Vexon — experimental scripting language

Vexon is a lightweight, experimental scripting language with a hand-written lexer, parser, compiler, and virtual machine — all implemented from scratch in JavaScript.
It’s designed to be small and readable, fast to iterate on, and useful for prototyping scripts, tools, and small games.

Status: Experimental — good for learning and prototyping. Not production-ready.

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Table of contents

• Quick start
• Run from source (recommended)
• Minimal syntax & examples
• CLI usage
• Project structure
• Design notes & implementation details
• Grammar (mini-BNF)
• Contributing
• License
• Security & trust
• Contact / further reading

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Quick start

Prerequisites

• Node.js v16+ (tested with Node 18)
• Git

Clone and run

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd vexon

npm install
node vexon_cli.js run examples/hello.vx

Vexon runs directly from source using Node.js. No executables are required.

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CLI usage

Vexon ships with a small Node.js CLI:

node vexon_cli.js run <file.vx> [--debug]
node vexon_cli.js compile <file.vx> [--debug]

Commands

Run

node vexon_cli.js run program.vx

• Lexes, parses, compiles, and executes the program on the Vexon VM
• --debug prints bytecode execution steps

Compile (optional)

node vexon_cli.js compile program.vx

• Compiles .vx to Vexon bytecode
• Generates a JS runner and (optionally) a Windows .exe using pkg
• This is optional and not required to use the language

For safety and transparency, running from source is the recommended path.

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Run from source (recommended)

Typical workflow:

1. Create or edit a .vx file
2. Run it using the CLI

node ./bin/vexon.js my_program.vx

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Minimal syntax & examples

Hello world

message = "Hello, Vexon!"
print(message)

Variables & arithmetic

a = 10
b = 3
print(a + b * 2)

Functions

function add(x, y) {
    return x + y
}

print(add(2, 3))

Loops

i = 0
sum = 0
while i < 5 {
    sum = sum + i
    i = i + 1
}
print(sum)

Modules / imports

import "math_utils.vx" as math
print(math["add"](2, 3))

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CLI usage

node ./bin/vexon.js path/to/file.vx

Optional flags may include:

• --help
• --debug
• --repl

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Project structure

/bin
  vexon_cli.js        # CLI entry point
/src
  vexon_core.js       # Lexer, parser, compiler, VM
/examples
  hello.vx
LICENSE
README.md
package.json
```text
/bin
  vexon.js
/src
  lexer.js
  parser.js
  ast.js
  compiler.js
  vm.js
/examples
  hello.vx
LICENSE
README.md
package.json

---

Design notes & implementation details

Compiler pipeline

• Hand-written lexer with line/column tracking
• Pratt parser with operator precedence
• AST → bytecode compiler
• Stack-based virtual machine

VM highlights

• Separate call frames with local scopes
• Safe HALT handling (functions do not terminate the VM)
• Import system with module caching
• Built-in exception handling (try / catch / throw)

Design philosophy

• Minimal syntax
• Explicit control flow
• Small, readable implementation intended for learning and experimentation

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Grammar (mini-BNF)

program        ::= statement*
statement      ::= var_decl | function_decl | expression_stmt | if_stmt | while_stmt | return_stmt
var_decl       ::= IDENT '=' expression
function_decl  ::= 'function' IDENT? '(' params? ')' '{' statement* '}'
params         ::= IDENT (',' IDENT)*
expression     ::= assignment

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Contributing

1. Open an issue
2. Fork the repo
3. Create a feature branch
4. Submit a PR

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License

This project is licensed under the Vexon Open-Control License (VOCL) 1.0. See the LICENSE file for the full terms and attribution.

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Security &

• Vexon can be run entirely from source via Node.js
• No executables are required or trusted by default
• Generated executables (via pkg) are optional and user-initiated
• The compiler, VM, and runtime are fully contained in vexon_core.js

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AI / authorship note

The compiler, VM, and language design were implemented manually. AI tools were used occasionally for documentation wording and minor refactoring suggestions, but the architecture, bytecode format, parser, and VM logic were written and debugged by hand.

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Contact / further reading

Issues and technical discussions are welcome via the repository. if you wish to contact me visit: https://vexonlang.blogspot.com/ or send an email at: vexonlang@outlook.com