DesignScriptDocumentation(Draft)

Introduction
Lexicalelements
Comments
Semicolons
Identifiers
Keywords
Boolliteral
Integerliteral
Floatingpointliteral
Stringliteral
Types
PrimitiveTypes
Userdefinedtypes
List
Rank
Dynamiclist
Useasadictionary
Typeconversionrules(TBD)
Nonarraycase
Arraypromotion
Arraydemotion
Variables
Dynamic
ListImmutability
Scope
Declarations
Functiondeclaration
Defaultparameters
Functionoverloads
Classdeclaration
Inheritance
Constructors
Properties
Memberfunctions
Accessmodifiers
Staticmembers
_Dispose()method
Expressions
Listcreationexpression
Rangeexpression
Inlineconditionalexpression

Memberaccessexpression
Listaccessexpression
Operators
Arithmeticoperators
Comparisonoperators
Logicaloperators
Statements
Emptystatements
Importstatements
Expressionstatements
Assignments
Flowstatements
Returnstatements
Breakstatements
Continuestatement
Ifstatements
Whilestatements
Forstatements
Languageblocks
Defaultassociativelanguageblock
Nestedassociativelanguageblock
Imperativelanguageblock
Associativeupdate
Associativity
Associativityestablishment
Updatebyreexecution
Dependents
Entitiesthatcouldbedependedon
Variables
Function
Properties
Associativityscope
Replicationandreplicationguide
Replicationandreplicationguide
Functiondispatchruleforreplicationandreplicationguide
Builtinfunctions

1.

Introduction

ThisisthedocumentationforDesignScriptprogramminglanguage.DesignScriptisdynamic,
garbagecollectedandassociativelanguage,andprovidesstrongsupportforvisualprogramming
environment.


ThegrammarinthisspecificationisinExtendedBackusNaurForm(EBNF)1 .

ThisdocumentdoesntcontaininformationaboutAPIsandForeignFunctionInterface(FFI).Thelater
isimplementationdependent.

2.

Lexicalelements
2.1.

Comments

DesignScriptsupportstwokindsofcomments.

Singlelinecommentstartswith/ /andstopattheendoftheline.
Blockcommentsstartswith/ *andendswith* /.

Example:

x=1;//singlelinecomment

/*
Blockcomments
*/
y=2;

2.2.

Semicolons

Semicolon;isusedasaterminatorofastatement.

2.3.

Identifiers

IdentifiersinDesignScriptnamevariables,types,functionsandnamespaces.

Identifier=
identifier_start_letter{identifier_part_letter}

identifier_start_letteristheunicodecharacterinthefollowingcategories:
Uppercaseletter(Lu)
Lowercaseletter(Ll)
Titlecaseletter(Lt)
Modifierletter(Lm)
Otherletter(Lo)
Letternumber(Nl)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_BackusNaur_Form

identifier_part_letteristheunicodecharacterinthecategoriesofidentifier_start_letterincluding
thefollowingcategories:
Combiningletter(Mn,Mc)
Decimaldigitalletter(Nd)
Connectingletter(Nc)
ZeroWidthNonJoiner
ZeroWidthJoiner

2.4.

Keywords

Thefollowingwordsarereservedaskeywords

break,class,constructor,continue,def,else,elseif,extends,for,from,if,
import,in,return,static,while,

2.5.

Boolliteral

true,false

2.6.

Integerliteral

Integerliteralrepresentsanintegerconstant.Itisindecimalbase,orinhexadecimalbase.

digit=0..9

hex_digit=0..9+a..f+A..F

decimal_number=digit{digit}

hexadecimal_number=(0x|0X)hex_digit{hex_digit}

InDesignScript,therangeofintegervalueis263
263
1.

Example:

123;
0xff;//255
0XFF;//255

2.7.

Floatingpointliteral

Floatingpointliteralrepresentafloatingpointconstantindecimalbase.

floating_point=
digit{digit}.[digit{digit}][exponent]
|digit{digit}exponent
|.digit{digit}[exponent]


exponent=(E|e)[+|]digit{digit}

Example:

1.2e3;//1200.0;
1.234;
.123;//0.123

2.8.

Stringliteral

Stringliteralrepresentsastringconstant.Itisobtainedbyputtingcharactersequencebetween
doublequote( ).

Anycharactercanbeinthesequenceexceptnewlineanddoublequote( ).Backslashcharacterinthe
sequencecouldbecombinedwiththenextcharactertobecomeanescapecharacter2:

\a
\b
\f
\n
\t
\v
\r

Example:

//HelloDesignScript
//Language
\Hello\tDesignScript\nLanguage\;

3.

Types
3.1.

PrimitiveTypes

ThetypesysteminDesignScriptisdynamicandobjectoriented.DesignScriptsupportsfollowing
primitivetypes

Type

Valuerange

Defaultvalue

string

n.a.

integer

263
263
1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_character

floatingpoint

IEEE754doubleprecision3

bool

true,false

false

null

null

null

var

n.a.

null

Thedefaultvalueofallothertypesisnull.

3.2.

Userdefinedtypes

Userdefinedtypesaresupportedthroughclassmechanism.Objects,instancesofclasses,may
contain
Properties
Instancemethods
Staticmembers
Constructors

OnlysingleinheritanceisallowedinDesignScript.

3.3.

List
3.3.1.

Rank

Ifatypehasranksuffix,itdeclaresalist.Thenumberof[]specifiesthenumberofrank.[]..[]
specifiesarbitraryrank.Forexample,

int[]//anintegerlistwhoserankis1
int[][]//anintegerlistwhoserankis2
int[]..[]//anintegerlistwitharbitraryrank

Therankoftypedecideshowdoreplicationandreplicationguideworkinfunctiondispatch.

3.3.2.

Dynamiclist

ThelistinDesignScriptisdynamic.Itispossibletoindexintoanylocationofthelist.Ifsettingvalueto
anindexwhichisbeyondthelengthoflist,listwillbeautomaticallyexpanded.Forexample,

x={1,2,3};
x[5]=4;//x={1,2,3,null,null,4};

3.3.3.

Useasadictionary

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doubleprecision_floatingpoint_format

ListinDesignScriptisjustaspecialcaseofdictionarywhosekeysareintegers.Whenindexingalist,
thetypeofkeycouldbeanytype.Forexample:

x={1,2,3};
x[foo]=4;
x[false]=5;

Whenadictionaryisusedininclauseofforloop,itreturnsallvaluesassociatedwithkeys.

3.4.

Typeconversionrules(TBD)

Followingimplicittypeconversionrulesspecifytheresultofconvertingonetypetoanother:

3.4.1.

Nonlistcase

yesmeansconvertible,nomeansnoconvertible.

To
From

var

int

double

bool

string

userdefined

var

yes

no

no

no

no

no

int

yes

yes

yes

x!=0

no

no

double

yes

warning

yes

x!=0&&x
!=NaN

no

no

bool

yes

no

no

yes

yes

no

string

yes

no

no

x!=

yes

no

userdefined

yes

no

no

x!=null

no

Covariant

3.4.2.

Arraypromotion

To
From

var[]

int[]

double[]

bool[]

string[]

user
defined[]

var

yes

no

no

no

no

no

int

yes

yes

yes

x!=0

no

no

double

yes

warning

yes

x!=0&&x
!=NaN

no

no

bool

yes

no

no

yes

yes

no

string

yes

no

no

x!=

yes

no

userdefined

yes

3.4.3.

no

no

x!=null

no

Covariant

Arraydemotion

To
From

var

int

double

bool

string

userdefined

var[]

yes

no

no

no

no

no

int[]

yes

yes

yes

x!=0

no

no

double[]

yes

warning

yes

x!=0&&
x!=NaN

no

no

bool[]

yes

no

no

yes

yes

no

string[]

yes

no

no

x!=

yes

no

user
defined[]

yes

no

no

x!=null

no

Covariant

4.

Variables
4.1.

Dynamic

VariablesinDesignScriptaredynamic.Itisfreetoassignanykindsofobjectstoanyvariable,andthe
typeofavariableistotallyruntimedependent.

4.2.

ListImmutability

ListsinDesignScriptareimmutable.Thatis,whencopyingalistfromonevariabletotheother
variable,itisdeepcopyoperation:allelementsinthelistarecopiedaswell.

4.3.

Scope

DesignScriptusesblockscope4,andblocksareeitherfunctionsorlanguageblocks.Becauseof
associativity,avariablecouldbeusedbeforeitisdefined,theDesignScriptvirtualmachinewillensure
topropagatethevalueupdatetoallitsreferences.

Example:

x=1;
y=2;

deffoo(x){

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scope_(computer_science)#Block_scope

z=3;//zislocalvariable
return=x+y;//xisparameter
//yisdefinedintheglobalassociativelanguageblock
}

[Imperative]{
x=3;//updatetheglobalx
m=n;//m,narelocalvariables.Itisfinetousen
n=4;//theVMensuresmfinallyis4
return=x+y+m;
}

4.4.

Scoperesolution

Thesearchorderofanidentifieris
Innermostscope.
Eachprogressiveouterscope,includingclassscope.
Classesthatthecurrentclassextends.
Theglobalscope.

5.

Declarations
5.1.

Functiondeclaration

FunctionDeclaration=
defidentifier[:TypeSpecification]ParameterListStatementBlock.

ParameterList=
([Parameter{,Parameter}])

Parameter=
identifier[:TypeSpecification][DefaultArgument]

StatementBlock=
{{Statement}}

Thereturntypeoffunctionisoptional.Bydefaultthereturntypeisvar.Ifthereturntypeisspecified,
typeconversionmayhappen.Itisnotencouragedtospecifyreturntypeunlessitisnecessary.

Functionmustbedefinedintheglobalassociativelanguageblock.

Forparameters,iftheirtypesarenotspecified,bydefaultisv ar.Thetypeofparametersshouldbe
carefullyspecifiedsothatreplicationandreplicationguidewillworkasdesired.Forexample,ifa
parameterstypeisv ar[]..[](arbitraryrank),itmeansnoreplicationonthisparameter.

Example:

deffoo:var(x:int[]..[],y:int=3)
{
return=x+y;
}

5.1.1.

Default parameters

Functiondeclarationallowstohavedefaultparameter,butwithonerestriction:alldefault
parametersshouldbetherightmostparameters.

Forexample:

//itisvalidbecauseyandzaretherightmostdefaultparameters
deffoo(x,y=1,z=2)
{
return=x+y+z;
}

//itisinvalidbecausexisnottherightmostdefaultparameter
defbar(x=1,y,z=2)
{
return=x+y+z;
}

5.1.2.

Function overloads

DesignScriptsupportsfunctionoverload,i.e.,functionswithasamenamebutwithdifferent
types/numberofparameters,butwhichfunctionwillbecalledfinallyistotallyruntimedependent,,
especiallyifreplicationhappens.DesignScriptvirtualmachinewilltrytofindoutthebestmatchone
basedonthetypeofargumentsandthetypeofallparametersofallfunctioncandidates.

Followingcodeshowsafunctionoverloadexample:

deffoo(x:int,y:int)
{
return=x+y;
}

deffoo(x:double,y:double)
{
return=x*y;
}

//willcallfoo(x:int,y:int)
r1=foo(2,3);

//willcallfoo(x:double,y:double)
r2=foo(2.1,3.2);

5.2.

Classdeclaration

ClassDeclaration=
classidentifer[extendsidentifier]
{[ClassMemberDeclaration]}

ClasMemberDeclaration=
ConstructorDeclaration
|MemberDeclaration

ConstructorDeclaration=
constructoridentifierParameterList
[:base(ArgumentList)]
StatementBlock

MemberDeclaration=
[AccessModifier][static](FunctionDeclaration|VariableDeclaration;)

AccessMmodifier=public|protected|private

Classshouldbedefinedinthetopassociativelanguageblock.

5.2.1.

Inheritance

DesignScriptonlysupportssingleinheritance.Thatis,onlyonebaseclassisallowed.

Example:

classPoint2D
{
...
}

classPoint3D:extendsPoint2D
{
...
}

5.2.2.

Constructors

Althoughitisnotforced,butitissuggestedthatthenameofconstructorstartswithBytoindicate
howtocreatetheobject.Forexample,theconstructorofcreatingaP ointmaybe
B yCoordinates().

Iftheclassinheritsfromtheotherclass,itispossibletocallthebaseclass'sconstructorbycalling
b ase(...).

Tocreateaninstanceofclass,useobjectcreationstatementC lassName.ConstructorName(...).If
thenameofconstructoristhesameasclassname,oraclassiswithoutconstructor(inthiscasea

defaultconstructorwillbecreatedinternally),inbothcasesobjectcreationstatementcouldbe
simplifiedasC lassName(...).

Example:

classPoint2D
{
constructorByCoordinates(x,y)
{
...
}
}

classPoint3D:extendsPoint2D
{
constructorByCoordinates(x,y,z):base(x,y)
{
...
}

constructorPoint3D()
{
...
}
}

//createaninstanceofPoint3D
p1=Point3D.ByCoordinates(1,2,3);

//createtheotherinstanceofPoint3D
p2=Point3D();

5.2.3.

Properties

Variablesdefinedinclassareproperties.Theinitializationofpropertiescouldeitherbeinconstructor
orindefinition.

Todistinguishpropertiesfromotherkindsofvariables,memberaccessexpression
t his.property_nameorb ase.property_namecouldbeusedtoindicatep roperty_nameisa
propertyoftheclassorapropertyofbaseclass.

ExtendingpreviousP oint2DandP oint3Dexample:

classPoint2D
{
x=0;//initializepropertyx
y=0;

constructorByCoordinates(x,y)

{
this.x=x;
this.y=y;
}
}

classPoint3D:extendsPoint2D
{
z=0;

constructorByCoordinates(x,y,z):base(x,y)
{
this.z=z;
}

constructorPoint3D()
{
x=1;//itispropertyxofbaseclass
base.y=1;//itispropertyyofbaseclass
z=1;
}
}

//createtheotherinstanceofPoint3D
p1=Point3D();

//x==1
x=p1.x;

//updatepropertyy
p1.y=2;

5.2.4.

Memberfunctions

Thedefinitionofmemberfunctionsisthesameasnormalfunctiondefinition.Allpropertiesare
accessibleinmemberfunctions.

5.2.5.

Accessmodifiers

Theaccessrestrictiontoclasspropertiesandmemberfunctionsarespecifiedbylabelspublic,
protectedandp
rivate.Ifnoaccessspecifierisspecifiedformembers,bydefaulttheyarepublic.

Thefollowingrulesapply:

Publicmembersareaccessiblefromanywhereinsideandoutsidetheclass.
Protectedmembersareonlyaccessibleintheclassorinthederivedclass.
Privatemembersareonlyaccessibleintheclass.

Example:

classBase
{
privateprop1;
protectedprop2;
publicprop3;

privatedeffoo1()
{...}

protecteddeffoo2()
{...}

//bydefaultitispublic
deffoo3()
{
}
}

classDerived:extendsBase
{
defbar()
{
//as"prop1"isprivateinbase,itisnotaccessible
x=prop1;

//"prop2"isaccessibleinderivedclass
y=prop2;

//"prop3"isaccessibleinderivedclass
z=prop3;
}
}

b=Base();

//as"prop1"isprivate,itisnotaccessibleoutsidetheclass
//p1isnull
p1=b.prop1;

//as"prop2"isprotected,itisnotaccessibleoutsidetheclass
//p2isnull
p2=b.prop2;

//as"prop3"ispublic,itisaccessibleoutsidetheclass
p3=b.prop3;

5.2.6.

Staticmembers

Staticpropertiesandstaticmemberfunctionsaredefinedonclasslevel.Thatis,theaccessexpression
isintheformof"C lassName.X"or"C lassName.Y()'

Therearesomerules:

 Itisinvalidtoaccessstaticmembersoninstancelevel.
Itisinvalidifastaticpropertyhasthesamenameasanonstaticproperty,orastaticmember
functionhasthesamesignatureasanonstaticmemberfunction.
Itisnotnecessarytohave"C lassName."prefixwhencallingstaticmembersintheclass.

Theexamplebelowsshowstheserules:

classFoo
{
x;

//error:xhasbeendefinedasanonstaticproperty
staticx;

staticY;

deffoo()
{
}

//error:foo()hasbeendefinedasanonstaticmemberfunction
staticdeffoo()
{
}

staticdefbar()
{
//error:itisinvalidtocallstaticmemberfunctioninnonstatic
//memberfunction
qux();
}

defqux()
{
//itisfinetocallstaticmemberfunctioninnonstaticmember
//function
bar();
}
}

f=Foo();

//error:itisinvalidtoaccessstaticmembersoninstancelevel
r=f.Y;

//getthevalueofstaticmember"Y"
r=Foo.Y;

//error:itisinvalidtoaccessstaticmembersoninstancelevel
r=f.bar();

//callstaticmemberfunction"bar()"
r=Foo.bar();

5.2.7.

_Dispose() method

Ifapublic_Dispose()methodisdefinedintheclass,whentheinstanceisgarbagecollected,this
methodwillbecalled,so_Dispose()couldbeusedtoreleaseresourcesacquiredbyinstance.
Typically,thismethodwillbegeneratedautomaticallyforFFIclasses.

Example:

classDiposable
{
staticFlag=false;

def_Dispose()
{
Flag=true;
}
}

[Imperative]
{
d=Disposable();

//builtinfunctiontoforcegarbagecollection.

__GC();
//"d"willbegarbagecollected
}

//Disposable.Flagistrue
r=Disposable.Flag;

5.3.

Functionresolution

Theorderofresolveafunctionis:
Innermostscope
Eachprogressiveouterscope
Classinstancescope
Classthattheclassextends
Theglobalscope

Asfunctioncouldbeoverloaded,theresultoffunctionresolutionwillreturnalistoffunction
candidates.Thevirtualmachinewillfindoutthebestmatchdependingonthetypeofarguments,the
typesofparametersandreplicationguide.

6.

Expressions
6.1.

Listcreationexpression

ListCreationExpression={[Expression{,Expression}]}

Listcreationexpressionistocreatealist.Example:

x={{1,2,3},null,{true,false},DesignScript};

6.2.

Rangeexpression

Rangeexpressionisaconvenientwaytogeneratealist.

RangeExpression=
Expression[..[#]Expression[..[#]Expression]

Therearethreeformsofrangeexpressions:
start_value..end_value
Ifs tart_value<e nd_value,itgeneratesalistinascendantorderwhichstartsat
start_value,andthelastvalue<e
nd_value,theincrementis1
Ifs tart_value>e nd_value,itgeneratesalistindescendentorderwhichstartsat
start_valueandthelastvalue>=e
nd_value,theincrementis1.
start_value..#number_of_elements..increment:itgeneratesalistthatcontains
number_of_elementselements.Elementstartsats
tart_valueandtheincrementis
increment.
start_value..end_value..#number_of_elements:itgeneratesalistthatcontains
number_of_elementselements.Elementstartsatstart_valueandendsatend_value.
Dependingonifs tart_value<=e nd_value,thegeneratedlistwillbeinascendantorderorin
descendentorder.

Example:

1..5;//{1,2,3,4,5}

5..1;//{5,4,3,2,1}

1.2..5.1;//{1.2,2.2,3.2,4.2}

5.1..1.2;//{5.1,4.1,3.1,2.1}

1..#5..2;//{1,3,5,7,9}

1..5..#3;//{1,3,5}

Rangeexpressionishandledspeciallyforstringswithsinglecharacter.Forexample,followingrange
expressionsarevalidaswell:

a..e;//{a,b,c,d,e}

a..#4..2;//{a,c,e,g}

a..g..#3;//{a,d,g}

6.3.

Inlineconditionalexpression

InlineConditionalExpression=Expression?Expression:Expression;

Thefirstexpressionininlineconditionalexpressionisconditionexpressionwhosetypeisbool.Ifitis
true,thevalueof?clausewillbereturned;otherwisethevalueof:clausewillbereturned.The
typesofexpressionsfortrueandfalseconditionsarenotnecessarytobethesame.Example:

x=2;
y=(x%2==0)?foo:21;

Inlineconditionalexpressionsreplicateonallthreeexpressions.Example:

x={true,false,true};
y={foo,bar,qux};
z={ding,dang,dong};

r=x?y:z;//replicates,r={foo,dang,qux}

6.4.

Memberaccessexpression

Memberaccessexpressionisoftheform

x.y.z

yandzcouldbeproperties,ormemberfunctions.Iftheyarenotaccessible,nullwillbe
returned.

6.5.

Listaccessexpression

Listaccessexpressionisoftheform


a[x]

xcouldbeintegervalueorakeyofanykindoftypes(ifaisadictionary).

Thefollowingrulesapply:
Ifitisjustgettingvalue,ifa isnotalist,orthelengthofaislessthanx,ortherankof
a islessthanthenumberofindexer,forexampletherankofa is2buttheexpressionis
a[x][y][z],therewillbeaIndexOutOfRangewarningandn
ullwillbereturned.
Ifitisassigningavaluetothelist,ifa isnotalist,orthelengthofaislessthanx ,orthe
rankofa islessthanthenumberofindexer,a willbeextendedoritsdimensionwill
promotedsothatitisabletoaccommodatethevalue.Forexample,

a=1;
a[1]=2;//awillbepromoted,a={1,2}now
a[3]=3;//awillbeextended,a={1,2,null,3}now
a[0][1]=3;//awillbepromoted,a={{1,3},2,null,3}now

6.6.

Operators

ThefollowingoperatorsaresupportedinDesignScript:

+Arithmeticaddition
Arithmeticsubtraction
*Arithmeticmultiplication
/Arithmeticdivision
%Arithmeticmod
>Comparisonlarge
>=Comparisonlargethan
<Comparisonless
<=Comparisonlessthan
==Comparisonequal
!=Comparisonnotequal
&&Logicaland
||Logicalor
!Logicalnot
Negate

Alloperatorssupportreplication.Exceptunaryoperator!,allotheroperatorsalsosupport
replicationguide.Thatis,theoperandscouldbeappendedreplicationguides.

x={1,2,3};
y={4,5,6};
r1=x+y;//replication
//r1={5,7,9}

r2=x<1>+y<2>;//replicationguide
//r2={
//{5,6,7},
//{6,7,8},
//{7,8,9}
//}

Operatorprecedence

Precedence

Operator

*,/,%

+,

>,>=,<,<=,==,!=

&&

||

6.7.

Arithmeticoperators

+,,*,/,%

Normallytheoperandsareeitherintegervalueorfloatingpointvalue.+canbeusedasstring
concatenation:

s1=Design;
s2=Script;
s=s1+s2;//DesignScript

6.8.

Comparisonoperators

>,>=,<,<=,==,!=

6.9.

Logicaloperators

&&,||,!

Theoperandshouldbebooltype;otherwisetypeconversionwillbeincurred.

7.

Statements
7.1.

Emptystatements

Emptystatementis

7.2.

Importstatements

ImportstatementsimportotherDesignScriptsourcefileorC#assemblyintocurrentnamespace.

ImportStatement=import((string|(identfromstring)))

IfimportingaC#assembly,DesignScriptvirtualmachinewillgenerateDesignScriptclassesforclasses
definedintheassembly,thisisdonebyFFI.

Importstatementscouldimportalltheentitiesfoundatthelocation,orforspecificnamedentity
foundatthelocation.

Thelocationmaybespecifiedby:
Arelativefilepath,usinglocaloperatingsystemconventions.
Anabsolutefilepath,usinglocaloperatingsystemconventions.
AURI.

Example:

import(/home/dev/libraries/foo.ds);
import(PointfromGeometry.dll);

7.3.

Expressionstatements

ExpressionStatement=Expression;

Expressionstatementsareexpressionswithoutassignment.

7.4.

Assignments

Assignment=Expression=((Expression;)|LanguageBlock)

Thelefthandsideof=shouldbeassignable.Typically,itismemberaccessexpressionorarray
accessexpressionorvariable.Ifthelefthandsideisavariablewhichhasntbeendefinedbefore,the
assignmentstatementwilldefinethisvariable.

7.5.

Flowstatements

Flowstatementschangetheexecutionflowoftheprogram.Aflowstatementisoneofthefollowings:

1. Areturnstatement.
2. Abreakstatementintheblockoffororwhilestatementinimperativelanguageblock.
3. Acontinuestatementintheblockoffororwhilestatementinimperativelanguageblock.

7.6.

Returnstatements

ReturnStatement=return=Expression;

Areturnstatementterminatestheexecutionoftheinnermostfunctionandreturnstoitscaller,or
terminatestheinnermostimperativelanguageblock,andreturnstotheupperlevellanguageblockor
function.

7.7.

Breakstatements

BreakStatement=break;

Abreakstatementterminatestheexecutionoftheinnermostforlooporwhileloop.

7.8.

Continuestatement

ContinueStatement=continue;

Acontinuestatementbeginsthenextiterationoftheinnermostforlooporwhileloop.

7.9.

Ifstatements

ifstatementsspecifytheconditionalexecutionofmultiplebranchesbasedonthebooleanvalueof
eachconditionalexpression.ifstatementsareonlyvalidinimperativelanguageblock.

IfStatement=
if(Expression)StatementBlock
{elseif(Expression)StatementBlock}
[elseStatementBlock]

Forexample:

x=5;
if(x>10){
y=1;
}
elseif(x>5){

y=2;
}
elseif(x>0){
y=3;
}
else{
y=4;
}

7.10.

Whilestatements

whilestatementsrepeatedlyexecutesablockuntiltheconditionbecomesfalse.whilestatements
areonlyvalidinimperativelanguageblock.

WhileStatement=while(Expression)StatementBlock

Example:

sum=0;
x=0;
while(x<10)
{
sum=sum+x;
x=x+1;
}
//sum==55

7.11.

Forstatements

foriteratesallvaluesininclauseandassignsthevaluetotheloopvariable.Theexpressioninin
clauseshouldreturnalist;ifitisasingleton,itisasinglestatementevaluation.forstatementsare
onlyvalidinimperativelanguageblock.

ForStatement=for(IdentifierinExpression)StatementBlock

Example:

sum=0;
for(xin1..10)
{
sum=sum+x;
}
//sum==55

8.

Languageblocks
8.1.

Defaultassociativelanguageblock

Bydefault,allstatementsareinadefaulttopassociativelanguageblock,soassociativeupdateis
enabledbydefault.

Notlikenestedlanguageblock,thereisnoreturnstatementintoplanguageblock:allstatementswill
beexecutedsequentiallytothelastone.

8.2.

Nestedassociativelanguageblock

Itisalsovalidtoexplicitlydefineanestedassociativelanguageblockinthetopassociativelanguage
block,inanimperativelanguageblockorinafunction.

AssociativeLanguageBlock=[Associative]StatementBlock

Thestatementsinassociativelanguageblockwillbeexecutedsequentiallyuntilareturnstatement
returnsavalue;otherwisethelanguageblockreturnsn ull.

Noteitisinvalidtodefineanassociativelanguageblockinsideanassociativelanguageblock,except
thelateristhedefaultone.

Examples:

x=1;

//z=3
z=[Associative]
{
y=2;
return=x+y;
}

[Associative]
{
//invalidassociativelanguageblock
[Associative]
{
}
}

8.3.

Imperativelanguageblock

Imperativelanguageblockprovidesaconvenientwaytouseimperativesemantics.Similartonested
associativelanguageblock,imperativelanguageblockexecutesallstatementssequentiallyunlessa

statementisareturnstatementtoreturnavalue.Imperativelanguageblockcanonlybedefinedin
theotherassociativelanguageblock,includingthetopassociativelanguageblock.

Thekeydifferencesbetweenassociativelanguageblockandimperativelanguageblockare:
Associativeupdateistemporarilydisabledinimperativelanguageblock.
if,forandwhilestatementsareonlyavailableinimperativelanguageblock.

Example:

x=1;

//defineanimperativelanguageblockinthetopassociativelanguageblock
y=[Imperative]
{
if(x>10){
return=3;
}
elseif(x>5){
return=2;
}
else{
return=1;
}
}

defsum(x)
{
//defineanimperativelanguageblockinsideafunction,whichisinglobal
//associativelanguageblock
return=[Imperative]
{
s=0;
for(iin1..x)
{
s=s+i;
}
return=s;
}
}

[Associative]
{
//defineanimperativelanguageblockinsideanassociativelanguageblock
return=[Imperative]
{
return=42;
}
}

[Imperative]

{
//invalidimperativelanguageblock
[Imperative]
{
}
}

9.

Associativeupdate
9.1.

Associativity

AssociativityisafeatureinDesignScriptthatallowsthepropagationofchangeofavariabletoall
dependentstatementsintheprogram.Thepropagationofchangehappensatruntimeandishandled
byupdatemechanisminDesignScriptvirtualmachine.

Followingcodeshowsasimpleassociativeupdatecase:

1:x=1;
2:y=x;
3:x=3;

Ifthecodeisinassociativelanguageblock,itwillbeexecutedasfollow:
1. x issetto1.
2. y issettoxanddependsonx ,soy is1.
3. x ischangedto3.Asy dependsonx ,y willbeupdatedto3.

Atline2,y dependsonx ,ory isadependentofx ;thenonline3,thechangeofxwill

Ontheotherhand,ifthecodeisinimperativelanguageblock,thechangeofx willnotupdatey,
justlikeotherprogramminglanguages.

Therearefourkeyelementsinassociativitydefinitionandupdate:
1. Theestablishmentofassociativityisdonebyassignmentstatement.
2. Theupdateisdonebyreexecutingassignmentstatement.
3. Thedependent(onthelefthandsideofassignment)couldbe
Variables
Properties
4. Entitiesthatcouldbedependedonare
Variables
Properties
Functions

9.2.

Associativityestablishment

Assignmentstatementinassociativelanguageblockestablishesarelationshipbetweentheassigned
entitiesandtheentitiesusedinthestatementtocomputeit.Reredefinitionwillremoveprevious
associativity(ifthereis)andredefineassociativity.

Itisimportanttonotethattheassignedentitiesandtheentitiesthataredependedonshouldbe
definedinthesamescope.Seeassociativityscope.

Anexampleinassociativelanguageblock

1:x=1;
2:y=2;
3:z=foo(x,y);
4:x=3;
5:y=4;
6:z=0;
7:x=5;

Atline3,theassignmentestablishestheassociativitybetweenzandfoo,xandy,sozwill
dependonf oo,x andy .Afterupdatingx to3,line3willbereexecutedtoupdatez ;after
updatingy to4atline5,line3willbereexecutedagain.

Atline6,theredefinitionofz removepreviouslyestablishedassociativity.Nowz nolonger

Assignmentstatementinimperativelanguageblockchangesonlyvariables/propertiestheyare
assignedtoandhasnoimplicitupdate.

Anexampleinimperativelanguageblock

[Imperative]
{
1:x=1;
2:y=x;
3:x=3;
}

Thecodeisexecutedlinebyline,norecomputationwillhappeninimperativelanguageblock.After
execution,x is3andy is1.

9.3.

Updatebyreexecution

Thechangeispropagatedtoalldependentsrecursivelybyreexecutingallstatementsthatestablish
associativity.

9.4.

Dependents

Adependentcouldbeavariableoraproperty.Codebelowshowsthelatercase.

classFoo
{
x;
}

f=Foo();
m=21;

//propertyxdependsonm
f.x=m;

m=42;

//ris42
r=f.x;

Aftermisupdatedto42,assignmentstatementf.x=mwillbereexecutedtoupdateproperty
x .

9.5.

Entitiesthatcouldbedependedon
9.5.1.

Variables

Thechangeofvariablewilltriggerupdatesofitsdependents.Variablecouldappearsin
Expression
Parameters:intheformofx =f(y,z),wherexdependsonf ()andvariablesyand
z.
Listindexing:intheformofx =y[z],wherex dependsonbothvariablesy andarray
indexervariablez .

Thereisaspecialcaseforselfredefinition,i.e.,avariabledependsonitself.Forexample,a=a+
1.Thiskindofselfredefinitionwillnotremovepreviouslyestablishedassociativitybetweenaand
othervariables.Besides,thechangeofa willonlyupdateitsdependents,nota itself.Following
exampleillustratesthiscase:

1:x=1;
2:y=2;
3:x=x+y;
4:z=x+y;

5:x=x+1;

Thecodeabovewillbeexecutedasfollow:
1. x issetto1.
2. y issetto2.
3. x ischangedtox +y.Sox dependsony,xis3now.
4. z issettox +y.Soz dependsonx andy ,z is3now.
5. x isincreasedby1.Theupdateforz willbetriggered,z is4now.

Itisalsofinethatvariableappearsinfunctionparameterlist,justastheexampleinassociativity
establishmentshows.

9.5.2.

Function

Intheformof

x=f(...);

Theassignmentestablishesassociativitybetweenxandfunctionf().Anyupdateoffunctionbody
ofanyoverloadedf ()willcausethereexecutionofthisstatement.Notethisfeatureisonly
availablewhenliverunnerisenabled(whichisonlyavailableinvisualprogrammingenvironment).

9.5.3.

Properties

Intheformof

r=x.y.z;

Theassignmentestablishesassociativitybetweenrandvariablexandpropertiesyandz.Any
updateforx ,y andz willupdater .

Example:

classFoo
{
x;
constructorFoo(_x)
{
x=_x;
}
}

classBar
{
foo;

constructorBar(_x)
{
f=Foo(_x);
}
}

b=Bar(0);
t=b.foo.x;

b.foo.x=1;//updatex
b.f=Foo(2);//updatef
b=Bar(3);//updateb

Eachupdateinthelastthreestatementwillreexecutestatementt=b.foo.xtoupdatethevalue
oft .

9.6.

Associativityscope

Astheestablishmentofassociativityandupdatearebothatruntime,itisimportanttonotethatthe
associativityestablishmentandupdateshouldonlyapplytoentitiesinthesamescope;otherwisethe
resultisundefined.Iftherealreadyisanassociativity,theassociativitymayberemoved.

Therearefourundefinedcases:
1. Thedependentisdefinedinupperscopeanddependsonvariablesdefinedinthesamescope,
butassociativityisestablishedinfunction.Forexample,inbelowcode,x andy both
definedinglobalassociativelanguageblock.Theexecutionoffoo()willexecuteline5to
establishassociativitybetweenx andy .Theexpectedbehaviorofthiskindofassociativity
isundefined,thereforeupdatingy to3willnotnecessarilyupdatex astheDesignScript
virtualmachinedoesntsupporttojustexecuteline5withoutexecutingthewholefunction
f oo().

1:x=1;
2:y=2;
3:deffoo()
4:{
5:x=y;
6:return=null;
7:}
8:
9:foo();

10:y=3;//theupdateforxisundefined

2. Thedependentisdefinedinupperscopeanddependsonvariablesdefinedinthesamescope,
butassociativityisestablishedinnestedlanguageblock.Forexample,inbelowcode,x and
y bothdefinedinglobalassociativelanguageblock.Theexecutionofnestedimperative
languagewillestablishassociativitybetweenx andy atline5,buttheexpectedbehavior
ofthiskindofassociativityisundefinedaswell.


1:x=1;
2:y=2;
3:[Imperative]
4:{
5:x=y;
6:return=null;
7:}

8:y=3;//theupdateforxisundefined

3. Thedependentisdefinedinupperscopebutdependsonvariablesdefinedinfunction.For
example,x dependsonlocalvariabley inf oo().
1:x=1;
2:deffoo()
3:{
4:y=2;
5:x=y;
6:return=null;
7:}
8:foo();
9:y=3;

4. Thedependentisdefinedinupperscopebutdependsonvariablesdefinedinnestedlanguage
block.Forexample,x dependsonlocalvariabley innestedimperativelanguageblock.
1:x=1;
2:[Imperative]
3:{
4:y=2;
5:x=y;
6:return=null;
7:}

10.

Replicationandreplicationguide
10.1.

Replicationandreplicationguide

Replicationisawaytoexpressiterationinassociativelanguageblock.Itappliestoafunctioncall
whentherankofinputargumentsexceedstherankofparameters.Inotherwords,afunctionmaybe
calledmultipletimesinreplication,andthereturnvaluefromeachfunctioncallwillbeaggregated
andreturnedasalist.

Therearetwokindsofreplication:
Zipreplication:formultipleinputlists,zipreplicationisabouttakingeveryelementfromeach
listatthesamepositionandcallingthefunction;thereturnvaluefromeachfunctioncallis

aggregatedandreturnedasalist.Forexample,forinputarguments{x1,x2,...,xn}and
{y1,y2,...,yn},whencallingfunctionf
()withzipreplication,itisequivalentto{f(x1,
y1},f(x2,y2),...,f(xn,yn)}.Asthelengthsofinputargumentscouldbedifferent,zip
replicationcouldbe
Shortestzipreplication:usetheshorterlength.
Longestzipreplication:usethelongestlength,thelastelementintheshortinputlist
willberepeated.
Thedefaultzipreplicationistheshortestzipreplication;otherwiseneedtousereplication
guide
tospecifythelongestapproach.
Cartesianreplication:itisequivalenttonestedloopinimperativelanguage.Forexample,for
inputarguments {x1,x2,...,xn}and{ y1,y2,...,yn},whencallingfunctionf ()with
cartesianreplicationandthecartesianindicesare{ 0,1},whichmeanstheiterationoverthe
firstargumentisthefirstloop,andtheiterationoverthesecondargumentisthenestedloop;
itisequivalentto{f(x1,y1},f(x1,y2),...,f(x1,yn},f(x2,y1),f(x2,y2),
...,f(x2,yn),...,f(xn,y1),f(xn,y2),...,f(xn,yn)}.

Replicationguideisusedtospecifytheorderofcartesianreplicationindices;thelowerreplication
guide,theouterloop.Iftworeplicationguidesarethesamevalue,zipreplicationwillbeapplied.

ReplicationGuide=<number[L]>{<number[L]>}

Onlyintegervalueisallowedinreplicationguide.PostfixLdenotesifthereplicationiszip
replication,thenusethelongestzipreplicationstrategy.Thenumberofreplicationguidespecifiesthe
nestedlevel.Forexample,replicationguide xs<1><2>indicatestheargumentshouldbeatleastof2
dimensionalanditsnestedlevelis2;itcouldalsobeexpressedbythefollowingpseudocode:

//xs<1><2>
for(ysinxs)
{
for(yinys)
{
...
}
}

Example:

defadd(x:var,y:var)
{
return=x+y;
}

xs={1,2};
ys={3,4};
zs={5,6,7};

//usezipreplication
//r1={4,6}
r1=add(xs,ys);

//usetheshortestzipreplication
//r2={6,8};
r2=add(xs,zs);

//thelongestzipreplicationshouldbespecifiedthroughreplicationguide.
//theapplicationguidesshouldbethesamevalue;otherwisecartesian
//replicationwillbeapplied
//r3={6,8,9}
r3=add(xs<1L>,zs<1L>);

//usecartesianreplication
//r4={{4,5},{5,6}};
r4=add(xs<1>,ys<2>);

//usecartesianreplication
//r5={{4,5},{5,6}};
r5=add(xs<2>,ys<1>);

Besidesreplicationforexplicitfunctioncall,replicationandreplicationguidecouldalsobeappliedto
thefollowingexpressions:
1. Binaryoperatorslike+,,*,/andsoon.AllbinaryoperatorsinDesignScriptcanbeviewedas
afunctionwhichacceptstwoparameters,andunaryoperatorcanbeviewedasafunction
whichacceptsoneparameters.Therefore,replicationwillapplytoexpressionx s+ysif
x sandy sarelists.
2. Rangeexpression.
3. Inlineconditionalexpressionintheformofx s?ys:zswherex s,y sandz sare
lists.
4. Arrayindexing.Forexample, xs[ys]wherey sisalist.Replicationcouldapplytoarray
indexingonthebothsidesofassignmentexpression.Notereplicationdoesnotapplyto
multipleindices.
5. Memberaccessexpression.Forexample,x s.foo(ys)where xsand ysarelists.Replication
guidecouldbeappliedtoobjectsandarguments.Ifx sisalist,x sshouldbeahomogeneous
list,i.e.,allelementsinx sareofthesametype.

10.2.

Functiondispatchruleforreplicationandreplicationguide

Usingzipreplicationorcartesianreplicationtotallydependsonthespecifiedreplicationguide,the
typesofinputargumentsandthetypesofparameters.Becausetheinputargumentcouldbea
heterogenouslist,theimplementationwillcomputewhichreplicationcombinationwillgeneratethe
shortesttypeconversiondistance.


Noteifargumentisjaggedlist,thereplicationresultisundefined.

Formally,forafunctionf (x1:t1,x2:t2,...,xn:tn)andinputargumentsa1,a2,...,
an,functiondispatchruleis:
1. Getalistofoverloadedfunctionf ()withsamenumberofparameters.Thesefunctionsare
candidates.
2. Iftherearereplicationguides,theywillbeprocessedlevelbylevel.Forexample,forfunction
call f(as<1><1>,bs,cs<1><2>,ds<2><1L>),therearetwolevelsofreplicationguides.

a. Foreachlevel,sortreplicationguidesinascendantorder.Ifreplicationguideisless
thanorequalto0,thisreplicationguidewillbeskipped(itisastubreplicationguide).
i.
Foreachreplicationguide,ifitappearsinmultiplearguments,zipreplication
applies.Bydefaultusingshortestlacing.Ifanyreplicationguidenumberhas
suffixL,longestlacingapplies.
ii.
Otherwisecartesianreplicationapplies.
iii.
Repeatstepbuntilallreplicationguideshavebeenprocessed.
b. Repeatstepauntilallreplicationlevelshavebeenprocessed.
c. Forthisexample,followingreplicationswillbegenerated:
i.
Zipreplicationona s, cs
ii.
Cartesianreplicationond s
iii.
Zipreplicationona s,d s
iv.
Cartesianreplicationond s
3. Aftertheprocessingofreplicationguide,therankofeachinputargumentiscomputed:r1=
rank(a1),r2=rank(a2),...,rn=rank(an);foreachrank,updateitto r=r
<numberofreplicationguideonargument>.Thefinallist
{r1,r2,...,rn}iscalleda
reductionlist, eachreductionvaluerepresentsapossiblemaximumnestedlooponthe
correspondingargument.
4. Basedonthisreductionlist,computeacombinationofreductionlistwhoseelementvalueis
lessthanorequaltothecorrespondingreductionvalueinbasereductionlist.Foreach

reductionlist{r1,r2,...,rn},iterativelydothefollowingcomputationtogenerate
replications:
a. Forany ri>0,r i=r i1.Iftherearemultiplereductionswhosevaluesarelarger
thanorequalto1,zipreplicationapplies;otherwisecartesianreplicationapplies.
5. Combinethereplicationsgeneratedonstep3andstep4,basedontheinputargumentsand
thesignatureofcandidatefunctions,choosethebestmatchedfunctionandbestreplication
strategy.Duringtheprocess,ifthetypeofparameterandthetypeofargumentaredifferent,
thetypedistancescorewillbecalculated.

11.

Builtinfunctions

AllFalse:bool(list:var[]..[])
Checksifallelementsinthespecifiedlistarefalse.
AllTrue:bool(list:var[]..[])
Checksifallelementsinthespecifiedlistaretrue.
Average:double(list:int[]..[])
Returnsaveragevalueofallelementsinthespecifiedlist.
Break()
Notifiesdebuggertobreakatthepoint.
Concat:var[]..[](list1:var[]..[],list2:var[]..[])
Concatslist1andlist2andreturnsanewlist.
Contains:bool(list:var[]..[],element:var)
Checksifthespecifiedelementisinthespecifiedlist.
Contains:bool(list:var[]..[],element:var[]..[])
Checksifthespecifiedelementisinthespecifiedlist.
ContainsKey:bool(list:var[]..[],key:var)
Checksifthespecifiedkeyispresentinthespecifieddictionary.
Count:int(list:var[]..[])
Returnsthenumberofelementsinthespecifiedlist.
CountTrue:int(list:var[]..[])
Returnsthenumberoftruevaluesinthespecifiedlist.
CountFalse:int(list:var[]..[])
Returnsthenumberoffalsevaluesinthespecifiedlist.
Equals:bool(objectA:var,objectB:var)
Determineswhethertwoobjectinstancesareequal.
Evaluate:var[]..[](fptr:fptr,params:var[]..[],unpack:bool)
Forinternaluse.Evaluatesafunctionpointerwithspecifiedparams.
Flatten:var[](list:var[]..[])
Returnstheflattened1Dlistofthemultidimensionalinputlist.
GetElapsedTime:int()
Returnselapsedmillisecondsinthevirtualmachine
GetKeys:var[]..[](list:var[]..[])
Getsallkeysfromthespecifieddictionary.
GetValues:var[]..[](list:var[]..[])

Getsallvaluesstoredinthespecifieddictionaryandforasimplelistitreturnsallelements.
IndexOf:int(list:var[]..[],element:var[]..[])
Returnstheindexofthememberinthelist.
Insert:var[]..[](list:var[]..[],element:var,index:int)
Insertsanelementintoalistatspecifiedindex.
Insert:var[]..[](list:var[]..[],element:var[]..[],index:int)k
Insertsanelementintoalistatspecifiedindex.
IsRectangular:bool(list:var[]..[])
Checksifeachofrowsinmultidimensionallisthasthesamenumberofelements.
ImportFromCSV:double[][](filePath:string)
Importsdatafromatextfilecontainingcommaseparatedvaluesintotwodimensionallist.

ImportFromCSV:double[][](filePath:string,transpose:bool)
Importsdatafromatextfilecontainingcommaseparatedvaluesintotwodimensionallistand
alsotransposetheoutputlistifspecified.
IsHomogeneous:bool(list:var[]..[])
Checksifalltheelementsinthespecifiedlistareofthesametype.
IsUniformDepth:bool(list:var[]..[])
Checksifthelisthasauniformdepth.
Map:double(rangeMin:double,rangeMax:double,inputValue:double)
Mapsavalueintoaninputrange.
MapTo:double(rangeMin:double,rangeMax:double,inputValue:double,
targetRangeMin:double,targetRangeMax:double)

Mapsavaluefromonerangetoanotherrange.
NormalizeDepth:var[]..[](list:var[]..[])
Returnsalistwithuniformdepthasspecifiedbytheinputdepth.
NormalizeDepth:var[]..[](list:var[]..[],rank:var)
Returnmultidimensionallistaccordingtotherankgiven.
Print(msg:var)
Printmsgtotheconsole.
Rank(list:var[]..[])
Countsthemaximalrankofthespecifiedlist.
Remove:var(list:var[]..[],index:int)
Removeselementatthespecifiedindexofthelist.
RemoveDuplicates:var[]..[](list:var[]..[])
Removesduplicateelementsinthespecifiedlist.
RemoveNulls:var[]..[](list:var[]..[])
Removesnullelementsfromthespecifiedlist.
RemoveIfNot:var[]..[](list:var[]..[],type:string)
Removesthemembersofthelistwhicharenotmembersofthespecifiedtype.
RemoveKey:bool(list:var[]..[],key:var)
Returnstrueifthespecifiedkeyisremovedfromthespecifiedlist;otherwisereturnsfalse.
Reorder:var[](list:var[],indice:var[])
Reordersthelistusingthespecifiedindices.

 Reverse:var[]..[](list:var[]..[])
Reversesthespecifiedlist.
SetDifference:var[](list1:var[],list2:var[])
Returnsobjectsthatareincludedinlist1butnotexcludedinlist2
SetIntersection:var[](list1:var[],list2:var[])
Producesthesetintersectionoftwolists.
SetUnion:var[](list1:var[],list2:var[])
Producesthesetunionoftwosequencesbyusingthedefaultequalitycomparer.
Sleep(x:int)
Putthevirtualmachinetosleepforxmilliseconds.
SomeFalse:bool(list:var[]..[])
Returnstrueifanyelementinthelistisfalse
SomeNulls:bool(list:var[]..[])
Returnstrueifanyelementinthelistisnull.
SomeTrue:bool(list:var[]..[])
Returnstrueifanyelementinthelististrue.
Sort:int[](list:int[])
Obsolete.
SortIndexByValue:int[](list:double[])
Sortsaspecifiedlistbyvaluesofitsmembersinascendingorder.
SortIndexByValue:int[](list:double[],ascending:bool)
Sortsaspecifiedlistbyvaluesofitsmembersineitherdescendingorascendingorder.
Sum:int(list:int[]..[])
Returnsthesumofallelementsinthespecifiedlist.
ToString:string(object:var[]..[])
Obsolete.Use_ _ToStringFromObject()or_ _ToStringFromArray()instead.Returnsobject
instringrepresentation.
Transpose:var[]..[](list:var[]..[])
Swapsrowsandcolumnsinalistoflists.Iftherearesomerowsthatareshorterthanothers,
nullvaluesareinsertedasplaceholdersintheresultlistsuchthatitisalwaysrectangular.
__GC()

Forcegarbagecollection.
__ToStringFromObject:string(object:var)
Returnsobjectinstringrepresentation.
__ToStringFromArray:string(list:var[])
Returnslistinstringrepresentation.
__TryGetValueFromNestedDictionaries:var[]..[](list:var[]..[],key:var[]..[])
Recursivelyiteratealldictionaryelementsinthespecifiedlistandreturnsvaluesassociated
withthespecifiedkey.