Ectype is a "language extension" that uses a library and type-checker in tandem to bring new language features like type safety, runtime validation, and more, directly to vanilla JavaScript.
If you are here from the Strange Loop talk, some syntax around variants has changed! Check the demo file for a refresher.
Thanks for your interest in Ectype! Everything’s still very much in its early stages, so things are subject to (potentially major) change. More comprehensive documentation is also to come. But if that doesn’t deter you, here’s how you can get started:
Install with npm install ectype. Lint/type-check a script with npx ectype check [entrypoint.js].
Ectype files must begin with "use ectype". If a file is missing this directive, the analyzer will assume it is an untyped JavaScript file and ignore it.
Once it passes the linter/type-checker, you can run an Ectype file directly.
See DEMO.js for a quick intro. Full documentation is coming later as the language matures.
Ectype is being implemented with TypeScript until it is capable of self-hosting.
npm run build to compile, npm run watch for a watcher. Built files go into dist.
Please feel free to email me about Ectype at holly@dejawu.me!
npm run test to run test cases. Test cases live in test/cases. If a test case is expected to fail static analysis, end the filename in -fail.js. To skip a test, end the filename in -skip.js.