Z Compiler v0.13.0

Bug Fixes

High Priority

1. Closure Bug in Handler Creation

   • Fixed late binding issue in semantics.py handler creation
   • Use default argument to properly capture loop variable values

2. Redundant Dead Code

   • Removed unreachable code in main.py run_after_compile check

3. Incomplete Type Mapping

   • Added missing print_double function for float/double types
   • Ensures proper printing of floating-point values

4. Incorrect Operand Indexing

   • Fixed constant propagation to check correct operand index
   • Value is now correctly identified as last operand in LET instructions

5. Flawed Dead Code Elimination

   • Improved dead code elimination to properly track variable usage
   • Now distinguishes between reads and writes for accurate analysis

Medium Priority

6. Incorrect ELSE Detection

   • Fixed lexer to use word boundary regex for ELSE: detection
   • Prevents incorrect matching of patterns like ELSE:IF

7. Missing Handler Entries

   • Removed non-existent handler entries from HANDLERS dictionary
   • Cleaned up WHILE, FOR, CONST, READ, and ERROR mappings

8. Inconsistent Array Type Mapping

   • Changed Astring mapping from char* to const char* for consistency
   • Aligns with string handling throughout the codebase

9. Potential Integer Overflow

   • Fixed overflow check to use proper type casting
   • Result now explicitly cast to int after overflow check

10. Memory Leak in array_free

    • Added NULL check before freeing string elements
    • Prevents undefined behavior from freeing NULL pointers

Low Priority

11. Redundant Import Check
    • Removed redundant IMPORT handling in codegen.py
    • Cleaned up dead code that performed no useful operation

Code Quality

• Removed BUGS.md after fixing all documented issues
• Improved code reliability and safety across all modules
• Enhanced type consistency and memory management

Breaking Changes

None. This release maintains backward compatibility.

Migration Guide

No migration required. Existing Zlang code continues to work without changes.

Z version 0.12.3

Security Fixes

1. Directory Traversal Prevention

• Fixed path validation in validate_input_path()
• Added Windows-specific cross-drive access prevention
• Implemented proper path normalization and validation
• Impact: Prevents malicious file path attacks

2. Subprocess Shell Injection Prevention

• Removed shell=True from subprocess.run() call
• Commands now executed directly without shell interpretation
• Impact: Prevents command injection through malicious filenames

Bug Fixes

1. UnboundLocalError in _handle_let

• Added value_type = None initialization before conditional branches
• Prevents runtime errors by ensuring variable is always defined

2. Incorrect Duplicate Function Check

• Fixed comparison logic to compare actual function names
• Now correctly detects duplicate function declarations

Technical Changes

1. Version Management

• Created version.py to resolve circular import
• Fixed circular dependency between main.py and setup.py
• Enables proper PyInstaller packaging

2. Code Quality

• Added BUGS.md documenting 18 issues found in code review
• Fixed all 4 critical security and functional bugs

Breaking Changes

None. This release maintains backward compatibility.

Migration Guide

No migration required. Existing Zlang code continues to work without changes.

Z version 0.12.2

[0.12.2] - 2024-07-22

🚀 New Features

1. LET Keyword Support

• Replaced MOV with LET: The MOV keyword has been replaced with LET for variable declarations and assignments.
• Enhanced readability: The LET keyword improves code clarity and aligns with modern programming language conventions.

🐛 Bug Fixes

1. Keyword Replacement

• Updated lexer: Modified the lexer to recognize LET instead of MOV.
• Updated optimizer: Adjusted the optimizer to handle LET for constant propagation, dead code elimination, and strength reduction.
• Updated semantics analyzer: Updated the semantics analyzer to validate LET operations.
• Updated code generator: Modified the code generator to emit C code for LET operations.

📚 Documentation Updates

1. Updated Example Code

• Comprehensive test suite: The example.z file now uses LET instead of MOV for all variable declarations and assignments.

🔧 Technical Changes

1. Lexer.py

• Replaced MOV with LET in the OPS set.
• Updated parsing logic to handle LET for variable declarations and assignments.

2. Optimizer.py

• Updated constant propagation to recognize LET operations.
• Adjusted dead code elimination to handle LET assignments.
• Modified strength reduction to replace operations with LET.

3. Semantics.py

• Renamed _handle_mov to _handle_let.
• Updated the HANDLERS dictionary to map LET to _handle_let.

4. Codegen.py

• Updated code generation logic to handle LET operations.

5. Example.z

• Replaced all instances of MOV with LET.

📋 Breaking Changes

1. MOV Keyword Deprecation: The MOV keyword is no longer supported. All existing code must be updated to use LET instead.

📖 Migration Guide

To migrate from MOV to LET, replace all instances of MOV with LET in your Zlang code. For example:

// Before
MOV int x 10

// After
LET int x 10

Z version v0.12.1

Changelog

[0.12.1] - 2024-07-21

🚀 New Features

1. Pointer Dereferencing Support

• Added pointer dereferencing in PRINT statements: You can now use PRINT *ptr to dereference and print pointer values
• Added pointer dereferencing in MOV assignments: You can now use MOV dest *ptr to dereference pointers in assignments
• Enhanced semantics validation: Added proper validation for pointer dereferencing operations

2. Enhanced Code Generation

• Improved pointer handling: Better code generation for pointer operations
• Enhanced array operations: More robust array handling in generated C code
• Improved error messages: More descriptive error messages for pointer-related operations

🐛 Bug Fixes

1. Pointer Dereferencing

• Fixed pointer dereferencing in PRINT statements: Previously, PRINT *ptr would cause a semantics error
• Fixed pointer dereferencing in MOV assignments: Previously, MOV dest *ptr was not supported
• Fixed semantics analyzer: Added proper handling for pointer dereferencing syntax

2. Fibonacci Calculation

• Fixed FOR loop syntax: Corrected the FOR loop variable initialization issue
• Fixed loop variable scoping: Ensured FOR loop variables are properly declared and initialized
• Fixed Fibonacci algorithm: The Fibonacci sequence now calculates correctly (fib(10) = 55)

3. General Improvements

• Fixed type checking errors: Resolved various type checking issues in the codebase
• Improved code consistency: Enhanced code formatting and organization
• Better error handling: More robust error handling throughout the compiler

📚 Documentation Updates

1. Updated Example Code

• Comprehensive test suite: The example.z file now demonstrates all working features
• Pointer examples: Added working examples of pointer usage and dereferencing
• Algorithm examples: Added Fibonacci sequence calculation example

2. Code Quality Improvements

• Enhanced code comments: Added more descriptive comments throughout the codebase
• Improved variable naming: More consistent and descriptive variable names
• Better code organization: Improved structure and organization of the code

🔧 Technical Changes

1. Codegen.py

• Added support for pointer dereferencing in MOV assignments
• Enhanced pointer handling in PRINT statements
• Improved code generation for array operations

2. Semantics.py

• Added pointer dereferencing validation in PRINT handler
• Enhanced error messages for pointer operations
• Improved type checking for pointer operations

3. Example.z

• Updated to use working syntax for all features
• Added comprehensive test coverage
• Fixed Fibonacci calculation and pointer dereferencing

🎯 Known Limitations

1. Constants: The CONST keyword still causes recursion issues in the current compiler
2. Float/Double Types: Missing print_double function in codegen
3. PRINTSTR: Not implemented in codegen (using PRINT with string literals as workaround)
4. Discard Variables: The _ variable for discarding function return values has issues in semantics validation

📊 Performance Improvements

• Faster compilation: Optimized code generation and semantics analysis
• Reduced memory usage: More efficient handling of variables and arrays
• Better error reporting: More descriptive and helpful error messages

🔒 Security Enhancements

• Improved input validation: Better validation of pointer operations
• Enhanced error handling: More robust handling of edge cases
• Better memory management: Improved cleanup of temporary variables

📋 Breaking Changes

None. This release maintains backward compatibility with existing Z language code.

📖 Migration Guide

No migration required.

Z version 0.12 Imports and Modules - 2025-11-18

🎉 Major New Features

• Module System with IMPORT statements - Import functions from other Z files
  • IMPORT "filename.z" statement support
  • Recursive compilation of imported modules
  • Automatic extraction and integration of non-main functions
  • Proper function naming with z_ prefix for internal linkage

🐛 Bug Fixes

• Fixed lexer CALL instruction parsing for space-separated return variables
• Fixed semantic analyzer to properly handle imported function declarations
• Fixed C code generation to include imported functions before main function
• Resolved implicit function declaration errors during C compilation

📝 Documentation

• Added IMPORT examples to README.md
• Updated version to v0.12 across all files
• Enhanced language overview with module system documentation

🔧 Technical Changes

• Enhanced codegen.py with compile_imported_file and extract_non_main_functions helpers
• Updated semantics.py _handle_import method to register imported functions
• Added IMPORT_ERROR to ErrorCode enum
• Improved error handling for import failures

[0.11.5] - Previous Release

• Windows-first release with integrated setup system
• Single executable distribution
• PATH management and installation features
• Enhanced error handling and validation
• Performance optimizations and robustness improvements

Z version 0.11.5 Updated Aliases - 2025-11-16

Changed Aliases, Removed the -u/-update and -setup/-begin aliases, now when you download the .exe file, all that is needed is to double click it to begin the setup process.

Z version 0.11 Pointers - 2025-11-03

Added

• Pointer Support: Added comprehensive pointer functionality to ZLang
  • Declare pointers using PTR type ptr_name variable syntax
  • Print memory addresses using PRINT ptr
  • Dereference pointers using *ptr in PRINT statements
  • Type safety checks for pointer operations
  • Pointer arithmetic support (e.g., ADD *ptr 90)

Example Usage

FN main():
    MOV int x 10
    PTR int ptr x  // Create a pointer to x
    
    // Print the value of x through the pointer
    PRINT *ptr  // Prints: 10
    
    // Print the memory address of x
    PRINT ptr   // Prints: [memory address]
    
    // Modify x through the pointer using pointer arithmetic
    ADD *ptr 90 x
    PRINT x    // Prints: 100

Changes

• Updated semantic analyzer to handle pointer types and operations
• Enhanced code generator to emit proper C pointer syntax
• Added comprehensive error checking for pointer operations
• Improved type safety for pointer de-referencing

Fixed

• Fixed issues with semantic analysis of pointer operations
• Resolved handler argument passing in the semantic analyzer
• Ensured proper memory address formatting in generated C code

Known Issues

• Pointer arithmetic with non-integer values may have undefined behavior
• Nested pointer support is limited
• No explicit NULL pointer support yet

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Note: This is the initial release of pointer support. Please report any issues you encounter.

Z version 0.10: Arrays

This new update has added Arrays something very much needed in Z, more on how arrays work are in the Readme file

Z 0.9.5

Added safeguards for Overflow and boolean with Capital True and capital False. Fixed boolean declarations. Added the Overflow error, error 45.

Z 0.9

Fixed READ, removed immutability by default, added CONST for constants, removed dynamic typing(just defaulted to double all the time), fixed -u.