MAS Programming Language

MAS is a minimal, interpreted programming language designed for learning compiler and interpreter implementation. It features a clean syntax inspired by Python, with support for variables, arithmetic, loops, conditionals, lists, and built-in functions like print.

MAS stands for Minimal And Simple — a language built from scratch to understand the core concepts of programming language design.

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🌟 Features

• Dynamic typing with automatic type inference
• First-class lists with literal syntax: [1, 2, 3]
• Control structures: if, loop, each (for-each loop)
• Functions: Built-in print, with user-defined functions (WIP)
• Expressions: Arithmetic (+, -, *, /), comparisons (==, !=, <, etc.)
• Clean syntax: No semicolons, indentation-like structure using end
• Memory management: Reference counting for automatic cleanup

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🚀 Example Program

# Hello World
print "Hello, MAS!"

# Variables and math
x = 10
y = x * 2 + 5
print "Result:", y

# Lists
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
print fruits

# Loop
i = 0
loop i < 3:
    print "Count:", i
    i = i + 1
end

# For-each loop
each f in fruits:
    print "Fruit:", f
end

each i in 1 to 3:
    print "Count:", i
end

def add(a,b):
    give a+b
end

print add(2,3)

Output:

Hello, MAS!
Result: 25
[apple, banana, cherry]
Count: 0
Count: 1
Count: 2
Fruit: apple
Fruit: banana
Fruit: cherry
Count: 1
Count: 2
Count: 3
5

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⬇️ Download & Releases

Pre-built binaries for Linux, macOS, and Windows are available on GitHub Releases.
👉 Download the latest version

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🛠️ Building from Source

Prerequisites

• A C compiler (GCC or Clang)
• Make

Build

git clone https://github.com/aditya-raj-arora/MASProgramming.git
cd MASProgramming/mas
make

Run a Program

./mas your_program.mas

Replace your_program.mas with the path to your MAS source file.

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REPL mode

./mas

write exit to quit repl mode

📁 Project Structure

mas/
├── mas.h           # Shared headers and type definitions
├── lexer.c         # Tokenizer (converts source code to tokens)
├── parser.c        # Recursive descent parser (builds AST)
├── interpreter.c   # Tree-walking interpreter (executes AST)
├── main.c          # Entry point and driver
├── Makefile        # Build script
└── test.mas        # Example MAS program

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🔧 Language Syntax

Variables

x = 42
name = "MAS"

Control Flow

# Conditional
if x > 10:
    print "Big number"
end

# Loop
i = 0
loop i < 5:
    print i
    i = i + 1
end

# For-each
items = [10, 20, 30]
each item in items:
    print item
end

Data Types

• Number: 42, 3.14
• String: "hello" (supports \n, \t, \")
• Boolean: true, false
• Null: null
• List: [1, "two", true]

Operators

• Arithmetic: +, -, *, /
• Comparison: ==, !=, <, <=, >, >=
• Assignment: =

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🧪 Testing

A sample test file is included:

./mas test.mas

This runs basic examples of variables, expressions, loops, and the print function.

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📚 Learning Goals

This project demonstrates core concepts in programming language implementation:

• Lexical analysis (tokenization)
• Recursive descent parsing
• Abstract Syntax Trees (AST)
• Tree-walking interpreters
• Runtime object model and memory management

It's ideal for students, hobbyists, or anyone wanting to build their first language!

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to:

• Fix bugs
• Add new features (e.g., user-defined functions, more data types)
• Improve error messages
• Write more test cases

Just open a pull request with your changes.

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📜 License

This project is open-source and available under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.

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Built with ❤️ for learners and creators.
— Aditya Raj Arora
— Mukta Motwani
— Shivam Saini

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