r/Compilers • u/Hopeful-Ad-1665 • 3d ago

I built FoxVC: A lightweight custom scripting language with its own runtime and web studio [Open Source]

Hey everyone 👋

I'm excited to share a project I've been working on—FoxVC 🦊. It's a lightweight, custom scripting language I built from the ground up with its runtime and a web studio. It’s source. I just released it today.

The goal was simple: create a easy-to-learn scripting language that removes clutter like semicolons, colons and too much boilerplate. I wanted something that feels intuitive to use and gives you a smooth local development experience right away.

⚡ Syntax Preview

# 1. Structured function definition act getForce(mass, accel) emit mass * accel

2. State & execution

m = 450 a = 15 f = getForce(m, a)

say "Net Force:" say f

3. Clean condition branching (no colons, no brackets)

pick f > 5000 say "Status: High thrust threshold reached!" otherwise say "Status: Nominal thrust output."

🛠️ Architecture & Under the Hood

  • Lexer & AST Parser: Built custom with language features—mold blueprints, pulse loops, lock constants, guard and trap for error handling.
  • Flat & Clean Scoping: Uses Python-style indentation, no colons, no semicolons. Clean readable code.
  • Interactive Web Studio: Comes with a browser-based playground that runs locally on localhost:8080. No setup needed.
  • Zero-Toolchain Setup: Just run./install.sh on Linux/macOS or install.bat on Windows. Instant access.

📦 Source & Getting Started

FoxVC is open source under the MIT License.

👉 GitHub Repository: https://github.com/AnayUpadhyay-all/FoxVC

This is a public release so I’d love your feedback on:

  • The choice of words like act emit, pick and mold compared to traditional keywords, like function, return, if, etc.
  • How the AST parsing and statement handling works under the hood.
  • What features should come next in the engine.

Any thoughts, suggestions or issues are welcome. I'm still. Growing with this project and your input means a lot.

---

🛠️ Update (Wave 1 Fixes Pushed!):

Thanks to everyone who pointed out edge cases in the comments!

Bug 3.2 Fixed:** `trap` error handling no longer swallows `emit` (return), `halt` (break), or `skip` (continue) signals.

Syntax expanded:** Both `recover` and `otherwise` are now valid catch keywords.

- Added automated test harness verifying control signals pass cleanly.

Code & commits live on GitHub: https://github.com/AnayUpadhyay-all/FoxVC

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