mz-stk

A LIFO stack-based compiled programming language that compiles to C.

Overview

mz-stk is a stack-based programming language designed around Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) stack operations. The language compiles directly to C code, providing both performance and portability while maintaining the simplicity and elegance of stack-based computation.

Features

• Stack-based architecture: All operations work with a LIFO stack
• Compiles to C: Generates readable C code for maximum portability
• Simple toolchain: Straightforward build and installation process
• Executable generation: Creates ready-to-run binaries
• Online playground: Test your code directly in the browser (coming soon)

Installation

Building from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/mz-stk/mz-stk-compiler.git
cd mz-stk

# Build the compiler
make

# Install system-wide (optional)
sudo make install

Cleaning Build Files

# Clean installed and build artifacts 
make clean

Uninstalling

# Remove installed files for system-wide installation
sudo make uninstall

Usage

Basic Usage

To compile and run a mz-stk program:

# Compile a .mzstk file
mzstk filename.mzstk

# This generates:
# - filename.c (C source code)
# - filename (executable binary)

# Run the executable
./filename

Language Basics

mz-stk operates on a stack-based model where:

• Values are pushed onto a stack
• Operations pop values from the stack, perform computations, and push results back
• The stack follows Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) ordering

Data Types

• mz-stk supports numeric values only, keeping the language and focused on stack-based computations.

Language Reference

mz-stk provides a comprehensive set of operations for stack-based programming:

Stack Operations

• Numbers - Push numbers onto the stack
• + - Add two numbers from stack
• - - Subtract two numbers from stack
• * - Multiply two numbers from stack
• / - Divide two numbers from stack
• % - Modulo operation

Input/Output

• ^ - Get input from user
• V - Print top value from stack

Variables

• :n - Store top stack value in variable n (where n is a number)
• ;n - Load variable n onto stack (where n is a number)

Conditionals

• [ - Start if statement
• ] - End if statement

Loops

• { - Start while loop
• } - End while loop
• ( - Start for loop
• ) - End for loop

For Loop Components

• I - Start initialization section
• i - End initialization section
• C - Start condition section
• c - End condition section
• U - Start update section
• u - End update section
• L - Start statements section
• l - End statements section

Functions

• @n - Define function n (where n is a number)
• $ - End function definition
• !n - Call function n (where n is a number)

Comparison Operations

• == - Equal to
• != - Not equal to
• < - Less than
• > - Greater than
• <= - Less than or equal to
• >= - Greater than or equal to

Logical Operations

• && - Logical AND
• || - Logical OR
• ! - Logical NOT (when not followed by a number)

Program Control

• S - Start program
• E - Exit program
• # - Comments (rest of line ignored)

Note: Some tokens serve multiple purposes depending on context:

• ! - Logical NOT (standalone) or function call (!n with number)
• L - Statement start or loop/condition statement
• l - Statement end or loop/condition statement
• C - Condition start or loop/condition condition
• c - Condition end or loop/condition

Please refer to the samples/ folder for proper usage examples showing these context-dependent uses.

File Structure

When you compile program.mzstk, mz-stk generates:

• program.c - Generated C source code
• program - Compiled executable binary

Development

Building

The project uses a standard Makefile:

make          # Build the compiler
make clean    # Clean build files
make install  # Install system-wide
make uninstall # Remove installation

Playground

Try mz-stk online right in your browser with our interactive playground!

🔗 Open Online Playground

Features:

• Write and edit mz-stk code directly in your browser
• Run programs instantly without any installation
• Share code snippets with others
• See compilation and execution output side-by-side

Note about input: The ^ operator (get input from user) is currently not supported in the playground environment due to technical limitations of running in a browser sandbox. For programs that require user input, you'll need to:

1. Download and run them locally, or
2. Pre-define your input values in the code

mz-stk - Stack-based programming made simple