Predicator: Architecture and Language Reference

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This document is the detailed reference for the Predicator codebase: the grammar, the compilation pipeline, the component map, and the per-feature history behind them. CLAUDE.md at the repo root is the entry point and holds the working rules; this is what those rules are about.

Project Overview

Predicator is a secure, non-evaluative condition engine for processing end-user boolean predicates in Elixir. It provides a complete compilation pipeline from string expressions to executable instructions without the security risks of dynamic code execution. Supports arithmetic operators (+, -, *, /, %) with proper precedence, comparison operators (>, <, >=, <=, =, !=), logical operators (AND, OR, NOT), date/datetime literals, list literals, object literals with JavaScript-style syntax, membership operators (in, contains), function calls with built-in system functions, nested data structure access using dot notation, and bracket access for dynamic property and array access.

Architecture

Expression String → Lexer → Parser → Compiler → Instructions → Evaluator
                                    ↓
                              StringVisitor (decompile)

Grammar with Operator Precedence

expression   → logical_or
logical_or   → logical_and ( ("OR" | "or") logical_and )*
logical_and  → logical_not ( ("AND" | "and") logical_not )*
logical_not  → ("NOT" | "not") logical_not | comparison
comparison   → addition ( ( ">" | "<" | ">=" | "<=" | "=" (deprecated) | "==" | "!=" | "===" | "!==" | "in" | "contains" ) addition )?
addition     → multiplication ( ( "+" | "-" ) multiplication )*
multiplication → unary ( ( "*" | "/" | "%" ) unary )*
unary        → ( "-" | "!" ) unary | postfix
postfix      → primary ( "[" expression "]" | "." IDENTIFIER )*
primary      → NUMBER | FLOAT | STRING | BOOLEAN | DATE | DATETIME | IDENTIFIER | duration | relative_date | list | object | function_call | "(" expression ")"
function_call → FUNCTION_NAME "(" ( expression ( "," expression )* )? ")"
list         → "[" ( expression ( "," expression )* )? "]"
object       → "{" ( object_entry ( "," object_entry )* )? "}"
object_entry → object_key ":" expression
object_key   → IDENTIFIER | STRING
duration     → NUMBER UNIT+
relative_date → duration "ago" | duration "from" "now" | "next" duration | "last" duration

= in the comparison production is deprecated as of 3.8. It still parses and still compiles to ["compare", "EQ"], but parsing one emits a deprecation warning (px-8um.5). 4.0 removes it from this production - see "The = grammar break (4.0)" under Cross-Language Siblings for the rule that replaces it and what it means for the Ruby and JavaScript implementations, and ADR-0002 for the alternatives it was weighed against and the known-consumer survey behind the one-release notice period.

Core Components

  • Lexer (lib/predicator/lexer.ex): Tokenizes expressions with position tracking
  • Parser (lib/predicator/parser.ex): Recursive descent parser building AST
  • Compiler (lib/predicator/compiler.ex): Converts AST to executable instructions
  • Evaluator (lib/predicator/evaluator.ex): Executes instructions against data
  • Visitors (lib/predicator/visitors/): AST transformation modules
    • StringVisitor: Converts AST back to strings
    • InstructionsVisitor: Converts AST to executable instructions
  • Functions (lib/predicator/functions/): Function system components
    • SystemFunctions: Built-in system functions (len, upper, abs, max, etc.) provided via all_functions/0
  • Main API (lib/predicator.ex): Public interface with convenience functions
  • Context (lib/predicator/context.ex): A bound evaluation context - data, functions (builtins merged with opts[:functions] once, at construction), and an on_unbound policy placeholder. new/2 builds one, bind/3 rebinds a key in O(1), assign/3 writes through ContextLocation.put/3, bound?/2 answers whether a root name is present in data (string or atom key). evaluate/3 accepts a %Context{} directly (skipping the per-call function merge) or a bare map (unchanged behavior, via an internal one-shot Context.new/2)
  • Undefined (lib/predicator/undefined.ex): The one public module that owns the :undefined sentinel - value/0, undefined?/1, and to_nil/1/from_nil/1 normalizers for a JSON-shaped boundary. Predicator.Types.undefined?/1 delegates to it

Cross-Language Siblings

Predicator has Ruby and JavaScript implementations in the riddler/predicator monorepo (impl/rb, impl/ts). The instruction list is the interchange format; the expression string is not. Parity is already partial - objects, durations, and strict equality postdate the siblings - and ADR-0001 adds four more opcodes (jump_if_falsy_or_pop, jump_if_true_or_pop, make_list, store) that they do not yet implement. The Elixir side ships the first two as of 3.7.0: AND and OR now short-circuit, and a compiled instruction list containing jump_if_falsy_or_pop or jump_if_true_or_pop will not run on a sibling that hasn't added them.

The = grammar break (4.0)

4.0 makes = assignment-only and valid only in statement position; == and === are the only equality operators, and = in expression position is a parse error. 3.8 warns first, so consumers get one release of notice. See ADR-0002 for the decision record.

The siblings' lexers still tokenize = as an equality operator (impl/rb/lib/predicator/lexer.rex line 21, impl/ts/src/tokens.js line 70), and their parsers will keep accepting status = 'active' until they adopt the same rule.

Scope of the divergence:

  • Surface syntax only. A rule string using = for equality parses in Ruby and JavaScript and fails to parse in Elixir on 4.0.
  • The instruction set is untouched. = and == both compile to ["compare", "EQ"], so compiled artifacts still interchange in every direction and no stored instruction list is invalidated by the break.

ADR-0001's consequences call for the matching note in each sibling README. Adopting the rule in the siblings is coordinated in that repo, not here.

Development

Development Workflow

The workflow rules - branch, gate, commit, push, close, release - live in CLAUDE.md's agent-authority table, which is the single authority on them. The short version: work happens on a feature branch, full mix quality must be green before a commit, and user-facing changes update CHANGELOG.md under ## [Unreleased] plus this document and the README where they are affected.

Testing Commands

mix test                    # Run all tests
mix test.coverage          # Coverage report
mix test.coverage.html     # HTML coverage report

Code Quality Commands

mix quality                # Run all quality checks (format, compile, credo,
                           # dialyzer, deps audit, suite with coverage)
mix quality --profile loop # Inner loop: no dialyzer, no coverage, changed
                           # tests only. Never the final check.
mix format                 # Format code
mix credo --strict         # Lint with strict mode
mix dialyzer              # Type checking

The gate is ex_quality; what it runs is configured in .quality.exs, and the thresholds it enforces stay with the tools that own them - coveralls.json for the 90% coverage minimum, .credo.exs for the checks, mix.exs for the Dialyzer PLT.

Coverage Stats

  • Overall: 92.2%
  • Evaluator: 95.7% (arithmetic with type coercion, unary, and all operations)
  • StringVisitor: 97.5% (all formatting options)
  • InstructionsVisitor: 95.2% (all AST node types)
  • Lexer: 98.4% (all token types including floats and arithmetic)
  • Parser: 86.4% (complex expressions with precedence and float support)
  • Target: >90% for all components ✅

Key Design Decisions

Security First

  • No eval() or dynamic code execution
  • All expressions compiled to safe instruction sequences
  • Input validation at lexer/parser level

Error Handling

  • Comprehensive error messages with line/column positions
  • Graceful error propagation through pipeline stages

  • Type-safe error handling with {:ok, result} | {:error, message, line, col} tuples

Performance

  • Compile-once, evaluate-many pattern supported
  • Efficient instruction-based execution
  • Minimal memory allocation during evaluation

Complexity Management

  • Credo complexity warnings suppressed for lexer/parser with explanatory comments
  • High complexity is appropriate and necessary for these functions
  • Well-tested and contained complexity

File Structure

lib/predicator/
├── lexer.ex           # Tokenization with position tracking
├── parser.ex          # Recursive descent parser  
├── compiler.ex        # AST to instructions conversion
├── evaluator.ex       # Instruction execution engine with custom function support
├── visitor.ex         # Visitor behavior definition
├── types.ex           # Type specifications
├── functions/         # Function system components
│   └── system_functions.ex   # Built-in functions (len, upper, abs, etc.)
└── visitors/          # AST transformation modules
    ├── string_visitor.ex      # AST to string decompilation  
    └── instructions_visitor.ex # AST to instructions conversion

test/predicator/
├── lexer_test.exs
├── parser_test.exs  
├── compiler_test.exs
├── evaluator_test.exs
├── object_evaluation_test.exs     # Object literal evaluation tests
├── object_edge_cases_test.exs     # Object literal edge cases
├── object_integration_test.exs    # Object literal integration tests
├── predicator_test.exs            # Integration tests
└── visitors/                      # Visitor tests
    ├── string_visitor_test.exs
    └── instructions_visitor_test.exs

Recent Additions (2025)

Source Positions (v3.7.0, unreleased)

Every AST node carries a trailing {line, column} naming the token that defines it, the compiler emits a side table from instruction index to position, and runtime errors carry the position of the instruction that failed.

Node inventory. Parser.ast/0 is the authority; each arm below shows the trailing position:

{:literal, value, pos}
{:string_literal, binary, :double | :single, pos}
{:identifier, name, pos}
{:comparison, op, left, right, pos}
{:arithmetic, op, left, right, pos}
{:membership, op, left, right, pos}
{:logical_and, left, right, pos}
{:logical_or, left, right, pos}
{:logical_not, operand, pos}
{:unary, op, operand, pos}
{:list, elements, pos}
{:object, entries, pos}
{:function_call, name, args, pos}
{:bracket_access, target, key, pos}
{:property_access, target, property, pos}
{:duration, units, pos}
{:relative_date, duration, direction, pos}

Object keys are positioned too: {:identifier, name, pos} and {:string_literal, value, pos}. The 3-vs-4 arity is what still distinguishes an object key's string literal from an expression's.

Which token a node points at. Leaves point at their own token. Everything else points at the token that names the operation, so an error names the thing that failed rather than the start of the subexpression it failed on - a * true reports column 3, not column 1:

NodeDefining token
literals, identifiers, object keysown token
comparison, arithmetic, membership, logical_and, logical_orthe operator
unary, logical_notthe operator
list, object, bracket_accessthe opening bracket or brace
function_callthe name token
property_accessthe .
durationits first number
relative_datethe direction keyword (ago, from, next, last)

A new node type follows this rule: point it at the token a reader would blame.

The side table. Compiler.to_instructions_with_positions/2 (and Predicator.compile_with_positions/1) returns {instructions, table} where the table maps a 0-based instruction index to the position of the node that emitted it. It is an Elixir-side companion value: no instruction gains an element, no opcode is added, and the table is never serialized into the instruction list. The cross-language interchange format specified by ADR-0001 is therefore unchanged, as are any compiled artifacts consumers have already stored. The Ruby and JavaScript siblings need no work, and may adopt an equivalent table independently.

A node with a nil position contributes no table entry, so a position-free AST compiles to an empty table.

Boundary normalizers. Parser.strip_positions/1 removes positions, producing the 3.6 shape; Parser.ensure_positions/1 appends nil to any node lacking one. Both are total, idempotent, and tolerant of a mixed tree, and both pass an unrecognized node through rather than raising. The visitors call ensure_positions/1 at their public entry points, which is what lets Predicator.decompile/2 and Compiler.to_instructions/2 keep accepting a hand-built 3.6-shaped AST. Visitor clauses therefore have exactly one form each and their contract is "positioned AST in".

Runtime errors. EvaluationError, TypeMismatchError, and UndefinedVariableError gained an optional :position. The evaluator carries the table in positions: and decorates at step/1 - the single point where an error and the failing instruction pointer are both in scope - so every error site in the evaluator is covered by one call to Errors.put_position/2. Predicator.evaluate/3 threads the table automatically for string input; an instruction-list caller sees position: nil unless they pass positions:. Rendered message strings are unchanged.

Two errors keep position: nil by construction: the empty-stack error, which belongs to no instruction, and the UndefinedVariableError that Predicator.evaluate/3 builds after the run from the loads the evaluator recorded.

Predicator.Context Struct (v3.8.0, unreleased)

  • Persistent bound context: Predicator.Context.new/2 merges the four builtin function maps plus opts[:functions] once, at construction, instead of on every evaluate/3 call

  • bind/3: an O(1) Map.put/3 on data; functions and on_unbound carry over unchanged

  • assign/3: writes through the existing ContextLocation.put/3 auto-vivifying algorithm, accepting either a location expression string or an already-resolved path

  • Predicator.evaluate/3 dispatch: accepts a %Context{} (evaluates against its data/functions directly, no per-call merge) or a bare map (unchanged behavior - a one-shot Context.new/2 internally)

  • Foundation bead for the px-8um epic; on_unbound is stored and validated but does not yet change evaluation behavior (px-8um.3), and context keys are not yet normalized (px-8um.2)

  • Examples:

    context = Predicator.Context.new(%{"score" => 85})
Predicator.evaluate("score > 80", context)  # {:ok, true}, functions merged once
context = Predicator.Context.bind(context, "score", 90)
Predicator.evaluate("score > 80", context)  # {:ok, true}, no re-merge

Predicator.Undefined and Context.bound?/2 (v3.8.0, unreleased)

  • Predicator.Undefined: the one public module that owns the :undefined sentinel - value/0 (returns :undefined), undefined?/1, and to_nil/1/from_nil/1 normalizers for a JSON-shaped boundary. The atom stays the runtime representation (pervasive in tests and the Ruby/JavaScript siblings, part of the instruction interchange format); this module names it and checks for it in one place instead of every call site writing the literal atom. Predicator.Types.undefined?/1 delegates to it.

  • Predicator.Context.bound?/2: answers whether a root name is present in a context's data - string key or atom key, mirroring Evaluator.load_from_context/2's own resolution.

  • Fixes the [["load", _]] heuristic: Predicator.evaluate_instructions/3 used to distinguish "unbound variable" from "bound to :undefined" by matching the compiled program against a single-instruction shape - correct only for a bare variable_name expression, and silently wrong for anything longer ("missing > 5" compiles to three instructions and fell through to an unconditional {:ok, :undefined}). The fixed check named the first unbound root the run reported; see px-8um.8 below for how it identifies that root today.

  • Depends on px-8um.1 (Predicator.Context); the on_unbound policy itself (px-8um.3) and context key normalization (px-8um.2) are separate beads that build on this one.

  • Example:

    Predicator.evaluate("missing > 5", %{})
# {:error, %Predicator.Errors.UndefinedVariableError{variable: "missing"}}

Predicator.evaluate("user.name.middle = \"X\"", %{"user" => %{"name" => %{}}})
# {:ok, :undefined} - "user" is bound, only the nested path is missing

  • Runtime unbound tracking (px-8um.8, v3.8.0): the evaluator records each ["load", name] it executes whose name Evaluator.resolve_key/2 finds absent, and Predicator.evaluate_instructions/3 reads that list off the final evaluator state. The full-list scan px-8um.4 shipped was exact only while ISA v1 had no branches; once jump_if_falsy_or_pop / jump_if_true_or_pop landed (px-e3g.1), a load could be present in the program and never executed, and the scan named skipped variables - (false AND missing) OR unbound_b reported missing. Context.bound?/2 delegates to resolve_key/2 too, so the two cannot drift.

Durations and Relative Dates (v3.4.0)

  • Natural-language durations and relative time expressions

  • Relative dates: 3d ago, 2w from now, next 1mo, last 1y

  • Date/DateTime arithmetic: #2024-01-10# + 5d, #2024-01-15T10:30:00Z# - 2h

  • Grammar updates: duration and relative_date productions

  • Full pipeline support (lexer, parser, compiler, evaluator, string visitor) with tests

  • Examples:

    Predicator.evaluate("created_at > 3d ago", %{"created_at" => ~U[2024-01-20 00:00:00Z]})
Predicator.evaluate("due_at < 2w from now", %{"due_at" => Date.add(Date.utc_today(), 10)})
Predicator.evaluate("#2024-01-10# + 5d = #2024-01-15#", %{})
Predicator.evaluate("#2024-01-15T10:30:00Z# - 2h < #2024-01-15T10:30:00Z#", %{})

Object Literals (v3.1.0 - JavaScript-Style Objects)

  • Syntax Support: Complete JavaScript-style object literal syntax ({}, {name: "John"}, {user: {role: "admin"}})

  • Lexer Extensions: Added :lbrace, :rbrace, :colon tokens for object parsing

  • Parser Grammar: Comprehensive object parsing with proper precedence and error handling

  • AST Nodes: New {:object, entries} AST node type for object representation

  • Stack-based Compilation: Uses object_new and object_set instructions for efficient evaluation

  • Evaluator Support: Object construction and equality comparison with type-safe guards

  • String Decompilation: Round-trip formatting preserves original object syntax

  • Key Types: Both identifier keys (name) and string keys ("name") supported

  • Nested Objects: Unlimited nesting depth with proper evaluation order

  • Type Safety: Enhanced type matching guards to support maps while preserving Date/DateTime separation

  • Comprehensive Testing: 47 new tests covering evaluation, edge cases, and integration scenarios

  • Examples:

    Predicator.evaluate("{name: 'John', age: 30}", %{})  # Object construction
Predicator.evaluate("{score: 85} = user_data", %{"user_data" => %{"score" => 85}})  # Comparison
Predicator.evaluate("{user: {role: 'admin'}}", %{})  # Nested objects

Type Coercion and Float Support (v2.3.0)

  • Float Literals: Lexer supports floating-point numbers (e.g., 3.14, 0.5)

  • Numeric Types: Both integers and floats supported in arithmetic operations

  • String Concatenation: + operator performs string concatenation when at least one operand is a string

  • Type Coercion Rules:

    • Number + Number → Numeric addition
    • String + String → String concatenation
    • String + Number → String concatenation (number converted to string)
    • Number + String → String concatenation (number converted to string)

  • Examples:

    Predicator.evaluate("3.14 * 2", %{})           # {:ok, 6.28}
Predicator.evaluate("'Hello' + ' World'", %{}) # {:ok, "Hello World"}
Predicator.evaluate("'Count: ' + 42", %{})     # {:ok, "Count: 42"}
Predicator.evaluate("100 + ' items'", %{})     # {:ok, "100 items"}

Function System (v2.0.0 - Architecture Overhaul)

  • Built-in Functions: System functions automatically available in all evaluations

    • String functions: len(string), upper(string), lower(string), trim(string), starts_with(string, prefix), ends_with(string, suffix), substring(string, start[, len]), index_of(string, sub)
    • Numeric functions: abs(number), max(a, b), min(a, b)
    • Date functions: year(date), month(date), day(date)
    • List functions: concat(list1, list2)

  • Custom Functions: Provided per evaluation via functions: option in evaluate/3

  • Function Format: %{name => {arity, function}} where arity is an integer, or a list of integers for a function with optional arguments (e.g. substring/2 or /3); function takes [args], context and returns {:ok, result} or {:error, message}

  • Function Merging: Custom functions merged with system functions, allowing overrides

  • Thread Safety: No global state - functions scoped to individual evaluation calls

  • Examples:

    custom_functions = %{
  "double" => {1, fn [n], _context -> {:ok, n * 2} end},
  "len" => {1, fn [_], _context -> {:ok, "custom_override"} end}  # Override built-in
}

Predicator.evaluate("double(score) > 100", %{"score" => 60}, functions: custom_functions)
Predicator.evaluate("len('anything')", %{}, functions: custom_functions)  # Uses override
Predicator.evaluate("len('hello')", %{})  # Uses built-in (returns 5)

Arithmetic and Unary Operations (v2.1.0 - Complete Implementation)

  • Full Arithmetic Support: Complete parsing and evaluation pipeline for arithmetic expressions

    • Binary operations: + (addition), - (subtraction), * (multiplication), / (division), % (modulo)
    • Unary operations: - (unary minus), ! (unary bang/logical NOT)

  • Proper Precedence: Mathematical precedence handling (unary → multiplication → addition → equality → comparison)

  • Instruction Execution: Stack-based evaluator with 7 new instruction handlers

  • Error Handling: Division by zero protection, type checking, comprehensive error messages

  • Pattern Matching: Idiomatic Elixir implementation using pattern matching for clean code

  • Examples:

    Predicator.evaluate("2 + 3 * 4", %{})        # {:ok, 14} - correct precedence
Predicator.evaluate("(10 - 5) / 2", %{})     # {:ok, 2} - parentheses and division
Predicator.evaluate("-score > -100", %{"score" => 85})  # {:ok, true} - unary minus
Predicator.evaluate("total % 2 = 0", %{"total" => 14})  # {:ok, true} - modulo

Date and DateTime Support

  • Syntax: #2024-01-15# (date), #2024-01-15T10:30:00Z# (datetime)
  • Lexer: Added date tokenization with ISO 8601 parsing
  • Parser: Extended AST to support date literals
  • Evaluator: Date/datetime comparisons and membership operations
  • StringVisitor: Round-trip formatting #date# syntax

Temporal Comparison Semantics

  • Same type: Date/Date and DateTime/DateTime compare chronologically via Date.compare/2 and DateTime.compare/2, never by Erlang's struct-key ordering.
  • Mixed pair: a Date compared against a DateTime is coerced to 00:00:00 UTC of that day, then compared as two DateTimes. This applies to ordering, ==/!=, and in/contains membership. It matters in practice because every relative date (3d ago, 2w from now, next 1mo, last 1y) evaluates to a DateTime, so without the coercion a Date context value cannot be compared against one.
  • Why coerce: apply_subtraction/2 already performs exactly this coercion for the same pair, so refusing to order it was an inconsistency inside one module; and the mismatch was silent - :undefined rather than a type error - which gave rule authors no signal that anything was wrong.
  • Strict equality is exempt: === and !== are resolved before any type dispatch, so a Date is never strictly equal to a DateTime regardless of the instant either denotes.
  • The anchor is fixed at UTC midnight, matching subtraction. Making it configurable would be a new feature, not part of this semantics.

List Literals and Membership

  • Syntax: [1, 2, 3], ["admin", "manager"]
  • Operators: in (element in list), contains (list contains element)
  • Examples: role in ["admin", "manager"], [1, 2, 3] contains 2
  • Compilation: all-literal lists compile to a single ["lit", [...]]; a list with any non-literal element compiles its elements in order followed by ["make_list", n], which pops n values and pushes the list (ADR-0001)
  • Examples: [1, 2, 3] -> [["lit", [1, 2, 3]]]; [x + 1, y] -> [["load","x"],["lit",1],["add"],["load","y"],["make_list",2]]
  • Cross-language: make_list is an ISA v2 addition. The Ruby and JavaScript siblings do not implement it yet, so an instruction list containing it will not run there. All-literal lists remain portable.
  • Concatenation: + concatenates two lists ([1, 2] + [3] -> [1, 2, 3]); concat(a, b) does the same as an explicit function call. Both are list-only - + still coerces string/number as before, and concat does not accept strings or numbers.

Object Literals (v3.1.0 - JavaScript-Style Objects)

  • Syntax: {}, {name: "John"}, {user: {role: "admin", active: true}}

  • Key Types: Identifiers (name) and strings ("name") supported as keys

  • Nested Objects: Unlimited nesting depth with proper evaluation order

  • Stack-based Compilation: Uses object_new and object_set instructions for efficient evaluation

  • Type Safety: Object equality comparisons with proper map type guards

  • String Decompilation: Round-trip formatting preserves original syntax

  • Examples:

    Predicator.evaluate("{name: 'John'} = user_data", %{})  # Object comparison
Predicator.evaluate("{score: 85, active: true}", %{})   # Object construction
Predicator.evaluate("user = {profile: {name: 'Alice'}}", %{})  # Nested objects

Logical Operator Enhancements

  • Case-insensitive: Both AND/and, OR/or, NOT/not supported
  • Pattern matching: Refactored evaluator and parser to use pattern matching over case statements
  • Plain boolean expressions: Support for active, expired without = true

Short-Circuit Evaluation (v3.7.0)

  • Compilation: a AND b compiles to a's instructions, then ["jump_if_falsy_or_pop", offset], then b's instructions; a OR b mirrors it with ["jump_if_true_or_pop", offset]. offset is the distance from the jump instruction to the instruction after b.
  • :undefined is ECMAScript-aligned, not symmetric: "falsy" is false or :undefined; "true" is exactly true. undefined AND x short-circuits to :undefined without evaluating x; undefined OR x falls through and takes x's value. A non-boolean, non-:undefined value at a jump is still a TypeMismatchError - the opcodes validate, they don't coerce.
  • Examples: a AND b -> [["load","a"],["jump_if_falsy_or_pop",2],["load","b"]]; evaluate("false AND score > 5", %{}) -> {:ok, false} without evaluating score > 5 at all, where 3.5.0 raised TypeMismatchError on an unbound score
  • Backward compatible: ["and"] and ["or"] remain accepted by the evaluator for previously compiled artifacts; the compiler simply stops emitting them (ADR-0001)
  • Cross-language: jump_if_falsy_or_pop and jump_if_true_or_pop are ISA v2 additions. The Ruby and JavaScript siblings do not implement them yet, so an instruction list containing either will not run there.

Nested Data Structure Access (v1.1.0 + Bracket Access Enhancement)

  • Dot Notation: Access deeply nested data structures using . syntax
  • Bracket Notation: Dynamic property and array access using [key] syntax (NEW)
  • Mixed Access: Combine both notations like user.settings['theme'] (NEW)
  • Syntax:
    • Dot: user.profile.name, config.database.settings.ssl
    • Bracket: user['profile']['name'], items[0], scores[index]
    • Mixed: user.settings['theme'], data['users'][0].name
  • Key Types: Supports string keys, atom keys, integer keys, and mixed types
  • Array Indexing: Full array access with bounds checking (items[0], scores[index])
  • Dynamic Keys: Variable and expression-based keys (obj[key], items[i + 1])
  • Parser: Added postfix parsing for bracket access with recursive chaining
  • Evaluator:
    • Enhanced load_nested_value/2 for dot notation
    • New access_value/2 for bracket access with comprehensive type handling
  • Error Handling: Returns :undefined for missing paths, out-of-bounds access, or non-map/non-array intermediate values
  • Examples:
    • user.name.first = "John" (dot notation)
    • user['profile']['role'] = "admin" (bracket notation)
    • items[0] = "apple" (array access)
    • data['users'][index]['name'] (chained bracket access)
    • user.settings['theme'] = 'dark' (mixed notation)
  • Backwards Compatible: Simple variable names and existing dot notation work exactly as before

Location Expressions for SCXML (v2.2.0 - Phase 2 Complete)

  • Purpose: SCXML datamodel location expressions for assignment operations (<assign> elements)

  • API Functions:

  • Location Paths: Returns lists like ["user", "name"], ["items", 0, "property"] for navigation

  • Validation: Distinguishes assignable locations (l-values) from computed expressions (r-values)

  • Error Handling: Structured LocationError with detailed error types and context

  • Core Module: Predicator.ContextLocation with comprehensive location resolution logic

  • Error Types:

    • :not_assignable - Expression cannot be used as assignment target (literals, functions, etc.)
    • :invalid_node - Unknown or unsupported AST node type
    • :undefined_variable - Variable referenced in bracket key is not defined
    • :invalid_key - Bracket key is not a valid string or integer
    • :computed_key - Computed expressions cannot be used as assignment keys
    • :not_a_container - Write path traverses a value that is neither a map nor a list
    • :invalid_index - List index in a write path is negative

  • Examples:

    Predicator.context_location("user.profile.name", %{})          # {:ok, ["user", "profile", "name"]}
Predicator.context_location("items[0]", %{})                   # {:ok, ["items", 0]}
Predicator.context_location("data['users'][i]['name']", %{"i" => 2})  # {:ok, ["data", "users", 2, "name"]}
Predicator.context_location("len(name)", %{})                  # {:error, %LocationError{type: :not_assignable}}
Predicator.context_location("42", %{})                         # {:error, %LocationError{type: :not_assignable}}

  • Assignable Locations: Simple identifiers, property access, bracket access, mixed notation

  • Non-Assignable: Literals, function calls, arithmetic expressions, comparisons, any computed values

  • Mixed Notation Support: user.settings['theme'], data['users'][0].profile fully supported

  • SCXML Integration: Enables safe assignment operations while preventing assignment to computed expressions

  • Assignment Semantics (Unreleased): auto-vivification is ECMAScript-like - a missing, nil, or :undefined segment becomes a %{} when the next segment is a string and a [] when it is an integer; integer indices past the end of a list pad with :undefined; the leaf is always overwritten; existing data is never destroyed, so a scalar intermediate or a string segment against a list is :not_a_container. Only string and integer keys are consulted, never atom keys - put/3 is the contract-stable primitive that later releases write through, so its signature and these semantics are frozen

    Predicator.context_assign(%{}, "user.profile.name", "Ada")     # {:ok, %{"user" => %{"profile" => %{"name" => "Ada"}}}}
Predicator.context_assign(%{"items" => [1]}, "items[2]", "x")  # {:ok, %{"items" => [1, :undefined, "x"]}}
Predicator.context_assign(%{"user" => 5}, "user.name", "Ada")  # {:error, %LocationError{type: :not_a_container}}

Breaking Changes

v2.2.0 - Property Access Parsing Overhaul

  • Changed: Complete reimplementation of dot notation parsing from dotted identifiers to proper property access AST
  • Breaking: Expressions like user.email now parsed as {:property_access, {:identifier, "user"}, "email"} instead of {:identifier, "user.email"}
  • Impact: Context keys with dots like "user.email" will no longer match the identifier user.email - they are now parsed as property access
  • Instructions: Evaluation now generates separate load and access instructions instead of single load with dotted name
  • Benefit: Enables proper mixed notation like user.settings['theme'] and SCXML location expressions
  • Migration: Use proper nested data structures %{"user" => %{"email" => "..."}} instead of flat keys %{"user.email" => "..."}
  • Lexer Change: Dots removed from valid identifier characters, now parsed as separate tokens

  • Parser Enhancement: Added property access grammar postfix → primary ( "[" expression "]" | "." IDENTIFIER )*

  • New AST Nodes: {:property_access, left_node, property} for dot notation parsing
  • Evaluator Update: New access instruction handler, removed old dotted identifier support from load_from_context
  • Full Compatibility: All existing expressions without dots work exactly as before

v2.0.0 - Custom Function Architecture Overhaul

  • Removed: Global function registry system (Predicator.Functions.Registry module)
  • Removed: Predicator.register_function/3, Predicator.clear_custom_functions/0, Predicator.list_custom_functions/0
  • Changed: Custom functions now passed via functions: option in evaluate/3 calls instead of global registration
  • Benefit: Thread-safe, no global state, per-evaluation function scoping
  • Migration: Replace registry calls with function maps passed to evaluate/3

v1.1.0 - Nested Access Parsing

  • Changed: Variables containing dots (e.g., "user.email") now parsed as nested access paths
  • Impact: Context keys like "user.profile.name" will no longer match identifier user.profile.name
  • Solution: Use proper nested data structures instead of flat keys with dots

Common Tasks

Adding New Operators

  1. Add token type to lexer.ex
  2. Add parsing logic to parser.ex
  3. Add instruction type to types.ex
  4. Add evaluation logic to evaluator.ex
  5. Add compilation logic to compiler.ex
  6. Add string formatting to string_visitor.ex
  7. Point the new node at its operator token (see Source Positions) and widen strip_positions/1 and ensure_positions/1 to recurse into it
  8. Add comprehensive tests

Adding New Data Types

  1. Update lexer tokenization (see date implementation)
  2. Update parser grammar and AST types, giving the node a source position
  3. Update type specifications in types.ex
  4. Add evaluation support with type checking
  5. Add string visitor formatting support
  6. Add tests for all pipeline components

Debugging Issues

  • Use mix test --trace for detailed test output
  • Check coverage with mix test.coverage.html
  • Use mix dialyzer for type issues
  • Run mix credo explain <issue> for linting details

Testing Philosophy

  • Unit Tests: Each component tested in isolation
  • Integration Tests: Full pipeline testing in predicator_test.exs
  • Property Testing: Comprehensive input validation
  • Error Path Testing: All error conditions covered
  • Round-trip Testing: AST → String → AST consistency
  • Current Test Count: 886 tests (65 doctests + 821 regular tests)

Code Standards

  • Documentation: All public functions have @doc and @spec
  • Type Safety: Comprehensive @type and @spec definitions

  • Error Handling: Consistent {:ok, result} | {:error, ...} patterns

  • Testing: >90% coverage requirement
  • Formatting: Automatic with mix format
  • Linting: Credo strict mode compliance

Performance Considerations

  • Lexer/parser complexity is intentional and appropriate
  • String concatenation optimized in StringVisitor
  • Instruction execution designed for repeated evaluation
  • Memory usage minimized during compilation pipeline

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  • Credo Complexity: Intentionally suppressed for lexer/parser functions
  • Doctest Escaping: Use simple examples without nested quotes
  • Coverage Gaps: Focus on error paths and edge cases
  • Type Errors: Check @spec definitions match implementation

Development Environment

  • Elixir ~> 1.11 required

  • All dependencies in development/test only

  • No runtime dependencies for core functionality

  • When creating git commit messages:

    • be concise but informative, and highlight the functional changes
    • no need to mention code quality improvements as they are expected (unless the functional change is about code quality improvements)
    • commit titles should be less than 50 characters and be in the simple present tense (active voice)
    • commit descriptions should wrap at about 72 characters and also be in the simple present tense (active voice)