Welcome to the Theta Developer Documentation

This site is dedicated to developers and maintainers working on the core of the Theta programming language. It serves as an internal guide for tracking design decisions, architecture, and the inner workings of Theta. If you’re looking for information on how to use the language, please refer to our user documentation.

Purpose

The purpose of this documentation is to:

  • Document key design decisions: Track why certain features exist and how they are implemented.
  • Explain the architecture: Provide insights into how different parts of the language are structured and how they work together.
  • Ensure consistency: Maintain a unified approach to the development and evolution of the language.
  • Collaborate effectively: Help current and future contributors get up to speed with how Theta is built and maintained.

What You’ll Find Here

This documentation is organized around the following topics:

1. Core Language Design

  • Decisions regarding the syntax and semantics of Theta.
  • Rationale behind key language features and implementation details.

2. Compiler Architecture

  • Explanation of the various compiler stages (lexing, parsing, code generation).
  • Details about optimizations and compilation targets (including WebAssembly).

3. Memory Management

  • Design and implementation of Theta’s memory model and garbage collection strategy.
  • Detailed documentation of the copying garbage collector and memory handling across function boundaries.

4. Interfacing with WebAssembly

  • Integration points between Theta and WebAssembly, including how WebAssembly features are leveraged in the language.

Getting Started

If you’re new to contributing to Theta, please begin by reading the Contributing Guide. It outlines how to set up your development environment and introduces our processes for building, testing, and reviewing changes.

For a deep dive into the architecture, start with Core Language Design and Compiler Architecture.