path: root/readme.md

# sanctuary (working title)

sanctuary is a 64-bit subroutine threaded forth for amd64 linux systems.

## stack effect notation

- `a`: memory address
- `c`: one byte value
- `n`: signed integer
- `u`: unsigned integer
- `?`: boolean flag
- `xt`: execution token
- `""`: string in input buffer
- `|`: 'or'

## Glossary

the following is a list of words available in this forth.

### `!   ( u a -- )`
store the 64 bit value u into the memory address a.

### `#tib   ( -- a )`
variable containing the amount of characters in the input buffer.

### `(header)   ( a u -- xt )`
create a dictionary header for a word named the provided string.
this word does not set the code field.
this word returns an incompleted xt and does not update latest.

### `(   ( -- ) IMMEDIATE`
start a comment which lasts until the next closed bracket.
if the unclosed bracket in the description above bothers you,
have a closing bracket: ).

### `*   ( u1 u2 -- u)`
multiply u1 and u2.

### `*/mod   ( n1 n2 n3 -- n4 n5 )`
multiply n1 and n2, divide the result by n3.
remainder is in n3, result is in n4

### `+   ( u1 u2 -- u )`
add u2 to u1.

### `+!   ( a -- )`
add one to the value at memory address a.

### `,   ( u -- )`
write a 64 bit value to user memory and increment the user memory pointer.

### `-   ( u1 u2 -- u )`
subtract u2 from u1.

### `-!   ( a -- )`
subtract one from the value at memory address a.

### `-rot   ( u1 u2 u3 -- u3 u1 u2 )`
rotate the three topmost values on the stack so that the topmost value
is moved to the third highest.

### `/mod   ( u1 u2 -- u3 u4 )`
divide u1 by u2. result is in u4, remainder is in u3.

### `[   ( -- ) IMMEDIATE`
set the system to interpret mode.

### `]   ( -- ) IMMEDIATE`
set the system to compiling mode.

### `:   ( "name" -- )`
start compilation of the word 'name'.

### `;   ( -- ) IMMEDIATE`
end compilation of the currently compiling word.

### `@   ( a -- u )`
fetch the 64 bit value at memory address a.

### `>body   ( xt -- a )`
yield the code field of xt.

### `>in   ( -- a )`
variable containing the index of the first unparsed character
in the input buffer.

### `>r   ( u -- ) ( R: -- u )`
move a value from the working stack to the return stack.

### `1+   ( u -- u')`
add one to u.

### `1-   ( u -- u')`
subtract one from u.

### `2drop  ( u1 u2 -- )`
remove the two topmost values from the stack.

### `2dup   ( u1 u2 -- u1 u2 u1 u2 )`
duplicate the two topmost values on the stack.

### `and   ( u1 u2 -- u )`
perform bitwise AND on u1 and u2.

### `brk@   ( -- a )`
yields current program break.

### `bye   ( -- )`
exits the forth system.

### `c,   ( c -- )`
write an 8 bit value to user memory and increment the user memory pointer.

### `c!   ( u a -- )`
store the 8 bit value u into the memory address a.

### `c@   ( a -- c )`
fetch the 8 bit value at memory address a.

### `char   ( "c" -- c )`
yield the value of the first character of the next word in the input stream.

### `cmove   ( a1 a2 u -- )`
copy u bytes of memory from a1 to a2.
bytes are copied in low memory to high memory order.

### `cmove>   ( a1 a2 u -- )`
copy u bytes of memory from a1 to a2.
bytes are copied in high memory to low memory order.

### `dp   ( -- a )`
a variable that contains the lowest free byte of memory in user memory.

### `dp0   ( -- )`
a variable that contains the first byte of user memory.

### `dp$   ( -- )`
a variable that contains the last available byte of user memory.

### `drop   ( u -- )`
remove the value at the top of the stack.

### `dup   ( u -- u u )`
duplicate the value at the top of the stack.

### `executable   ( a u -- )`
marks the u bytes starting at address a as executable.
this is used primarily to mark the program break,
which is used as the user memory space.

### `find   ( a u -- a u 0 | xt -1 )`
look in the dictionary for the word a (of u characters).
a zero is returned along with the original given string
if no word was found. if a word was found,
its xt is returned along with the true flag.

### `grow   ( u -- )`
grows, and marks as executable, the user memory space by u bytes.

### `here   ( -- a )`
yields the address of the first available byte in user memory.

### `immediate   ( -- )`
mark the most recently defined word as immediate.

### `immediate?   ( xt -- ? )`
true if xt is marked immediate, false otherwise.

### `interpret   ( -- )`
interprets the contents of the terminal input buffer
until it runs out.

### `invert   ( u -- u')`
invert all bytes in u.

### `latest   ( -- a )`
a variable containing the execution token of
the most recently created word.

### `literal   ( n -- ) IMMEDIATE COMPILE-ONLY`
compile a push of the literal value n into the currently compiling word.

### `number   ( a u -- n -1 | 0 )`
convert given string into a number along with a flag.
if parsing a number fails then 0 (false) is returned
and no number is provided.

### `or  ( u1 u2 -- u )`
perform bitwise OR on u1 and u2.

### `parse   ( "name<c>" c -- a u )`
parse one word from the input buffer,
separated by a newline or the character c,
and return as a string.

### `parse-name   ( "<ws>name<ws>" -- a u )`
parse one whitespace-separated word from the input buffer,
and return as a string.
tabs (ascii 0x09), newlines (ascii 0x10), and spaces (ascii 0x20)
are considered whitespace.

### `r>   ( -- u ) ( R: u -- )`
move a value from the return stack to the working stack.

### `rdrop   ( R: u -- )`
remove the value at the top of the return stack.

### `rot   ( u1 u2 u3 -- u2 u3 u1 )`
rotate the top three values on the stack so that the third highest value is moved to the top.

### `smudge   ( -- )`
toggles the smudge bit on the xt in latest.

### `state   ( -- a )`
a variable containing a boolean value.
if 0 (false), the system is in interpreting mode,
if -1 (true), the system is in compiling mode.

### `swap  ( u1 u2 -- u2 u1 )`
swap the two topmost values on the stack.

### `syscall0   ( rax -- u )`
perform the syscall with the id in `rax`,
and push the value of the `rax` register to the stack.

### `syscall1   ( rdi rax -- u )`
perform the syscall with the id in `rax`,
taking one parameter placed in `rdi`,
and push the value of the `rax` register to the stack.

### `syscall2   ( rsi rdi rax -- u )`
perform the syscall with the id in `rax`,
taking two parameters placed in `rdi` and `rsi`,
and push the value of the `rax` register to the stack.

### `syscall3   ( rdx rsi rdi rax -- u )`
perform the syscall with the id in `rax`,
taking three parameters placed in `rdi`, `rsi` and `rdx`,
and push the value of the `rax` register to the stack.

### `tib   ( -- a )`
a variable containing the address of the current input buffer.

### `type   ( a u -- )`
write u characters at a to output.

### `over   ( u1 u2 -- u1 u2 u1 )`
copy the second-highest value on the stack and move it to the top of the stack.

### `xor   ( u1 u2 -- u )`
perform bitwise XOR on u1 and u2.

## dictionary format

note that the string length of one byte limits a word's name to 255 characters.

| field | size |
| :---- | :--- |
| link to previous word | 8 bytes |
| flag field | 1 byte |
| string length | 1 byte |
| string | <256 bytes |
| code | variable length |

## reserved registers

the register `r15` is reserved for the parameter stack pointer.

## differences from standard forth

for the most part this forth intends to be in line with standards
but it diverges in a few notable places:

- the most visally obvious one by far,
    this forth uses lower case word names for core words.
- `find` takes `a u` instead of a counted string,
    and does not return 1 for immediate words.