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1---
2title: YSH Expression Language (Oils Reference)
3all_docs_url: ..
4body_css_class: width40
5default_highlighter: oils-sh
6preserve_anchor_case: yes
7---
8
9<div class="doc-ref-header">
10
11[Oils Reference](index.html) &mdash;
12Chapter **YSH Expression Language**
13
14</div>
15
16This chapter describes the YSH expression language, which includes [Egg
17Expressions]($xref:eggex).
18
19<div id="dense-toc">
20</div>
21
22## Assignment
23
24### assign
25
26The `=` operator is used with assignment keywords:
27
28 var x = 42
29 setvar x = 43
30
31 const y = 'k'
32
33 setglobal z = 'g'
34
35### aug-assign
36
37The augmented assignment operators are:
38
39 += -= *= /= **= //= %=
40 &= |= ^= <<= >>=
41
42They are used with `setvar` and `setglobal`. For example:
43
44 setvar x += 2
45
46is the same as:
47
48 setvar x = x + 2
49
50Likewise, these are the same:
51
52 setglobal a[i] -= 1
53
54 setglobal a[i] = a[i] - 1
55
56## Literals
57
58### atom-literal
59
60YSH uses JavaScript-like spellings for these three "atoms":
61
62 null # type Null
63 true false # type Bool
64
65Note: to signify "no value", you may sometimes use an empty string `''`,
66instead of `null`.
67
68### int-literal
69
70Examples of integer literals:
71
72 var decimal = 42
73 var big = 42_000
74
75 var hex = 0x0010_ffff
76
77 var octal = 0o755
78
79 var binary = 0b0001_0000
80
81### float-lit
82
83Examples of float literals:
84
85 var myfloat = 3.14
86
87 var f2 = -1.5e-100
88
89### char-literal
90
91Three kinds of unquoted backslash escapes are allowed in expression mode. They
92match what's available in quoted J8-style strings:
93
94 var backslash = \\
95 var quotes = \' ++ \" # same as u'\'' ++ '"'
96
97 var mu = \u{3bc} # same as u'\u{3bc}'
98
99 var nul = \y00 # same as b'\y00'
100
101### ysh-string
102
103YSH has single and double-quoted strings borrowed from Bourne shell, and
104C-style strings borrowed from J8 Notation.
105
106Double quoted strings respect `$` interpolation:
107
108 var dq = "hello $world and $(hostname)"
109
110You can add a `$` before the left quote to be explicit: `$"x is $x"` rather
111than `"x is $x"`.
112
113Single quoted strings may be raw:
114
115 var s = r'line\n' # raw string means \n is literal, NOT a newline
116
117Or *J8 strings* with backslash escapes:
118
119 var s = u'line\n \u{3bc}' # unicode string means \n is a newline
120 var s = b'line\n \u{3bc} \yff' # same thing, but also allows bytes
121
122Both `u''` and `b''` strings evaluate to the single `Str` type. The difference
123is that `b''` strings allow the `\yff` byte escape.
124
125#### Notes
126
127There's no way to express a single quote in raw strings. Use one of the other
128forms instead:
129
130 var sq = "single quote: ' "
131 var sq = u'single quote: \' '
132
133Sometimes you can omit the `r`, e.g. where there are no backslashes and thus no
134ambiguity:
135
136 echo 'foo'
137 echo r'foo' # same thing
138
139The `u''` and `b''` strings are called *J8 strings* because the syntax in YSH
140**code** matches JSON-like **data**.
141
142 var strU = u'mu = \u{3bc}' # J8 string with escapes
143 var strB = b'bytes \yff' # J8 string that can express byte strings
144
145More examples:
146
147 var myRaw = r'[a-z]\n' # raw strings can be used for regexes (not
148 # eggexes)
149
150### triple-quoted
151
152Triple-quoted string literals have leading whitespace stripped on each line.
153They come in the same variants:
154
155 var dq = """
156 hello $world and $(hostname)
157 no leading whitespace
158 """
159
160 var myRaw = r'''
161 raw string
162 no leading whitespace
163 '''
164
165 var strU = u'''
166 string that happens to be unicode \u{3bc}
167 no leading whitespace
168 '''
169
170 var strB = b'''
171 string that happens to be bytes \u{3bc} \yff
172 no leading whitespace
173 '''
174
175Again, you can omit the `r` prefix if there's no backslash, because it's not
176ambiguous:
177
178 var myRaw = '''
179 raw string
180 no leading whitespace
181 '''
182
183### str-template
184
185String templates use the same syntax as double-quoted strings:
186
187 var mytemplate = ^"name = $name, age = $age"
188
189Related topics:
190
191- [Str => replace](chap-type-method.html#replace)
192- [ysh-string](chap-expr-lang.html#ysh-string)
193
194### list-literal
195
196Lists have a Python-like syntax:
197
198 var mylist = ['one', 'two', [42, 43]]
199
200And a shell-like syntax:
201
202 var list2 = :| one two |
203
204The shell-like syntax accepts the same syntax as a simple command:
205
206 ls $mystr @ARGV *.py {foo,bar}@example.com
207
208 # Rather than executing ls, evaluate words into a List
209 var cmd = :| ls $mystr @ARGV *.py {foo,bar}@example.com |
210
211### dict-literal
212
213Dicts look like JavaScript.
214
215 var d = {
216 key1: 'value', # key can be unquoted if it looks like a var name
217 'key2': 42, # or quote it
218
219 ['key2' ++ suffix]: 43, # bracketed expression
220 }
221
222Omitting a value means that the corresponding key takes the value of a var of
223the same name:
224
225 ysh$ var x = 42
226 ysh$ var y = 43
227
228 ysh$ var d = {x, y} # values omitted
229 ysh$ = d
230 (Dict) {x: 42, y: 43}
231
232### range
233
234A range is a sequence of numbers that can be iterated over:
235
236 for i in (0 ..< 3) {
237 echo $i
238 }
239 => 0
240 => 1
241 => 2
242
243The `..<` syntax is for half-open ranges. `..=` is for closed ranges:
244
245 for i in (0 ..= 3) {
246 echo $i
247 }
248 => 0
249 => 1
250 => 2
251 => 3
252
253### block-expr
254
255In YSH expressions, we use `^()` to create a [Command][] object:
256
257 var myblock = ^(echo $PWD; ls *.txt)
258
259It's more common for [Command][] objects to be created with block arguments,
260which are not expressions:
261
262 cd /tmp {
263 echo $PWD
264 ls *.txt
265 }
266
267[Command]: chap-type-method.html#Command
268
269### expr-literal
270
271An expression literal is an object that holds an unevaluated expression:
272
273 var myexpr = ^[1 + 2*3]
274
275[Expr]: chap-type-method.html#Expr
276
277## Operators
278
279### op-precedence
280
281YSH operator precedence is identical to Python's operator precedence.
282
283New operators:
284
285- `++` has the same precedence as `+`
286- `->` and `=>` have the same precedence as `.`
287
288<!-- TODO: show grammar -->
289
290
291<h3 id="concat">concat <code>++</code></h3>
292
293The concatenation operator works on `Str` objects:
294
295 ysh$ var s = 'hello'
296 ysh$ var t = s ++ ' world'
297
298 ysh$ = t
299 (Str) "hello world"
300
301and `List` objects:
302
303 ysh$ var L = ['one', 'two']
304 ysh$ var M = L ++ ['three', '4']
305
306 ysh$ = M
307 (List) ["one", "two", "three", "4"]
308
309String interpolation can be nicer than `++`:
310
311 var t2 = "${s} world" # same as t
312
313Likewise, splicing lists can be nicer:
314
315 var M2 = :| @L three 4 | # same as M
316
317### ysh-equals
318
319YSH has strict equality:
320
321 a === b # Python-like, without type conversion
322 a !== b # negated
323
324And type converting equality:
325
326 '3' ~== 3 # True, type conversion
327
328The `~==` operator expects a string as the left operand.
329
330---
331
332Note that:
333
334- `3 === 3.0` is false because integers and floats are different types, and
335 there is no type conversion.
336- `3 ~== 3.0` is an error, because the left operand isn't a string.
337
338You may want to use explicit `int()` and `float()` to convert numbers, and then
339compare them.
340
341---
342
343Compare objects for identity with `is`:
344
345 ysh$ var d = {}
346 ysh$ var e = d
347
348 ysh$ = d is d
349 (Bool) true
350
351 ysh$ = d is {other: 'dict'}
352 (Bool) false
353
354To negate `is`, use `is not` (like Python:
355
356 ysh$ d is not {other: 'dict'}
357 (Bool) true
358
359### ysh-in
360
361The `in` operator tests if a key is in a dictionary:
362
363 var d = {k: 42}
364 if ('k' in d) {
365 echo yes
366 } # => yes
367
368Unlike Python, `in` doesn't work on `Str` and `List` instances. This because
369those operations take linear time rather than constant time (O(n) rather than
370O(1)).
371
372TODO: Use `includes() / contains()` methods instead.
373
374### ysh-compare
375
376The comparison operators apply to integers or floats:
377
378 4 < 4 # => false
379 4 <= 4 # => true
380
381 5.0 > 5.0 # => false
382 5.0 >= 5.0 # => true
383
384Example in context:
385
386 if (x < 0) {
387 echo 'x is negative'
388 }
389
390### ysh-logical
391
392The logical operators take boolean operands, and are spelled like Python:
393
394 not
395 and or
396
397Note that they are distinct from `! && ||`, which are part of the [command
398language](chap-cmd-lang.html).
399
400### ysh-arith
401
402YSH supports most of the arithmetic operators from Python. Notably, `/` and `%`
403differ from Python as [they round toward zero, not negative
404infinity](https://www.oilshell.org/blog/2024/03/release-0.21.0.html#integers-dont-do-whatever-python-or-c-does).
405
406Use `+ - *` for `Int` or `Float` addition, subtraction and multiplication. If
407any of the operands are `Float`s, then the output will also be a `Float`.
408
409Use `/` and `//` for `Float` division and `Int` division, respectively. `/`
410will _always_ result in a `Float`, meanwhile `//` will _always_ result in an
411`Int`.
412
413 = 1 / 2 # => (Float) 0.5
414 = 1 // 2 # => (Int) 0
415
416Use `%` to compute the _remainder_ of integer division. The left operand must
417be an `Int` and the right a _positive_ `Int`.
418
419 = 1 % 2 # -> (Int) 1
420 = -4 % 2 # -> (Int) 0
421
422Use `**` for exponentiation. The left operand must be an `Int` and the right a
423_positive_ `Int`.
424
425All arithmetic operators may coerce either of their operands from strings to a
426number, provided those strings are formatted as numbers.
427
428 = 10 + '1' # => (Int) 11
429
430Operators like `+ - * /` will coerce strings to _either_ an `Int` or `Float`.
431However, operators like `// ** %` and bit shifts will coerce strings _only_ to
432an `Int`.
433
434 = '1.14' + '2' # => (Float) 3.14
435 = '1.14' % '2' # Type Error: Left operand is a Str
436
437### ysh-bitwise
438
439Bitwise operators are like Python and C:
440
441 ~ # unary complement
442
443 & | ^ # binary and, or, xor
444
445 >> << # bit shift
446
447### ysh-ternary
448
449The ternary operator is borrowed from Python:
450
451 display = 'yes' if len(s) else 'empty'
452
453### ysh-index
454
455`Str` objects can be indexed by byte:
456
457 ysh$ var s = 'cat'
458 ysh$ = mystr[1]
459 (Str) 'a'
460
461 ysh$ = mystr[-1] # index from the end
462 (Str) 't'
463
464`List` objects:
465
466 ysh$ var mylist = [1, 2, 3]
467 ysh$ = mylist[2]
468 (Int) 3
469
470`Dict` objects are indexed by string key:
471
472 ysh$ var mydict = {'key': 42}
473 ysh$ = mydict['key']
474 (Int) 42
475
476### ysh-attr
477
478The `.` operator looks up values on either `Dict` or `Obj` instances.
479
480On dicts, it looks for the value associated with a key. That is, the
481expression `mydict.key` is short for `mydict['key']` (like JavaScript, but
482unlike Python.)
483
484---
485
486On objects, the expression `obj.x` looks for attributes, with a special rule
487for bound methods. The rules are:
488
4891. Search the properties of `obj` for a field named `x`.
490 - If it exists, return the value literally. (It can be of any type: `Func`, `Int`,
491 `Str`, ...)
4922. Search up the prototype chain for a field named `x`.
493 - If it exists, and is **not** a `Func`, return the value literally.
494 - If it **is** a `Func`, return **bound method**, which is an (object,
495 function) pair.
496
497Later, when the bound method is called, the object is passed as the first
498argument to the function (`self`), making it a method call. This is how a
499method has access to the object's properties.
500
501Example of first rule:
502
503 func Free(i) {
504 return (i + 1)
505 }
506 var module = Object(null, {Free})
507 echo $[module.Free(42)] # => 43
508
509Example of second rule:
510
511 func method(self, i) {
512 return (self.n + i)
513 }
514 var methods = Object(null, {method})
515 var obj = Object(methods, {n: 10})
516 echo $[obj.method(42)] # => 52
517
518### ysh-slice
519
520Slicing gives you a subsequence of a `Str` or `List`, as in Python.
521
522Negative indices are relative to the end.
523
524String example:
525
526 $ var s = 'spam eggs'
527 $ pp (s[1:-1])
528 (Str) "pam egg"
529
530 $ echo "x $[s[2:]]"
531 x am eggs
532
533List example:
534
535 $ var foods = ['ale', 'bean', 'corn']
536 $ pp (foods[-2:])
537 (List) ["bean","corn"]
538
539 $ write -- @[foods[:2]]
540 ale
541 bean
542
543### func-call
544
545A function call expression looks like Python:
546
547 ysh$ = f('s', 't', named=42)
548
549A semicolon `;` can be used after positional args and before named args, but
550isn't always required:
551
552 ysh$ = f('s', 't'; named=42)
553
554In these cases, the `;` is necessary:
555
556 ysh$ = f(...args; ...kwargs)
557
558 ysh$ = f(42, 43; ...kwargs)
559
560### thin-arrow
561
562The thin arrow is for mutating methods:
563
564 var mylist = ['bar']
565 call mylist->pop()
566
567 var mydict = {name: 'foo'}
568 call mydict->erase('name')
569
570On `Obj` instances, `obj->mymethod` looks up the prototype chain for a function
571named `M/mymethod`. The `M/` prefix signals mutation.
572
573Example:
574
575 func inc(self, n) {
576 setvar self.i += n
577 }
578 var Counter_methods = Object(null, {'M/inc': inc})
579 var c = Object(Counter_methods, {i: 0})
580
581 call c->inc(5)
582 echo $[c.i] # => 5
583
584It does **not** look in the properties of an object.
585
586### fat-arrow
587
588The fat arrow is for transforming methods:
589
590 if (s => startsWith('prefix')) {
591 echo 'yes'
592 }
593
594If the method lookup on `s` fails, it looks for free functions. This means it
595can be used for "chaining" transformations:
596
597 var x = myFunc() => list() => join()
598
599### match-ops
600
601YSH has four pattern matching operators: `~ !~ ~~ !~~`.
602
603Does string match an **eggex**?
604
605 var filename = 'x42.py'
606 if (filename ~ / d+ /) {
607 echo 'number'
608 }
609
610Does a string match a POSIX regular expression (ERE syntax)?
611
612 if (filename ~ '[[:digit:]]+') {
613 echo 'number'
614 }
615
616Negate the result with the `!~` operator:
617
618 if (filename !~ /space/ ) {
619 echo 'no space'
620 }
621
622 if (filename !~ '[[:space:]]' ) {
623 echo 'no space'
624 }
625
626Does a string match a **glob**?
627
628 if (filename ~~ '*.py') {
629 echo 'Python'
630 }
631
632 if (filename !~~ '*.py') {
633 echo 'not Python'
634 }
635
636Take care not to confuse glob patterns and regular expressions.
637
638- Related doc: [YSH Regex API](../ysh-regex-api.html)
639
640## Eggex
641
642### re-literal
643
644An eggex literal looks like this:
645
646 / expression ; flags ; translation preference /
647
648The flags and translation preference are both optional.
649
650Examples:
651
652 var pat = / d+ / # => [[:digit:]]+
653
654You can specify flags passed to libc `regcomp()`:
655
656 var pat = / d+ ; reg_icase reg_newline /
657
658You can specify a translation preference after a second semi-colon:
659
660 var pat = / d+ ; ; ERE /
661
662Right now the translation preference does nothing. It could be used to
663translate eggex to PCRE or Python syntax.
664
665- Related doc: [Egg Expressions](../eggex.html)
666
667### re-primitive
668
669There are two kinds of eggex primitives.
670
671"Zero-width assertions" match a position rather than a character:
672
673 %start # translates to ^
674 %end # translates to $
675
676Literal characters appear within **single** quotes:
677
678 'oh *really*' # translates to regex-escaped string
679
680Double-quoted strings are **not** eggex primitives. Instead, you can use
681splicing of strings:
682
683 var dq = "hi $name"
684 var eggex = / @dq /
685
686### class-literal
687
688An eggex character class literal specifies a set. It can have individual
689characters and ranges:
690
691 [ 'x' 'y' 'z' a-f A-F 0-9 ] # 3 chars, 3 ranges
692
693Omit quotes on ASCII characters:
694
695 [ x y z ] # avoid typing 'x' 'y' 'z'
696
697Sets of characters can be written as strings
698
699 [ 'xyz' ] # any of 3 chars, not a sequence of 3 chars
700
701Backslash escapes are respected:
702
703 [ \\ \' \" \0 ]
704 [ \xFF \u{3bc} ]
705
706(Note that we don't use `\yFF`, as in J8 strings.)
707
708Splicing:
709
710 [ @str_var ]
711
712Negation always uses `!`
713
714 ![ a-f A-F 'xyz' @str_var ]
715
716### named-class
717
718Perl-like shortcuts for sets of characters:
719
720 [ dot ] # => .
721 [ digit ] # => [[:digit:]]
722 [ space ] # => [[:space:]]
723 [ word ] # => [[:alpha:]][[:digit:]]_
724
725Abbreviations:
726
727 [ d s w ] # Same as [ digit space word ]
728
729Valid POSIX classes:
730
731 alnum cntrl lower space
732 alpha digit print upper
733 blank graph punct xdigit
734
735Negated:
736
737 !digit !space !word
738 !d !s !w
739 !alnum # etc.
740
741### re-repeat
742
743Eggex repetition looks like POSIX syntax:
744
745 / 'a'? / # zero or one
746 / 'a'* / # zero or more
747 / 'a'+ / # one or more
748
749Counted repetitions:
750
751 / 'a'{3} / # exactly 3 repetitions
752 / 'a'{2,4} / # between 2 to 4 repetitions
753
754### re-compound
755
756Sequence expressions with a space:
757
758 / word digit digit / # Matches 3 characters in sequence
759 # Examples: a42, b51
760
761(Compare `/ [ word digit ] /`, which is a set matching 1 character.)
762
763Alternation with `|`:
764
765 / word | digit / # Matches 'a' OR '9', for example
766
767Grouping with parentheses:
768
769 / (word digit) | \\ / # Matches a9 or \
770
771### re-capture
772
773To retrieve a substring of a string that matches an Eggex, use a "capture
774group" like `<capture ...>`.
775
776Here's an eggex with a **positional** capture:
777
778 var pat = / 'hi ' <capture d+> / # access with _group(1)
779 # or Match => _group(1)
780
781Captures can be **named**:
782
783 <capture d+ as month> # access with _group('month')
784 # or Match => group('month')
785
786Captures can also have a type **conversion func**:
787
788 <capture d+ : int> # _group(1) returns Int
789
790 <capture d+ as month: int> # _group('month') returns Int
791
792Related docs and help topics:
793
794- [YSH Regex API](../ysh-regex-api.html)
795- [`_group()`](chap-builtin-func.html#_group)
796- [`Match => group()`](chap-type-method.html#group)
797
798### re-splice
799
800To build an eggex out of smaller expressions, you can **splice** eggexes
801together:
802
803 var D = / [0-9][0-9] /
804 var time = / @D ':' @D / # [0-9][0-9]:[0-9][0-9]
805
806If the variable begins with a capital letter, you can omit `@`:
807
808 var ip = / D ':' D /
809
810You can also splice a string:
811
812 var greeting = 'hi'
813 var pat = / @greeting ' world' / # hi world
814
815Splicing is **not** string concatenation; it works on eggex subtrees.
816
817### re-flags
818
819Valid ERE flags, which are passed to libc's `regcomp()`:
820
821- `reg_icase` aka `i` - ignore case
822- `reg_newline` - 4 matching changes related to newlines
823
824See `man regcomp`.
825
826### re-multiline
827
828Multi-line eggexes aren't yet implemented. Splicing makes it less necessary:
829
830 var Name = / <capture [a-z]+ as name> /
831 var Num = / <capture d+ as num> /
832 var Space = / <capture s+ as space> /
833
834 # For variables named like CapWords, splicing @Name doesn't require @
835 var lexer = / Name | Num | Space /