Language Definition

Expr is a simple expression language that can be used to evaluate expressions.

Literals

Comment	/* */ or //
Boolean	true, false
Integer	42, 0x2A, 0o52, 0b101010
Float	0.5, .5
String	"foo", 'bar'
Array	[1, 2, 3]
Map	{a: 1, b: 2, c: 3}
Nil	nil

Strings

Strings can be enclosed in single quotes or double quotes. Strings can contain escape sequences, like \n for newline, \t for tab, \uXXXX for Unicode code points.

"Hello\nWorld"

For multiline strings, use backticks:

`Hello
World`

Backticks strings are raw strings, they do not support escape sequences.

Operators

Arithmetic	+, -, *, /, % (modulus), ^ or ** (exponent)
Comparison	==, !=, <, >, <=, >=
Logical	not or !, and or &&, or or ||
Conditional	?: (ternary), ?? (nil coalescing)
Membership	[], ., ?., in
String	+ (concatenation), contains, startsWith, endsWith
Regex	matches
Range	..
Slice	[:]
Pipe	|

Membership Operator

Fields of structs and items of maps can be accessed with . operator or [] operator. Next two expressions are equivalent:

user.Name
user["Name"]

Elements of arrays and slices can be accessed with [] operator. Negative indices are supported with -1 being the last element.

array[0] // first element
array[-1] // last element

The in operator can be used to check if an item is in an array or a map.

"John" in ["John", "Jane"]
"name" in {"name": "John", "age": 30}

Optional chaining

The ?. operator can be used to access a field of a struct or an item of a map without checking if the struct or the map is nil. If the struct or the map is nil, the result of the expression is nil.

author.User?.Name

Is equivalent to:

author.User != nil ? author.User.Name : nil

Nil coalescing

The ?? operator can be used to return the left-hand side if it is not nil, otherwise the right-hand side is returned.

author.User?.Name ?? "Anonymous"

Is equivalent to:

author.User != nil ? author.User.Name : "Anonymous"

Slice Operator

The slice operator [:] can be used to access a slice of an array.

For example, variable array is [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]:

array[1:4] == [2, 3, 4]
array[1:-1] == [2, 3, 4]
array[:3] == [1, 2, 3]
array[3:] == [4, 5]
array[:] == array

Pipe Operator

The pipe operator | can be used to pass the result of the left-hand side expression as the first argument of the right-hand side expression.

user.Name | lower() | split(" ")

Is equivalent to:

split(lower(user.Name), " ")

Range Operator

The range operator .. can be used to create a range of integers.

1..3 == [1, 2, 3]

Variables

Variables can be declared with the let keyword. The variable name must start with a letter or an underscore. The variable name can contain letters, digits and underscores. After the variable is declared, it can be used in the expression.

let x = 42; x * 2

A few variables can be declared by a few let statements separated by a semicolon.

let x = 42; 
let y = 2; 
x * y

Here is an example of variable with pipe operator:

let name = user.Name | lower() | split(" "); 
"Hello, " + name[0] + "!"

$env

The $env variable is a map of all variables passed to the expression.

foo.Name == $env["foo"].Name
$env["var with spaces"]

Think of $env as a global variable that contains all variables.

The $env can be used to check if a variable is defined:

'foo' in $env

Predicate

The predicate is an expression. Predicates can be used in functions like filter, all, any, one, none, etc. For example, next expression creates a new array from 0 to 9 and then filters it by even numbers:

filter(0..9, {# % 2 == 0})

If items of the array is a struct or a map, it is possible to access fields with omitted # symbol (#.Value becomes .Value).

filter(tweets, {len(.Content) > 240})

Braces { } can be omitted:

filter(tweets, len(.Content) > 240)

tip

In nested predicates, to access the outer variable, use variables.

filter(posts, {
    let post = #; 
    any(.Comments, .Author == post.Author)
}) 

String Functions

trim(str[, chars])

Removes white spaces from both ends of a string str. If the optional chars argument is given, it is a string specifying the set of characters to be removed.

trim("  Hello  ") == "Hello"
trim("__Hello__", "_") == "Hello"

trimPrefix(str, prefix)

Removes the specified prefix from the string str if it starts with that prefix.

trimPrefix("HelloWorld", "Hello") == "World"

trimSuffix(str, suffix)

Removes the specified suffix from the string str if it ends with that suffix.

trimSuffix("HelloWorld", "World") == "Hello"

upper(str)

Converts all the characters in string str to uppercase.

upper("hello") == "HELLO"

lower(str)

Converts all the characters in string str to lowercase.

lower("HELLO") == "hello"

split(str, delimiter[, n])

Splits the string str at each instance of the delimiter and returns an array of substrings.

split("apple,orange,grape", ",") == ["apple", "orange", "grape"]
split("apple,orange,grape", ",", 2) == ["apple", "orange,grape"]

splitAfter(str, delimiter[, n])

Splits the string str after each instance of the delimiter.

splitAfter("apple,orange,grape", ",") == ["apple,", "orange,", "grape"]
splitAfter("apple,orange,grape", ",", 2) == ["apple,", "orange,grape"]

replace(str, old, new)

Replaces all occurrences of old in string str with new.

replace("Hello World", "World", "Universe") == "Hello Universe"

repeat(str, n)

Repeats the string str n times.

repeat("Hi", 3) == "HiHiHi"

indexOf(str, substring)

Returns the index of the first occurrence of the substring in string str or -1 if not found.

indexOf("apple pie", "pie") == 6

lastIndexOf(str, substring)

Returns the index of the last occurrence of the substring in string str or -1 if not found.

lastIndexOf("apple pie apple", "apple") == 10

hasPrefix(str, prefix)

Returns true if string str starts with the given prefix.

hasPrefix("HelloWorld", "Hello") == true

hasSuffix(str, suffix)

Returns true if string str ends with the given suffix.

hasSuffix("HelloWorld", "World") == true

Date Functions

Expr has a built-in support for Go's time package. It is possible to subtract two dates and get the duration between them:

createdAt - now()

It is possible to add a duration to a date:

createdAt + duration("1h")

And it is possible to compare dates:

createdAt > now() - duration("1h")

now()

Returns the current date as a time.Time value.

now().Year() == 2024

duration(str)

Returns time.Duration value of the given string str.

Valid time units are "ns", "us" (or "µs"), "ms", "s", "m", "h".

duration("1h").Seconds() == 3600

date(str[, format[, timezone]])

Converts the given string str into a date representation.

If the optional format argument is given, it is a string specifying the format of the date. The format string uses the same formatting rules as the standard Go time package.

If the optional timezone argument is given, it is a string specifying the timezone of the date.

If the format argument is not given, the v argument must be in one of the following formats:

• 2006-01-02
• 15:04:05
• 2006-01-02 15:04:05
• RFC3339
• RFC822,
• RFC850,
• RFC1123,

date("2023-08-14")
date("15:04:05")
date("2023-08-14T00:00:00Z")
date("2023-08-14 00:00:00", "2006-01-02 15:04:05", "Europe/Zurich")

Available methods on the date:

• Year() - returns the year
• Month() - returns the month (starting from 1)
• Day() - returns the day of the month
• Hour() - returns the hour
• Minute() - returns the minute
• Second() - returns the second
• Weekday() - returns the day of the week
• YearDay() - returns the day of the year
• and more.

date("2023-08-14").Year() == 2023

timezone(str)

Returns the timezone of the given string str. List of available timezones can be found here.

timezone("Europe/Zurich")
timezone("UTC")

To convert a date to a different timezone, use the In() method:

date("2023-08-14 00:00:00").In(timezone("Europe/Zurich"))

Number Functions

max(n1, n2)

Returns the maximum of the two numbers n1 and n2.

max(5, 7) == 7

min(n1, n2)

Returns the minimum of the two numbers n1 and n2.

min(5, 7) == 5

abs(n)

Returns the absolute value of a number.

abs(-5) == 5

ceil(n)

Returns the least integer value greater than or equal to x.

ceil(1.5) == 2.0

floor(n)

Returns the greatest integer value less than or equal to x.

floor(1.5) == 1.0

round(n)

Returns the nearest integer, rounding half away from zero.

round(1.5) == 2.0

Array Functions

all(array, predicate)

Returns true if all elements satisfies the predicate. If the array is empty, returns true.

all(tweets, {.Size < 280})

any(array, predicate)

Returns true if any elements satisfies the predicate. If the array is empty, returns false.

any(tweets, {.Size > 280})

one(array, predicate)

Returns true if exactly one element satisfies the predicate. If the array is empty, returns false.

one(participants, {.Winner})

none(array, predicate)

Returns true if all elements does not satisfy the predicate. If the array is empty, returns true.

none(tweets, {.Size > 280})

map(array, predicate)

Returns new array by applying the predicate to each element of the array.

map(tweets, {.Size})

filter(array, predicate)

Returns new array by filtering elements of the array by predicate.

filter(users, .Name startsWith "J")

find(array, predicate)

Finds the first element in an array that satisfies the predicate.

find([1, 2, 3, 4], # > 2) == 3

findIndex(array, predicate)

Finds the index of the first element in an array that satisfies the predicate.

findIndex([1, 2, 3, 4], # > 2) == 2

findLast(array, predicate)

Finds the last element in an array that satisfies the predicate.

findLast([1, 2, 3, 4], # > 2) == 4

findLastIndex(array, predicate)

Finds the index of the last element in an array that satisfies the predicate.

findLastIndex([1, 2, 3, 4], # > 2) == 3

groupBy(array, predicate)

Groups the elements of an array by the result of the predicate.

groupBy(users, .Age)

count(array[, predicate])

Returns the number of elements what satisfies the predicate.

count(users, .Age > 18)

Equivalent to:

len(filter(users, .Age > 18))

If the predicate is not given, returns the number of true elements in the array.

count([true, false, true]) == 2

concat(array1, array2[, ...])

Concatenates two or more arrays.

concat([1, 2], [3, 4]) == [1, 2, 3, 4]

join(array[, delimiter])

Joins an array of strings into a single string with the given delimiter. If no delimiter is given, an empty string is used.

join(["apple", "orange", "grape"], ",") == "apple,orange,grape"
join(["apple", "orange", "grape"]) == "appleorangegrape"

reduce(array, predicate[, initialValue])

Applies a predicate to each element in the array, reducing the array to a single value. Optional initialValue argument can be used to specify the initial value of the accumulator. If initialValue is not given, the first element of the array is used as the initial value.

Following variables are available in the predicate:

• # - the current element
• #acc - the accumulator
• #index - the index of the current element

reduce(1..9, #acc + #)
reduce(1..9, #acc + #, 0)

sum(array[, predicate])

Returns the sum of all numbers in the array.

sum([1, 2, 3]) == 6

If the optional predicate argument is given, it is a predicate that is applied on each element of the array before summing.

sum(accounts, .Balance)

Equivalent to:

reduce(accounts, #acc + .Balance, 0)
// or
sum(map(accounts, .Balance))

mean(array)

Returns the average of all numbers in the array.

mean([1, 2, 3]) == 2.0

median(array)

Returns the median of all numbers in the array.

median([1, 2, 3]) == 2.0

first(array)

Returns the first element from an array. If the array is empty, returns nil.

first([1, 2, 3]) == 1

last(array)

Returns the last element from an array. If the array is empty, returns nil.

last([1, 2, 3]) == 3

take(array, n)

Returns the first n elements from an array. If the array has fewer than n elements, returns the whole array.

take([1, 2, 3, 4], 2) == [1, 2]

reverse(array)

Return new reversed copy of the array.

reverse([3, 1, 4]) == [4, 1, 3]
reverse(reverse([3, 1, 4])) == [3, 1, 4]

sort(array[, order])

Sorts an array in ascending order. Optional order argument can be used to specify the order of sorting: asc or desc.

sort([3, 1, 4]) == [1, 3, 4]
sort([3, 1, 4], "desc") == [4, 3, 1]

sortBy(array[, predicate, order])

Sorts an array by the result of the predicate. Optional order argument can be used to specify the order of sorting: asc or desc.

sortBy(users, .Age)
sortBy(users, .Age, "desc")

Map Functions

keys(map)

Returns an array containing the keys of the map.

keys({"name": "John", "age": 30}) == ["name", "age"]

values(map)

Returns an array containing the values of the map.

values({"name": "John", "age": 30}) == ["John", 30]

Type Conversion Functions

type(v)

Returns the type of the given value v.

Returns on of the following types:

• nil
• bool
• int
• uint
• float
• string
• array
• map.

For named types and structs, the type name is returned.

type(42) == "int"
type("hello") == "string"
type(now()) == "time.Time"

int(v)

Returns the integer value of a number or a string.

int("123") == 123

float(v)

Returns the float value of a number or a string.

float("123.45") == 123.45

string(v)

Converts the given value v into a string representation.

string(123) == "123"

toJSON(v)

Converts the given value v to its JSON string representation.

toJSON({"name": "John", "age": 30})

fromJSON(v)

Parses the given JSON string v and returns the corresponding value.

fromJSON('{"name": "John", "age": 30}')

toBase64(v)

Encodes the string v into Base64 format.

toBase64("Hello World") == "SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ="

fromBase64(v)

Decodes the Base64 encoded string v back to its original form.

fromBase64("SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ=") == "Hello World"

toPairs(map)

Converts a map to an array of key-value pairs.

toPairs({"name": "John", "age": 30}) == [["name", "John"], ["age", 30]]

fromPairs(array)

Converts an array of key-value pairs to a map.

fromPairs([["name", "John"], ["age", 30]]) == {"name": "John", "age": 30}

Miscellaneous Functions

len(v)

Returns the length of an array, a map or a string.

len([1, 2, 3]) == 3
len({"name": "John", "age": 30}) == 2
len("Hello") == 5

get(v, index)

Retrieves the element at the specified index from an array or map v. If the index is out of range, returns nil. Or the key does not exist, returns nil.

get([1, 2, 3], 1) == 2
get({"name": "John", "age": 30}, "name") == "John"

Bitwise Functions

bitand(int, int)

Returns the values resulting from the bitwise AND operation.

bitand(0b1010, 0b1100) == 0b1000

bitor(int, int)

Returns the values resulting from the bitwise OR operation.

bitor(0b1010, 0b1100) == 0b1110

bitxor(int, int)

Returns the values resulting from the bitwise XOR operation.

bitxor(0b1010, 0b1100) == 0b110

bitnand(int, int)

Returns the values resulting from the bitwise AND NOT operation.

bitnand(0b1010, 0b1100) == 0b10

bitnot(int)

Returns the values resulting from the bitwise NOT operation.

bitnot(0b1010) == -0b1011

bitshl(int, int)

Returns the values resulting from the Left Shift operation.

bitshl(0b101101, 2) == 0b10110100

bitshr(int, int)

Returns the values resulting from the Right Shift operation.

bitshr(0b101101, 2) == 0b1011

bitushr(int, int)

Returns the values resulting from the unsigned Right Shift operation.

bitushr(-0b101, 2) == 4611686018427387902