Library documentation

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AsciiDots supports libraries! A library is a program that defines a character (usually a letter).

Using Libraries

A library can be imported by starting a line with %!, followed with the file name, followed with a single space and then the character that the library defines.

By default, all copies of the character to lead to the same (singleton) library code. This can cause some unexpected behavior if the library returns an old dot, since that old dot will come out of the char that it came from.

Here’s an example of importing the standard for_in_range library (located in the libs folder) as the character f:

%!for_in_range.dots f

The way to use a library varies. Inputs and outputs of the library are through the alias character.

For the for_in_range library, the inputs are defined as follows:

• The dot coming from the left side sets the starting value of the counter
• The dot coming from the right sets the end value of the Counter

And the outputs are as follows:

• A dot for each number within the range defined by the inputs is output from the top
• When the loop is complete (the end value has been reached), a dot is output from the bottom

Here is an example of outputting all the numbers between 1 and 100 to the console, then stopping the program:

%!for_in_range.dots f

         #
         $
         |
.-*-#1---f-\
  \-#100-+-/
         |
         &

Creating Libraries

Each library defined a character that will act as a warp to & from the library.

That can be done like so:

%$X `` X could be replaced with a different character, if so desired

It is recommended that you create warps for different sides of the char. Just look at the example code for the val_to_addr.dots library:

%^X
%$AB

B-X-A


A-*----@{+}-#0-B
  |      |
  \------/

Location of Library Source Files

The source files for libraries are searched for in the following directories (in order):

1. The directory of the asciidots file being interpreted
2. The implementation’s dots/libs/ directory
3. The implementation’s libs/ directory (for backwards compatibility)

Built-in library docs

Simple operations on dots

• neg.dots - Change the value of a dot to the opposite
• negate_id.dots - Change the id of a dot to the opposite
• val_to_id.dots - Set the id to the value
• bool_not.dots - Operation NOT on booleans

Loops

• for_in_range.dots - Generate a range of numbers between to values
• clone.dots - Generate the same dot x times

Data structures

• list.dots - Simulate a list with get, set, append, etc methods
• storage.dots - Simulates a queue that can be used to store a single value

Time

• wait.dots - Make a dot wait

(De)compression

• compress.dots - Compress dots so they go in the same path
• decompress.dots - Separate dots that go in the same path