Helix Language Overview:

• Logo and Project Link: Helix Programming Language Logo, Helix Lang GitHub Repository
• Key Features: Readable, high-performance, low-level language; aims for high-performance like C with modern features; focuses on safe memory management without sacrificing productivity; has advanced memory tracking system; provides tools for code stability and a cross-platform standard library
• Self-Hosted Compiler: Work has started using the current C++-based implementation as a bootstrap. Follow and contribute by checking out the self-hosted branch.
• Documentation Status and AI Usage: Documentation is actively developing and quite outdated. Initial drafts were created with ChatGPT for refinement. Commit messages are generated using GitLens. All code, designs, and concepts are the work of the developers.

Table of Contents:

• Design Philosophy: Simple syntax combining readable languages with C++ power and Python intrinsics; general-purpose for various applications; beginner-friendly with low-level features; seamless interoperability with C, C++, and other languages.
• Error Reporting & Handling: Prioritizes clear diagnostics and flexible error management. Produces precise error messages with error codes and contextual output. Uses a hybrid error-handling model with questionable types (T?), which can hold a value, null, or a panic. The T? syntax is a draft and may evolve.
• Familiarity to C++: Syntax and semantics inspired by C++, with distinct features. Supports templates, operator overloading, functions and methods, memory management, classes and inheritance, interfaces, and object-oriented features. Integrates directly with C++ codebases via FFI.
• Features of Rust, Zig, Odin, Nim, and Helix: Compares object-oriented programming, memory safety, language features, and syntax of these languages. Helix is similar to C++ in OOP, uses an Advanced Memory Tracking system for memory safety, provides a macro system, and has a syntax with fn <T> name(params: T) for generics.
• Example Code Illustration: Shows Helix's type system in action with examples of using structs and classes, managed pointers, and error handling.
• Extending Functionality with Generics and Inheritance: Demonstrates how Helix's type system supports generics and inheritance through the BinaryTreeNode example.
• Helix ABI and FFI System: Allows seamless integration with other languages via FFI. The FFI system has core features like standard ABI support, a custom Helix ABI, automatic bindings, and Pure Helix Code. The Helix ABI Extension file defines how Helix interacts with foreign languages. Benefits include flexibility, performance, safety, and ease of use.
• Advanced Memory Tracking (AMT): Helix's memory management system using a dedicated IR to track memory states at compile time. It has features like ownership and borrowing IR, no lifetimes, smart pointer conversion, warnings instead of errors, manual control, and no garbage collector.
• Vial: Cross-Language Module Format: A binary format for preprocessed code modules that accelerates compilation and enables cross-language interoperability. It stores compilation artifacts and supports other languages via language-specific modules.
• What constitutes as Pure Helix Code: The intermediate representation generated by the Helix compiler after preprocessing and before final compilation.
• Helix's Cache System: Optimizes the compilation process by storing compiled Pure Helix Code artifacts for faster builds.
• Helix Roadmap: Outlines the phases of the Helix development process, including foundation, frontend, AMT & Borrow Checker, Backend, FFI & Vial, Self-Hosting, and Polish. Each phase has specific tasks and goals.
• Quick Start: Installation and build instructions. Helix is in alpha release and not yet stable. For Linux, development is ongoing. Prerequisites include Xmake, Python, Git, and a C++ compiler. Windows specific instructions for Visual Studio Build Tools are provided. MacOS, Unix, or Linux instructions include installing clang, libc++, Python, xmake, and Git.
• Hello, World!: Example of a simple "Hello, World!" program in Helix and how to compile and run it.
• License: Licensed under the Attribution 4.0 International License.
• Acknowledgements: Thanks to all contributors.
• Links: Official Website https://helix-lang.com/, Documentation https://helix-lang.com/docs, Tutorials https://helix-lang.com/tutorials