WalkLang

Getting started | Learn | Documentation | Contributing

This repository contains the WalkLang compiler, language specification, examples, tests, documentation, generated reference docs, and release tooling.

WalkLang compiles .walk source through generated C into native executables:

.walk source -> C++ compiler -> generated C + Walk C runtime -> native executable

A small WalkLang program looks like this:

func: add(a, b)
    return: + a b

out: add(2, 3)

Why WalkLang?

• Predictability: indentation-based syntax, explicit module boundaries, and a stable feature specification keep programs easy to read and reason about.
• Native output: WalkLang emits understandable C, then uses the system C compiler to build native executables.
• Tooling: project mode, tests, formatting, diagnostics, package workflows, editor support, API docs generation, and release scripts are part of the repo.

Current Version

WalkLang is currently v6.3.3.

v6.3.3 keeps the completed C++/C compiler release line, keeps stable math.remainder(int, int) -> int, and upgrades TinyChain into a more polished terminal showcase. The repo-local walk binary is built from C++ sources, generated programs link with the Walk C runtime, and features inside a release are labeled stable, draft, experimental, or planned when their maturity matters.

The first CLI standard-platform slice remains walktop, an official standalone WalkLang-built system monitor installed by the normal local install flow.

What Works Today

• .walk files compile through generated C into native executables.
• Stable syntax, diagnostics, modules, tests, and standard-library helpers are documented and compatibility-tested.
• Draft do:, defer:, io, parse, process, file, dir, path, json, map, term, http, and html helpers are implemented for current compiler experiments.
• Experimental structs, methods, and simple generic functions are implemented for current compiler experiments.
• walk run, direct walk file.walk, walk build, walk check, walk test, walk fmt, walk clean, walk package, walk docs, walk debug-map, walk lsp, walk repl, and walk version are implemented.
• walktop builds from tools/walktop/src/main.walk into a standalone native command with deterministic fixture mode and live OS-command mode.
• Project mode supports walk init, walk.toml, source/test layout, builds, checks, tests, formatting, explicit debug/release build modes, and cleanup.
• examples/tinychain/ shows a tested blockchain-style project with a colorful terminal transcript, tamper audit, and recorded missing language tools such as real hashing, struct-array append, multiline arrays, and stable persistence.
• Static docs and generated API reference output are repo-owned and deployed through GitHub Pages; live custom-domain HTTPS state is tracked in STATUS.md.

Quick Start

Read the install guide, then run a .walk file directly:

scripts/install-local.sh local
walk run playground/route_ranker.walk
walk playground/route_ranker.walk

Then build a small project:

walk init hello
cd hello
walk check
walk build
./build/hello
walk test

From the repository root, try the TinyChain showcase project:

cd examples/tinychain
../../build/walk test
../../build/walk run src/main.walk
env -u NO_COLOR CLICOLOR_FORCE=1 ../../build/walk run src/main.walk

Installing From Source

If you want to install from this repository, see INSTALL.md.

Getting Help

Start with the docs index at docs/README.md. The public docs site is built from docs/ and public/ in this repository and configured for walklang.wlkrlabs.com/docs. Until public community channels exist, use this repository's issue tracker for bugs and design questions.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

For a project overview and implementation direction, see ARCHITECTURE.md, ROADMAP.md, and STATUS.md.

License

WalkLang source code is distributed under the terms of the Apache License 2.0.

See LICENSE for details.

Trademark

The WalkLang name, logo, and brand identity are protected project marks owned by Shane Walker / WLKRLABS.

If you want to use the WalkLang name, logo, or brand identity, read TRADEMARKS.md.