Ranger Compiler

2.1.70 verified Fri May 01 auth: no javascript

Ranger Compiler (v2.1.70, experimental) is a self-hosting cross-language compiler that translates Ranger source code into JavaScript, Java, Go, Swift, PHP, C++, C#, and Scala. It features type safety, classes, inheritance, operator overloading, lambda functions, generic traits, class extensions, and type inference. Unlike single-target compilers, Ranger allows writing portable algorithms that can run on multiple platforms. The compiler runs on Node.js and can be used from TypeScript. Currently, only JavaScript target is fully self-hosted; other targets are in varying stages of completeness. The package is experimental and released on npm.

Common errors

error Cannot find module 'ranger-compiler' ↓

cause Package not installed or not installed globally when using CLI.

fix

Run npm install -g ranger-compiler for CLI, or npm install ranger-compiler --save-dev for local usage in a project.

error addFile is not a function ↓

cause Using a named import instead of default import.

fix

Use import R from 'ranger-compiler' and then R.addFile(...).

error R is not a function ↓

cause In older versions (<2.0), default export was a function. If using a newer version, this is incorrect.

fix

For v2.0+, use import R from 'ranger-compiler'; and call methods on R instead of calling R directly.

error TypeError: R.compile is not a function ↓

cause Not loading standard library files or missing addFile calls.

fix

Ensure you load required files (Lang.clj, stdlib.clj, stdops.clj, JSON.clj) via R.addFile() before calling R.compile().

Warnings

breaking The default export changed from a function to an object in v2.0. Old code using `import R from 'ranger-compiler'` as a function call will break. ↓

fix Update code to use R.addFile, R.compile etc. instead of calling R as a function.

breaking The `-typescript` flag was removed in v2.1.0. TypeScript annotations are now generated by default for JavaScript output. ↓

fix Remove the `-typescript` flag from CLI invocation. The compiler now always generates TypeScript-annotated JavaScript when compiling to ES6.

deprecated The `-scalafiddle` flag is deprecated and will be removed in a future version. ↓

fix Use `-l=scala` and configure Scala output manually if needed.

gotcha The compiler is experimental; not all target languages produce compilable output. Only JavaScript target is fully self-hosted. ↓

fix For production, use JavaScript target. Test other targets thoroughly before relying on them.

gotcha The package does not include the standard library files; they must be loaded separately from the 'libs' directory in the package installation. ↓

fix Locate the libs folder relative to the package (e.g., node_modules/ranger-compiler/libs/) and load the necessary .clj files using addFile.

Install

npm install ranger-compiler

yarn add ranger-compiler

pnpm add ranger-compiler

Imports

Ranger (default export)
wrong
```
const R = require('ranger-compiler')
```
correct
```
import R from 'ranger-compiler'
```
The package provides a default export. TypeScript types are included.

addFile

wrong

import { addFile } from 'ranger-compiler';

correct

import R from 'ranger-compiler';
R.addFile('file.clj', source);

addFile is a method on the default export, not a named export.

compile (static method)

wrong

import { compile } from 'ranger-compiler';

correct

import R from 'ranger-compiler';
R.compile({ files: [], outputDir: 'bin' });

compile is a method on the default export. Options object varies by version.

type exports (TypeScript)
wrong
```
import R from 'ranger-compiler'; // if only types needed
```
correct
```
import type R from 'ranger-compiler';
```
TypeScript users can import the type using 'import type' for type-only usage.

Quickstart

Shows CLI usage and TypeScript API to compile a Ranger file to JavaScript, including loading standard library files.

// Install: npm install -g ranger-compiler
// Save this as hello.clj:
// class Hello {
//     static fn main () {
//         print "Hello World"
//     }
// }
// Then run: ranger-compiler hello.clj
// Output: bin/hello.js

// Alternatively, from TypeScript:
import * as fs from 'fs';
import R from 'ranger-compiler';

// Load standard library files
R.addFile('Lang.clj', fs.readFileSync('./libs/Lang.clj', 'utf8'));
R.addFile('stdlib.clj', fs.readFileSync('./libs/stdlib.clj', 'utf8'));
R.addFile('stdops.clj', fs.readFileSync('./libs/stdops.clj', 'utf8'));
R.addFile('JSON.clj', fs.readFileSync('./libs/JSON.clj', 'utf8'));

// Add your source files
const files = ['hello.clj', 'other.clj'];
files.forEach(f => R.addFile(f, fs.readFileSync(f, 'utf8')));

// Compile to JavaScript
const result = R.compile({
  files: files,
  outputDir: 'bin',
  language: 'es6'
});
console.log('Compilation successful:', result);