Primitives

Karina provides a all Java primitives, ensuring straightforward interoperability.

Supported Primitive Types

Karina includes all the standard Java primitive types:

  • int: A 32-bit signed integer. Ideal for most numerical operations.
  • long: A 64-bit signed integer for larger numerical ranges.
  • short: A 16-bit signed integer, useful for compact storage.
  • byte: An 8-bit signed integer, often used for raw data manipulation.
  • char: A 16-bit Unicode character type, representing single characters.
  • bool: A boolean type representing true or false. Note: Karina uses bool (not boolean)
  • float: A 32-bit floating-point number, suitable for less precise decimal values.
  • double: A 64-bit floating-point number, for high-precision decimal calculations. Use this for most floating-point operations, as you benefit from the higher precision without a significant performance hit on modern hardware.

Strings in Karina

Both java.lang.String and string refer to the same underlying type and can be used interchangeably in Karina.

Strings in Karina are defined using quotation marks ("). As expected, escape characters such as \n for newlines or \" for embedding quotes are fully supported.

Interpolating Strings

Karina supports string interpolation, allowing you to embed variables and expressions directly within a string using the $ syntax. Interpolation works in two forms:

  1. Variable Interpolation: Embed a variable by prefixing it with $.
  2. Expression Interpolation: Use ${} to embed more complex expressions.
let name = "Karina"
let age = 3

// Variable interpolation
let greeting = "Hello, $name!" 
println(greeting) // Output: Hello, Karina!

// Expression interpolation
let info = "I am ${age + 1} years old."
println(info) // Output: I am 4 years old.

Escaping Interpolation

If you need to include a literal $ in your string, escape it using a backslash (\).

let message = "This is not an interpolation: \$name"
println(message) // Output: This is not an interpolation: $name

Joining Strings

You can join two strings in Karina using the ++ operator. If one or both of the values are not strings, their toString method is automatically called to convert them into a string.

let part1 = "Hello "
let part2 = "World!"

// Joining two strings
let combined = part1 ++ part2
println(combined) // Output: Hello World!

let result = 1 ++ 2
println(result) // Output: 12.