PrayThisWorks

Variables

In this article, we’ll look at how variables work. To see how to define them, see the Hello Jesus! example.

Does context matter?

No. If you define a variable inside a module or a lambda, it will be (re)defined at a global level. So make sure to not name your variables the same!

Variables object

Variables are stored in a JavaScript object (since this interpreter is written in JS). You can get the object after execution by passing -d as an option to the CLI tool:

pray examples/Lambda.pray -d

And it will output something like the following:

{
  saved: 1,
  we: [
    54,
    [ 'portrayed', 'represented' ],
    'examples/Modules/Lambda.pray'
  ],
  'our place': [ 185, [ 'sheltered' ], 'examples/Modules/Lambda.pray' ],
  'had been crucified': '3',
  'had been reborn': '5',
  portrayed: '3',
  represented: '5',
  'had been betrayed': 8,
  sheltered: 8
}

As you might have noticed, all the variables are either numbers, strings or arrays with some data. We’ll get to the arrays later, but for now let’s look at how the strings and the numbers work:

• Numbers are either builtin variables or calculation results (see math).
• Strings are either builtin variables or set by the who instruction.

Lambdas

Lambdas are stored like this:

[char: number, args: string[], filename: string]

where

• char is the character where the lambda code starts,
• args is an array with the argument names,
• and filename is the name of the file where the lambda is located.

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