Add ex066, the first comptime explanation

1 files changed, 74 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/exercises/066_comptime.zig b/exercises/066_comptime.zig
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+//
+// "Compile time" is a program's environment while it is being
+// compiled. In contrast, "run time" is the environment while the
+// compiled program is executing (traditionally as machine code
+// on a hardware CPU).
+//
+// Errors make an easy example:
+//
+// 1. Compile-time error: caught by the compiler, usually
+//    resulting in a message to the programmer.
+//
+// 2. Runtime error: either caught by the running program itself
+//    or by the host hardware or operating system. Could be
+//    gracefully caught and handled or could cause the computer
+//    to crash (or halt and catch fire)!
+//
+// All compiled languages must perform a certain amount of logic
+// at compile time in order to analyze the code, maintain a table
+// of symbols (such as variable and function names), etc.
+//
+// Optimizing compilers can also figure out how much of a program
+// can be pre-computed or "inlined" at compile time to make the
+// resulting program more efficient. Smart compilers can even
+// "unroll" loops, turning their logic into a fast linear
+// sequence of statements (at the usually very slight expense of
+// the increased size of the repeated code).
+//
+// Zig takes these concepts further by making these optimizations
+// an integral part of the language itself!
+// 
+const print = @import("std").debug.print;
+
+pub fn main() void  {
+    // ALL numeric literals in Zig are of type comptime_int or
+    // comptime_float. They are of arbitary size (as big or
+    // little as you need).
+    //
+    // Notice how we don't have to specify a size like "u8",
+    // "i32", or "f64" when we assign identifiers immutably with
+    // "const".
+    //
+    // When we use these identifiers in our program, the VALUES
+    // are inserted at compile time into the executable code. The
+    // identifiers "my_int" and "my_float" don't really exist in
+    // our compiled application and do not refer to any
+    // particular areas of memory!
+    const const_int = 12345;
+    const const_float = 987.654;
+
+    print("const_int={}, const_float={d:.3}, ", .{const_int, const_float});
+
+    // But something changes when we assign the exact same values
+    // to identifiers mutably with "var".
+    //
+    // The literals are STILL comptime_int and comptime_float,
+    // but we wish to assign them to identifiers which are
+    // mutable at runtime.
+    //
+    // To be mutable at runtime, these identifiers must refer to
+    // areas of memory. In order to refer to areas of memory, Zig
+    // must know exactly how much memory to reserve for these
+    // values. Therefore, it follows that we just specify numeric
+    // types with specific sizes. The comptime numbers will be
+    // coerced (if they'll fit!) into your chosen runtime types.
+    var var_int = 12345;
+    var var_float = 987.654;
+
+    // We can change what is stored at the areas set aside for
+    // "var_int" and "var_float" in the running compiled program.
+    var_int = 54321;
+    var_float = 456.789;
+
+    print("var_int={}, var_float={d:.3}\n", .{var_int, var_float});
+}