FAQ

Why do comparison and logical operators return Int 0/1 instead of Bool?

So logic can compose with arithmetic. is_even(n) * 100 just works — no casts. In AHA!, every operator that answers a yes/no question (==, !=, <, >, <=, >=, &&, ||) produces an Int, and Bool is reserved for the true/false literals and the ! prefix operator. This keeps the whole language on a single numeric axis.

Which LLVM version do I need?

LLVM 14, with Clang 14 and Polly. See Getting Started for the one-line Ubuntu/Debian install.

Can I run AHA! on Windows or macOS?

The compiler is written in Rust and targets LLVM 14. On Ubuntu/Debian there is a one-line install; on other platforms, install LLVM 14 (or use WSL on Windows) and cargo build --release will produce the same binary.

Is AHA! ready for production?

Not yet. The v1.x line is a solid, well-tested foundation — 305+ tests pass in CI — but struct codegen, generics, and a module system are still on the roadmap.

What types does AHA! have?

Three value types today: Int (64-bit), Bool (true/false), and String (a {pointer, length} struct). Arrays of Int are supported at the codegen level. See the Language Tour and Arrays.

Does AHA! need type annotations?

No. Function parameters are written without type annotations, and return types are inferred by a pre-pass before code generation. The type system still checks every operation at compile time, so mismatches like "hello" + 5 are caught before the IR is built.

Is if a statement or an expression?

An expression. The last expression of each branch is its value, so let m = if a > b { a } else { b }; works. The same is true for function bodies — the last expression is the return value.

How fast is len()?

O(1). Strings store their length in the struct, so len() reads a field rather than scanning the buffer.

How do I inspect the generated LLVM IR?

Use --emit-ir <path> to write the IR to a file. See the CLI Reference.

Where do I start learning?

Build the compiler with Getting Started, take the Language Tour, then try the Code Snippets.

How do I contribute?

Bug reports, feature ideas, and code are all welcome. See the contributing guidelines in the repository, and the Changelog for the current state of the project.