Appendix A: Language Reference

1. Top-Level Structure & Definitions

Definition Declarations

Definitions are declared using a name followed immediately by square brackets [...]. The brackets enclose the definition’s body, including its sources, destinations, field of resolution, domain specifier, and transform rules.

• Syntax: NAME[(sources)(destinations) domain_specifier : body]
• Identifier Identifier: Any standard alphanumeric identifier preceding [ is classified as a definition name (entity.name.type.definition).

Domain Specifier

The resolution/domain specifier section defines the operational domain or spatial context of the definition.

• Domain Keywords: Currently, the set includes:
• spatial3d

2. Invocations & Place References

Invocations

Invocations execute/instantiate named relationships or functions.

• Syntax: NAME($dest1 $dest2)(source1<> source2<>)
• Identifier: Any identifier preceding ( is classified as an invocation (entity.name.function.invocation).

Destination Places

Destination places or dynamic name compositions are prefixed with a dollar sign $.

• Syntax: $identifier
• Token Classification: variable.parameter.destination
• Pattern: \$[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*

Source Places

Source places represent incoming causal signals or inputs and are denoted by trailing angle brackets that enclose the content or reference to connect to that signal <>.

• Syntax: name<> or name<content>
• Token Classification: entity.name.function.place
• Pattern: NAME(?=\s*<)

3. Control Keywords & Built-in Functions

Procedural / Code Generation Keywords

• generate: Declares code-generation blocks (keyword.control).

Structure Field Labels

Key-value declarations preceding a colon ::

• inputs:
• output:
• const:

Built-in Support Functions

Functions expecting argument lists in parentheses:

• clamp(...)
• avg(...)

4. Lexical Tokens & Punctuation

Comments

• Line Comment: Double slashes // ignore all remaining text on the line.

Literals & Arithmetic

• Numeric Constants: Unsigned integer literals (\b[0-9]+\b).
• Arithmetic Operators: Standard mathematical operations: +, -, *, /.

Structural Delimiters & Delimiting Groups

Drafting in progress…