Neetspeak

Neetspeak is an interpreted programming language with syntax based off mathematical pseudocode. Its purpose is to offer simple, easy to read, and runnable pseudocode found in algorithm papers and textbooks without having to transcribe it into another language. Neetspeak is written in Python using the PLY framework.

Although the syntax is based off pseudocode, it is very similar to Ruby with the inclusion of the end keyword. It should also be noted that due to this, Neetspeak ignores whitespace such as spaces, tabs, and newlines.

Requirements

• Python 3
• PLY

On Ubuntu, all dependencies can be installed using apt and pip:

$ sudo apt install python3 python3-pip

$ pip3 install ply

How to run

To run directly from source, use the interpreter.py code file on any text file with neetspeak syntax code.

$ python3 interpreter.py test.neet

Context of test.neet:

algorithm main()
    print('hello there')
end

Data Types

Neetspeak offers all necessary data types to remain simple and barebones without adding too much bloat. Data types are based on those found in Python. Syntax is essentially the same as in Python with the exception of booleans.

• Integer: Identical to the Python int type

  4, -7, 324234

• Real: Identical to the Python float type

  0.5, -3.8, 2e5

• Boolean: Similar to the Python bool type but lowercase

  true, false

• String: Identical to the Python str type

  "hello", 'there'

• List: Identical to the Python list type

  [4,6,3], ['a',5,], [], [[1,3],[1,3]]

• Null: Similar to the Python None type

  null

Operations

Operations on data types are essentially the same as operations in Python with slight differences in syntax. Let x and y be two variables that may represent Integers, Reals, Booleans, Strings, or Lists depending on the context.

Operator	Description
a + b	addition
a - b	subtraction
a * b	multiplication
a / b	division
a % b	modulus
a ** b	exponentiation
a := b	variable assignment
a or b	boolean OR
a and b	boolean AND
a xor b	boolean XOR
not a	boolean NOT
a = b	equal to
a != b	not equal to
a > b	greater than
a >= b	greater than or equal to
a < b	less than
a <= b	less than or equal to
a	b
a & b	bitwise AND
a ^ b	bitwise XOR
~a	bitwise NOT
a << b	bitwise left shift
a >> b	bitwise right shift
-a	unary minus
+a	unary plus
a[b]	list indexing
a()	function call
a(b)	function call with parameter
a in b	list or string membership

Syntax and Semantics

The syntax and semantics are the same as mathematical psuedocode found in papers and textbooks. The most notable feature is the use of the end keyword to close if statements, for and while loops, and function definitions.

Print Statement

A simple print statement found in Python. Prints any data type, but only takes a single parameter. Use string concatenation to print multiple statements

print('1 + 2 equals ' + (1 + 2))

Comments

Comments are C-style and will be ignored when running the program. The start with the /* keyword and end with the */ keyword. Since Neetspeak ignores whitespace, the multiline comment is necessary.

/* this will be ignored */
print("hello there")
x := 5 /* good for documentation */
print(x + 1) /* 6 */

Main function

Neetspeak requires a main function as an entry point to any program. Other functions can also created, but the main function is required for the program to run.

algorithm main()
    print('hello there')
end

Variables

Variables are assigned using the := keyword.

x := 5
y := 7
print('x + y = ' + (x + y))

name := "Bob"
age := 18
print('My name is ' + name + ' and I am ' + age + ' years old')

All variables are global and can be accessed anywhere regardless of where they are declared.

algorithm main()
    x := 5
    access()
end

algorithm access()
    print(x)
end

List and String Indexing

Neetspeak is based on mathematical psuedocode so arrays start at 1 instead of 0. List and String indexing is 1 to the length.

a := [5, 3, 7]
print(a)
print('[' + a[1] + ', ' + a[2] + ', ' + a[3] + ']')

b := 'word'
print(b)
print("'" + b[1] + b[2] + b[3] + b[4] + "'")

Lists and Strings are identical to those in Python and Ruby and can be multidimensional.

x := [[1,2],1,3]
print(x[1])
print(x[1][1])

s := "yes i am"
print(s[5])
print(s[2][1][1])

If Statements and Else-If Statements

If statements use the if keyword with the boolean condition followed by the then keyword. The statement is followed by an else keyword for the else statement or ended using the end keyword.

x := 5
y := 7

if x = y then
    print('yes')
end

if x = y then
    print('yes')
else 
    print('no')
end

Else-if statements are followed by an if statement and use the elseif keyword. They are followed by further else-if statements or ended using the end keyword.

x := 2

if x = 1 then
    print('first if statement')
elseif x = 2 then
    print('second if statement')
elseif x = 3 then
    print('third if statement')
else
    print('else statement')
end

While Loops

While loops are the similar to if conditions as they use the while keyword with the boolean condition followed by the then keyword. They are ended using the end keyword.

x := 1
while x < 5 do
    print(x)
    x := x + 1
end

y := 5
while y >= 0 do
    print(y)
    y := y - 1
end

For Loops

For loops are a bit different from most programming languages due to their representation in pseudocode. The actual functionality is similar to C-style for loops. For loops use the for keyword and are followed by a variable assignment. Afterwards, there will be a to or downto keyword to indicate whether to count up or down. A values will then need to be specified to count towards, inclusive. The rest of the syntax is the same as a while loop.

for x := 92 to 97 do
    print(x)
end

for x := 8 downto 4 do
    print(x)
end

Foreach Loops

Foreach loops are the same as the Python style for loops and the C# style foreach loop. Foreach loops begin with the foreach keyword and use a variable to represent values of a List or String. The in keyword is used to access elements of the variable. THe rest of the syntax is the same as a while or for loop.

nums := [4, 7, 3, 8, 1]
foreach x in nums do
    print(x)
end

Functions

Functions declaration syntax is more like Ruby than Python. However, instead of the def keyword, the algorithm keyword is used instead. Functions behave exactly the same way as in Python and can take parameters. Functions may return any single value using the return keyword.

algorithm main()
    x := double(5)
    print(x)
end

algorithm double(x)
    return 2 * x
end

Functions that do not return anything using the return will return a null value.

algorithm main()
    x := hello()
    print(x)
end

algorithm hello()
    print('hello')
end

Functions support recursion. Max recursion depth is the default in Python.

algorithm factorial(n)
    if n <= 0 then
        return 1
    else
        return n * factorial(n - 1)
    end
end