compile

compile

Category

Code Execution

Arity

Unary — compile <string>.

compile <string>

Description

Compiles a string containing SQ# source code into a Code value at runtime. The resulting code can be stored in a variable and executed later with call or spawn. This is runtime compilation — useful for dynamic code generation, user input evaluation, or config-driven behavior.

How It Works

The source string is passed through the SQ# lexer and parser, producing a compiled Code object. If the string contains syntax errors, compilation fails with a diagnostic error. The compiled code captures no lexical closure — it runs in the calling context's scope.

Usage

Basic compile

_code = compile "hint str _this;";
"hello" call _code;            // hints "hello"

Dynamic math

_expr = compile _userInput;    // e.g., "2 + 3 * 4"
_result = call _expr;          // 14

Store and reuse

_myFunc = compile "(_this select 0) * (_this select 1)";
_result = [5, 3] call _myFunc; // 15
_result = [10, 2] call _myFunc; // 20

Build code from parts

_op = "+";
_src = f"(_this select 0) {_op} (_this select 1)";
_calc = compile _src;
_result = [10, 5] call _calc;  // 15

Spawn compiled code

_code = compile "sleep 2; systemChat 'done';";
_handle = spawn _code;

Caveats

• Compilation has a cost — cache compiled code when reused.
• No lexical closure — code runs in its call site's variable scope.
• Syntax errors occur at compile time, not call time.
• Dynamic code from untrusted input is a security risk — validate carefully.

Thread Safety

Compilation is CPU-only with no side effects. Safe from any scheduler. The resulting Code value is immutable.

See Also

• call — execute compiled code synchronously
• spawn — execute compiled code asynchronously
• execVM — compile and spawn file
• callUnscheduled — execute outside scheduler