's not just about new features, but about a stronger foundation for future growth.

What's New in 1.4.0

Type System (src/types.rs)

The compiler now has a complete type system: Int, Bool, String, Void, Array, and Function. All binary and prefix operations are type-checked before execution via check_binary_op() and check_prefix_op().

That means errors like adding a string to an integer are now caught at compile time, instead of silently producing unexpected behavior at runtime.

A Safe String Type

Previously, strings were stored as integers masquerading as pointers — fast, but bug-prone. In 1.4.0, a string is an LLVM struct {i8*, i64} (pointer + length):

// internal: string = struct { ptr: i8*, len: i64 }

let s1 = "halo";
let s2 = " dunia";
let s3 = s1 + s2;   // concatenation via malloc + memcpy

print(s3);          // "halo dunia"
print(len(s3));     // 11 — O(1), reads the length field directly

• Concatenation "a" + "b" allocates a new buffer with malloc, copies with memcpy, and appends a null terminator.
• Comparison == and != on strings uses strcmp.
• len() is a new builtin that reads a string's length in O(1).

More Human-Friendly Code

• Block comments: complex code can now carry multi-line documentation.
• String escape sequences: \n, \t, \\, \", \r, \0.
• More flexible identifiers: my_var2 and _private are now valid.
• All compiler error messages are now in consistent English.

Quality: 84 Automated Tests

This release also brings a massive test suite:

All verified via CI — every commit on main is compiled and tested automatically.

After 1.4.0

The next roadmap covers native arrays, functions with parameters, and richer control flow. Follow the development path on the GitHub repo and our new Course — which breaks down how this compiler works from the inside.