Revision history for swarm

0.7.0.0 - 2025-06-03

Breaking changes

• return has been renamed to pure (#2285)
• fst/snd have been removed in favor of a pair eliminator called match (#2407)
• require <n> <item> has been renamed to stock <n> <item> to reduce ambiguity with require <device> (#2455).

You can use swarm format --v0.6 to automatically convert old code.

Bugfixes

• Report cycles correctly in error messages (#2199)
• Validate hex colors in FromJSON instance (#2237)
• Make custom entities override built-in entities (#2241)
• Make halted robots immediately wake up (#2254)
• Don't update scenario completion stats after scenario completion (#2256)
• Only meet interactive robots (#2262)
• Evaluate argument to instant/atomic atomically (#2271)
• Fix type inference for recursive let bindings (#2187)
• Fix two space leaks (#2448)
• Fix robot modal memory leak by only rendering modal when it is displayed (#2379)
• Fix completed scenarios so they always show green status (#2312)
• Fix shadowing for user-defined types (#2450)

Features + Enhancements

New commands

• print + erase commands for printing on paper (#2245)
• New read command to act as partial inverse to format (#2224, #2461)
• New subworld-aware teleportation and location query commands, warp and locateme (#2195)

Language

• Improve type inference for record projection (#2172)
• Scoped type variables (#2178)
• Do requirements analysis for literal text argument to use (#2211)
• Rename return to pure (#2285)
• Replace fst and snd with pair eliminator match (#2407)
• Rename require n to stock (#2455)
• Custom error message for missing end (#1141) (#2373)
• Use original variable names in error messages about Skolem variables (#2340)

Entities + Recipes

• Make rolex show time (#2147)
• atlas entity (#2257)
• Recipes for binoculars (#2391)
• water disappears when placed (#2358)

Tutorials + Scenarios

• Make Tutorial menu choice auto-start first unsolved tutorial scenario (#2314)
• Add some optional goals to the classic scenario (#2436)
• A number of small tutorial improvements (#2406, #2405, #2404, #2409, #2421, #2361, #2359, #2444)
• Progress bar vignette (#2190)
• Counting flowers (#2249)
• Spiders demo (#2275)
• Dictionary implementation + benchmark (#2191)
• Get rid of "world offset" + add burned patch around base in classic scenario (#2344)
• DNA copying challenge (#1031)
• Exterminator scenario (#2126)

Achievements

• Achievement for completing all tutorials (#2354)
• Grant AttemptSelfDestructBase achievement for movement as well as selfdestruct (#2356)
• Swiss Army Robot achievement for equipping all craftable devices in classic game (#2424)

Scenario mechanics and authoring improvements

• Refactor + comment World Examples/clearing to make it easier to understand (#2305)
• New combustion delay parameter (#2248)
• Structure enhancements
  • Demo standalone colored structures (#2099)
  • ensure no overlaps in initial placement of recognized structures (#2212)
  • shape recognition with piecewise rows (#2201)
  • Fix shape recognition orientation edge case (#2229)
• Render contiguous boundaries (#1285) and remove old individual wall entities (#2328)

UI enhancements

• Pause on objective completion (#2096)
• Navigable robots table (#2140)
• Expose waypoint and portal info to web API (#2185)
• Warn the user when debugging options are on (#2278)
• Scenarios started from command line now quit directly back to command line (#2280)
• Make FPS toggle and "recenter view" into global events (#2293)
• Minimize list of required device sets in error messages (#2299)
• Clickable shortcuts in TUI (#2324)
• Don't re-validate REPL input when moving the cursor left or right (#2365)
• Legend for colorization in F1 dialog (#2175)
• Render map preview as dynamic PNG (#2184)
• Don't insert extra close bracket when the cursor is already on top of one (#2215)
• Add Replay game script (#2446)

Pretty printing + Formatting

• Put end on separate line when pretty printing definitions (#2100)
• Improvements to comment preservation in swarm format (#2329)

Command line options

• Add CLI option to start the game paused (#2080)
• Split out debug options (#2094)

Building/packaging

• Add support for GHC 9.10 and 9.12, and drop 9.2 and 9.4

0.6.0.0 - 2024-07-15

Some of the highlights of this release include native Windows support, customizable keybindings, type synonyms and equirecursive types, and a prototype tournament server (#1798) where players can upload their solutions to challenge scenarios. See below for a more detailed list (or see the complete list of git commits).

Aside from the more visible changes listed below, this release cycle saw a lot of internal refactoring. For example, we finished splitting the codebase into a number of independent sublibraries and split several large modules into smaller modules.

Community

• New Discord server!

Breaking changes

• Types are now required to start with an uppercase letter (#1583)
  • Use swarm format --v0.5 to convert old code.

Bugfixes

• Variables in a local monadic binder escape to outer scopes (#681; fixed by #1928)

New Features

Language

• volume command measuring the enclosed area around a given location (#1747)
• sow command for planting growing entities that spread (#1817)
• Type synonyms (#1865)
• Recursive types (#1894)
• Entity tags and related commands (#1635)
• meetAll command now returns a list (#1999)

Entities + recipes

• New lens entity and recipe for detonator (#1876)
• infinite improbability drive device enabling teleport command (#1724)
• Recipes for rolex, olfactometer, dozer blade, and hourglass entities (#2028, #2025)

New scenarios

• Beekeeping scenario (#1599)
• Fishing scenario (#1628)
• Dim sum restaurant (#1686)
• Gallery scenario (#1760)
• Snake automata (#1699)

Scenario mechanics and authoring improvements

• Path caching, for more efficient repeated use of the path command (#1595)
• Render any map to PNG (#1632)
• Extensible terrain (#1775)
• Spreadable plant growth (#1817)
• Exercising commands can consume entities (#1777)
• Recognize built structures (#1579)
• Test for point-to-point connectivity (#1721)
• Validate palettes (#1938), map shape (#1935), subworld references (#1875)

UI enhancements

• Fix REPL type display (#1610)
• Handle backword kill word event in REPL (#1861)
• Make log error messages ephemeral (#1877)
• Pretty print code blocks according to widget size (#1897)
• Automatically insert matching close brackets at REPL (#1953)
• Highlight only the part of the REPL input indicated as the location of an error (#1957)
• Popups for new achievements, recipes, and commands (#2027)
• Save current REPL input with down arrow (#2000)
• Customizable keybindings (#1979)

Command line options

• format subcommand now tries to preserve comments (#1845)
• Add format --v0.5 option to port code from older syntax (#1851)
• keybindings subcommand for displaying and initializing keybinding configuration (#1979)
• docs recipes subcommand now takes --forward and --next flags for filtering the output edges (#2033)

Building/packaging

• Add Windows build to CI (#1974)
• Native Windows support (#1617)

0.5.0.0 - 2023-11-01

Bugfixes

• Fix bug where some pretty-printed terms contained extra elaborated terms inserted by @byorgey (#1497)

New Features

Language

• New path command for pathfinding by @kostmo (#1523)

New scenarios

• "Robot wave" scenario by @kostmo (#1556)
• Combination locks scenario by @kostmo (#1591)

New achievements

• Grant RobotIntoWater achievement by @byorgey (#1504)
• Achievement for pointless swapping by @kostmo (#1588)

UI enhancements

• Support Markdown in achievement descriptions by @kostmo (#1508)
• Render map preview on scenario selection screen by @kostmo (#1515)
• Robot activity counts in F2 menu by @kostmo (#1484)
• Show robot IDs in F2 menu by @kostmo (#1482)
• Print REPL errors inline and get rid of error popup by @byorgey (#1487)
• Improvements to scrolling by @byorgey (#1481)

Command line options

• Improvements to term pretty-printing by @xsebek (#1464)
• swarm format now actually formats by @xsebek (#1459)

0.4.0.0 - 2023-08-18

Bugfixes

• Save completion time immediately upon finishing scenario by @xsebek (#1118)
• Fix rightward bleeding of custom attributes by @kostmo (#1137)
• Recreate GameState from scratch when starting a scenario by @byorgey (#1277)
• Load persistent state from disk only once and reuse for all integration tests by @byorgey (#1383)
• Continue parsing the rest of the scenarios in a directory when one fails by @byorgey (#1391)
• Throw an error instead of crashing on impredicative types by @byorgey (#1418)

New Features

Tutorials

• Some tutorial improvements, and enforce in CI that commands and entities are introduced before they are required by @kostmo (#1186)

Swarm language

• The drill command now returns the first inventory addition by @kostmo (#1165)
• Type ascription syntax by @Alexander-Block (#1164)
• Records and record types by @byorgey (#1148)
• requirements command for viewing requirements of any expression by @byorgey (#1183)
• stride command by @kostmo (#1219)
• Many new robot sensing commands by @kostmo:
  • detect (#1170)
  • sniff and chirp (#1181)
  • resonate (#1204)
  • watch and surveil (#1201)
  • scout (#1209)
• New key input handler framework by @byorgey, so you can program robots to respond to keypresses (#1214)
• instant command (unrestricted variant of atomic) by @kostmo (#1231)
• push command by @kostmo (#1235)
• density command by @kostmo (#1296)
• use command by @kostmo (#1287)
• halt command by @byorgey (#1256)
• backup command by @kostmo (#1400)

Entities + recipes

• Make sand a bit harder to get by @byorgey (#1024)
• New tweezers entity to enable debugging view and single-stepping CESK machine by @xsebek (#1081)
• ADT calculator description now mentions unit and void types #1226
• Allow zero-tick recipes to apply immediately by @kostmo (#1272)
• New hourglass device that provides relative (wait) but not absolute (time) capability by @kostmo (#1261)
• New binoculars device that provides scout command by @kostmo (#1337)
• Separate entities to provide each text operation by @kostmo (#1339)

World features

• Structure templates by @kostmo (#1332)
• Waypoints and portals by @kostmo (#1356)
• Subworlds by @kostmo (#1353)
• World description DSL by @byorgey (#1376)

LSP improvements

• let-in syntax highlighting by @kostmo (#1162)

Web API

• Web API to parse, render, and run code by @kostmo (#1142)

Command line options

• CLI option to set initial speed by @kostmo (#1255)

New scenarios

• Adventure game scenario by @kostmo (#1136)
• Run around in circles by @kostmo (#1158)
• hackman by @kostmo (#1135)
• Whack-a-mole by @kostmo (#1026)
• Additional tutorial level on give by @byorgey (#1249)
• Lights out by @kostmo (#1273)
• Pig capturing scenario by @kostmo (#1258)
• Sokoban levels by @kostmo (#1269)
• Traffic vignette by @kostmo (#1334)
• Active trapdoor demo by @kostmo (#976)
• Sliding puzzle by @kostmo (#1237)
• Scenario with enemies by @kostmo (#971)
• Arbitrage scenario by @kostmo (#1192)
• Powerset scenario by @kostmo (#1342)

UI enhancements

• Allow scrolling the world map unless explicitly disallowed by @byorgey (#1109)
• Add random "static" to view outside a certain range by @byorgey (#1110, #1241)
• Display the scenario in which an achievement was obtained by @kostmo (#1175)
• World editor prototype by @kostmo (#873)
• Scenario launch options selection by @kostmo (#1010)
• Record best code size by @kostmo (#974)
• Inventory search/filter mode by @byorgey (#1250)
• Display higher clock resolution at lower speeds by @kostmo (#1253)
• Make REPL panel collapsible by @ussgarci (#1076)
• Better typechecking error messages by @byorgey (#1308, #1318)
• Rename inventory to compendium by @kostmo (#1346)
• Goal dialog suppression with --autoplay by @kostmo (#1344)
• Change binding for Hide REPL to M-, by @noahyor (#1375)
• Highlight ticks per frame in red when it reaches the cap by @byorgey (#1386)
• Parse and render markdown descriptions by @xsebek (#1106, #1413)

Achievements

• Achievement for disorientation by @kostmo (#1173)

0.3.0.1 - 2023-02-01

A few critical bug fixes and improvements:

• Make sure the base always has a logger installed in every tutorial level, by @byorgey in #1067 and @xsebek in #1073
• Allow dialog boxes to scroll by @byorgey in #1071
• Fix bug that sometimes caused scenarios to be skipped or repeated by @byorgey in #1065

0.3.0.0 - 2023-01-30

This is the first release of 2023! It contains:

• various new features and bugfixes (see subsections below)
• UI tweaks
• fewer typos (thanks @bwignall and @kostmo)
• upgraded dependencies (>=lsp-1.6 and >=brick-1.5) and raised Stack resolver to use GHC 9.4 #1001
• a ton of internal refactoring

Fixed bugs

• copy parent robot context to child when executing build by @byorgey in #817
• Merge new requirements context with existing when running from REPL by @byorgey in #965
• Reset lastFrameTime when starting a new scenario by @byorgey in #855
• Fix capability checking, and refactor/add lots of comments by @byorgey in #959
• Fix EntityMap merging by @byorgey in #962
• Fix: add first heard message to log by @xsebek in #842
• Fix hypothetical result of condition by @xsebek in #940
• One file per achievement record by @kostmo in #954
• Show duplicate robot logs by @xsebek in #1022
• Copy requirements map to robot context when loading a new ProcessedTerm by @byorgey in #827
• Set REPL to Working when base has program field specified by @byorgey in #846
• Create swarm subdirectories as necessary by @xsebek in #943

New Features

Swarm language

• implement Equip/Unequip by @kostmo in #887
  • The great install/equip switch by @byorgey in #989
• Meeting other robots by @byorgey in #920
• New heading command by @byorgey in #955
• Add isempty : cmd bool to check whether current cell has an entity by @byorgey in #968

Entities

• Add GPS receiver device to provide senseloc capability by @byorgey in #956
• Device with recipe for 'appear' capability by @kostmo in #1027
• device for setname by @kostmo in #1028

LSP improvements

• swarm-lang IDE hover by @kostmo in #972
• Include SrcLoc info with variable binding sites by @byorgey in #993
• Annotate ASTs with types at every node by @byorgey in #991
• Improve OnHover for Def/Let, App and Const by @xsebek in #986
• warn of unused variables by @kostmo in #983

Web API

• Expose REPL history via web interface by @kostmo in #821

Command line options

• Add full color mode option by @xsebek in #851

New scenarios

• New ranching scenario by @kostmo in #835
• new bind tutorial by @kostmo in #895
• A "bucket brigade" of robots by @kostmo in #885
• Ice Cream Shop by @kostmo in #1008
• word search by @kostmo in #999
• Wolf, Goat, Cabbage scenario by @kostmo in #944
• swarm logo animation by @kostmo in #1018

Scenario development

• Boolean expressions of objective prerequisites by @kostmo in #927
• support 'orientationMap' by @kostmo in #1023
• support custom attributes defined in scenarios by @kostmo in #1058

UI enhancements

• show devices that enable commands by @kostmo in #899
• Add a "driving mode" to the REPL by @kostmo in #819

Achievements

• achievements board by @kostmo in #796
• first tutorial completion achievement by @kostmo in #925
• Add achievement for losing by @kostmo in #945

Debugging

• Better CESK machine pretty-printing by @byorgey in #948
• Add the full expected location for the data directory by @TristanCacqueray in #908
• Extend logs for warnings by @xsebek in #982

0.2.0.0 - 2022-11-01

A bunch of small fixes and improvements; special thanks to new contributors @0xcefaedfe, @kostmo, @ussgarci, and @valyagolev. Notable changes include:

• New UI features:
  • REPL improvements:
    • Expose the last evaluated result as it, and previous results as itN (#734)
    • Allow clicking in the REPL input to move the cursor (#750)
    • Autocomplete entity names in the repl (#798)
    • REPL cursor no longer blinks when REPL panel is not selected (#801)
  • Improve user experience around quitting & moving between tutorial challenges (#754)
    • Add a button to the Quit dialog to restart a scenario. (#767)
    • Use scenario name as Goal dialog title (#774)
  • autoplay flag for automatically demonstrating scenario solutions (#792)
  • Improved inventory sorting and user-controllable sort criteria (#793)
  • Ability to temporarily hide robots so you can see what's under them (#802)
• New language features:
  • New void type (#735)
• Bug fixes:
  • Fix bug in the first tutorial challenge that froze the game and ate all memory if the user said anything other than expected (#762, #810)
• Documentation:
  • Generate all wiki "cheat sheets" automatically (#769)
• Support for building on GHC 9.4 (#752)

There were several other small fixes and improvements; see the full changelog here.

0.1.1.0 - 2022-10-14

A couple new features and an important bugfix for the Hackage release.

• Update to hsnoise-0.0.3, fixing some world generation bugs that only showed up in the Hackage release. (#746)
• New "blank" creative scenario (#741)
• REPL improvements
  • Ctrl-D at an empty REPL prompt now triggers a quit (#743)
  • The REPL panel now persists in showing the type of the most recently evaluated expression (#733)

0.1.0.1 - 2022-10-06

A bugfix release for a few minor bugs that plagued the first release:

• Fall back to to the swarm data directory when a run file is not found (#730)
  • This bug caused the move tutorial to be unplayable because it tried to execute run "data/scenarios/Tutorials/move_system.sw"
• Fix version check when there is no GitInfo (#729)
  • This bug caused the game to always report that there was a new version available even when you already had the latest (and only!) version.

0.1.0.0 - 2022-10-06

First Swarm release! Swarm already has:

• a programming language based on the polymorphic lambda calculus + recursion, with a command monad for describing first-class imperative actions
• scenarios which can be loaded from YAML files
  • the release comes with official challenges and an in-game tutorial
  • the default Classic and Creative modes use the same YAML syntax
  • we include JSON schemas for editor support when writing scenarios
• procedural 2D world generation
• LSP server built into the Swarm executable
• Terminal UI interface
  • running the executable opens the Main menu by default
  • game screen with a world view, inventory and REPL
    • popup windows for messages, challenge descriptions, etc.