Introduction

Zenoscript is a modern functional programming language that compiles to TypeScript. It brings the expressiveness of functional programming to the JavaScript ecosystem while maintaining full interoperability with existing TypeScript codebases.

What is Zenoscript?

Zenoscript is designed to make functional programming accessible and practical for everyday development. It combines:

• Pattern Matching - Powerful destructuring and control flow
• Immutable Data - Built-in immutable data structures
• Type Safety - Strong static typing with inference
• Zero Runtime - Compiles to clean TypeScript with no runtime dependencies

Key Features

Optional Parentheses

Clean, readable function calls inspired by functional languages:

// Function calls without parentheses
console.log "Hello, World!"
processValue 42
validateInput userData

// Compiles to clean TypeScript
console.log("Hello, World!");
processValue(42);
validateInput(userData);

Optional Return Statements

Functions automatically return their last expression:

// Concise function definitions
let add = (a, b) => { a + b }
let multiply = (x, y) => { x * y }

// Multi-statement functions
let processUser = (user) => {
  let validated = validateUser(user)
  let normalized = normalizeData(validated)
  normalized  // Automatically returned
}

Pattern Matching

let handleResponse = match response {
  :success(data) => processData(data)
  :error(msg) => logError(msg)
  :loading => showSpinner()
  _ => defaultHandler()
}

Pipe Operations

let result = data
  |> filter(isValid)
  |> map(transform)
  |> reduce(combine, initialValue)

Structural Types

struct User {
  name: string;
  email: string;
  age: number;
}

trait Serializable {
  serialize(): string;
}

Atoms for Constants

let status = :pending
let color = :red
let direction = :north

Philosophy

Zenoscript follows these core principles:

1. Functional First - Immutability and pure functions by default
2. TypeScript Native - Seamless integration with existing TS projects
3. Zero Runtime - No runtime dependencies or performance overhead
4. Developer Joy - Great tooling and error messages

Getting Started

Ready to dive in? Check out the Installation Guide to get Zenoscript set up on your machine.

TIP

If you're new to functional programming, don't worry! Zenoscript is designed to be approachable while still being powerful.