FlowLang v0.1.0-beta Release Notes

🎉 Welcome to the first beta release of FlowLang!

FlowLang is a modern, human-friendly, and secure programming language designed to make software development easy for everyone — from absolute beginners to expert developers.

🚀 What's New in v0.1.0-beta

Core Language Features

• ✅ Complete syntax implementation with natural, human-friendly keywords
• ✅ Interactive REPL for testing code snippets instantly
• ✅ Memory-safe execution built with Rust
• ✅ Cross-platform support for macOS, Linux, and Windows
• ✅ Comprehensive error handling with helpful error messages

Language Constructs

• Variables and basic data types (strings, numbers, booleans)
• Functions with parameters and return values
• Control flow (if/else, loops)
• Arrays and objects
• Comments and documentation
• Built-in functions (show, arithmetic operations)

Developer Experience

• VS Code Extension with syntax highlighting and auto-completion
• Sublime Text syntax support
• Vim/Neovim syntax highlighting
• Automatic installation scripts for all platforms
• Comprehensive examples and documentation

📦 Installation

Quick Install (Recommended)

1. Download the release package:

   # Download from GitHub releases
   wget https://github.com/kiddo4/flowlang/releases/download/v0.1.0-beta/flowlang-0.1.0-beta.tar.gz
   tar -xzf flowlang-0.1.0-beta.tar.gz
   cd flowlang-0.1.0-beta

2. Install FlowLang:

   # Unix/Linux/macOS
   sudo ./install.sh
   
   # Windows
   install.bat

3. Install Editor Support:

   cd editor-support
   ./install.sh

4. Verify Installation:

   flowlang --version
   flowlang examples/hello.flow

Alternative Installation Methods

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/kiddo4/flowlang.git
cd flowlang
cargo build --release
sudo cp target/release/flowlang /usr/local/bin/

Manual Installation

1. Extract the release archive
2. Copy the appropriate binary from bin/ to your PATH:
   • macOS: flowlang-macos-x86_64 or flowlang-darwin-x86_64
   • Linux: flowlang-linux-x86_64
   • Windows: flowlang-windows-x86_64.exe

🎯 Platform Support

Note: Pre-built binaries are provided for macOS and Windows. Linux support requires building from source due to cross-compilation toolchain limitations.

📝 Usage Examples

Hello World

# hello.flow
def main do
    show "Hello, FlowLang!"
end

main()

Variables and Functions

# calculator.flow
def add with a, b do
    return a + b
end

def multiply with a, b do
    return a * b
end

let x = 10
let y = 5
let sum = add(x, y)
let product = multiply(x, y)

show "Sum: " + sum
show "Product: " + product

Control Flow

# fibonacci.flow
def fibonacci with n do
    if n <= 1 then
        return n
    else
        return fibonacci(n-1) + fibonacci(n-2)
    end
end

for i in 1 to 10 do
    show "fib(" + i + ") = " + fibonacci(i)
end

🎨 Editor Support

Visual Studio Code

Automatic Installation:

cd editor-support
./install.sh  # Select option 1

Manual Installation:

code --install-extension editor-support/vscode/flowlang-syntax-1.0.0.vsix

Features:

• ✅ Syntax highlighting
• ✅ Auto-indentation
• ✅ Bracket matching
• ✅ File recognition (.flow files)
• ✅ Theme compatibility

Other Editors

• Sublime Text: Automatic installation via ./install.sh
• Vim/Neovim: Syntax files included
• Global Formatter: Python-based code formatter

🧪 Testing the Installation

Run the REPL

flowlang --repl
# or
flowlang -r

Execute Example Programs

# Basic examples
flowlang examples/hello.flow
flowlang examples/fibonacci.flow
flowlang examples/calculator.flow
flowlang examples/fizzbuzz.flow

# Advanced examples
flowlang examples/collections.flow
flowlang examples/stdlib_test.flow

Command Line Options

flowlang --help              # Show help
flowlang --version           # Show version
flowlang --verbose file.flow # Run with verbose output
flowlang --ast file.flow     # Show AST (debug)
flowlang --bytecode file.flow # Show bytecode (debug)

🐛 Known Issues

1. Cross-compilation: Linux and Windows binaries require additional Rust targets
2. ARM64 macOS: Native ARM64 build requires aarch64-apple-darwin target
3. Package Manager: Module system and package management not yet implemented
4. Standard Library: Limited built-in functions (expanding in future releases)

🛣️ Roadmap

v0.2.0 (Next Release)

• ARM64 macOS native support
• Linux and Windows native binaries
• Expanded standard library
• Module system and imports
• Language Server Protocol (LSP) support

Future Releases

• Package manager
• Debugger integration
• WebAssembly compilation target
• More editor integrations
• Performance optimizations

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! See our Contributing Guide for details.

Development Setup

1. Fork the repository
2. Clone: git clone https://github.com/kiddo4/flowlang.git
3. Build: cargo build --release
4. Test: cargo test
5. Submit a Pull Request

📞 Support

• Documentation: docs/
• GitHub Issues: Report bugs and request features
• GitHub Discussions: Community discussions

📄 License

MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

Thanks to all contributors and the Rust community for making this project possible!

FlowLang v0.1.0-beta - A programming language designed for humans ❤️

Released on June 17, 2025