Commit f5978181e4
Changed files (1)
doc/langref.html.in
@@ -432,18 +432,17 @@ pub fn main() !void {
</p>
<p>
Next, a {#link|public function|Functions#}, {#syntax#}pub fn{#endsyntax#}, named {#syntax#}main{#endsyntax#}
- is declared. The {#syntax#}main{#endsyntax#} function is necessary because it tells the Zig compiler where the start of
- the program exists. Programs designed to be executed will need a {#syntax#}pub fn main{#endsyntax#} function.
+ is declared. The {#syntax#}main{#endsyntax#} function is necessary because it tells the Zig compiler where the program starts. Programs
+ designed to be executed will need a {#syntax#}pub fn main{#endsyntax#} function.
</p>
<aside role="note" aria-label="Note about main function">
<p>
- For more advanced use cases, Zig offers other features to inform the compiler where the start of
- the program exists. Also, libraries do not need a {#syntax#}pub fn main{#endsyntax#} function because
- library code is called by other programs or libraries.
+ For more advanced use cases, Zig offers other features to inform the compiler where the program starts. Also, libraries do not need a
+ {#syntax#}pub fn main{#endsyntax#} function because library code is called by other programs or libraries.
</p>
</aside>
<p>
- A function is a block of any number of statements and expressions that, as a whole, perform a task.
+ A function is a block of any number of statements and expressions, that as a whole, perform a task.
Functions may or may not return data after they are done performing their task. If a function
cannot perform its task, it might return an error. Zig makes all of this explicit.
</p>
@@ -469,32 +468,30 @@ pub fn main() !void {
</aside>
<p>
In Zig, a function's block of statements and expressions are surrounded by an open curly-brace <code>{</code> and
- close curly-brace <code>}</code>. Inside of the {#syntax#}main{#endsyntax#} function are expressions that perform
- the task of outputting <samp>Hello, world!</samp> to standard output.
+ close curly-brace <code>}</code>. In <code class="file">hello.zig</code>, the {#syntax#}main{#endsyntax#} function
+ contains two statements.
</p>
<p>
- First, a constant identifier, {#syntax#}stdout{#endsyntax#}, is initialized to represent standard output's
- writer. Then, the program tries to print the <samp>Hello, world!</samp>
- message to standard output.
+ In the first statement, a constant identifier, {#syntax#}stdout{#endsyntax#}, is initialized to represent standard output's
+ writer. In the second statement, the program tries to print the <samp>Hello, world!</samp> message to standard output.
</p>
<p>
- Functions sometimes need information to perform their task. In Zig, information is passed
- to functions between an open parenthesis {#syntax#}({#endsyntax#} and a close parenthesis {#syntax#}){#endsyntax#} placed after
- the function's name. This information is also known as arguments. When there are
- multiple arguments passed to a function, they are separated by commas {#syntax#},{#endsyntax#}.
+ Functions sometimes need inputs to perform their task. Inputs are passed, in between parentheses, to functions. These
+ inputs are also known as arguments. When multiple arguments are passed to a function, they are separated by commas.
</p>
<p>
- The two arguments passed to the {#syntax#}stdout.print(){#endsyntax#} function, {#syntax#}"Hello, {s}!\n"{#endsyntax#}
- and {#syntax#}.{"world"}{#endsyntax#}, are evaluated at {#link|compile-time|comptime#}. The code sample is
- purposely written to show how to perform {#link|string|String Literals and Unicode Code Point Literals#}
- substitution in the {#syntax#}print{#endsyntax#} function. The curly-braces inside of the first argument
- are substituted with the compile-time known value inside of the second argument
- (known as a {#link|tuple|Tuples#}). The <code>\n</code>
- inside of the double-quotes of the first argument is the {#link|escape sequence|Escape Sequences#} for the
- newline character. The {#link|try#} expression evaluates the result of {#syntax#}stdout.print{#endsyntax#}.
- If the result is an error, then the {#syntax#}try{#endsyntax#} expression will return from
- {#syntax#}main{#endsyntax#} with the error. Otherwise, the program will continue. In this case, there are no
- more statements or expressions left to execute in the {#syntax#}main{#endsyntax#} function, so the program exits.
+ Two arguments are passed to the {#syntax#}stdout.print(){#endsyntax#} function: {#syntax#}"Hello, {s}!\n"{#endsyntax#}
+ and {#syntax#}.{"world"}{#endsyntax#}. The first argument is called a format string, which is a string containing one or
+ more placeholders. {#syntax#}"Hello, {s}!\n"{#endsyntax#} contains the placeholder {#syntax#}{s}{#endsyntax#}, which is
+ replaced with {#syntax#}"world"{#endsyntax#} from the second argument. The file <code class="file">string_literals.zig</code> in
+ {#link|String Literals and Unicode Code Point Literals|String Literals and Unicode Code Point Literals#} contains examples of format
+ strings that can be used with the {#syntax#}stdout.print(){#endsyntax#} function. The <code>\n</code> inside of
+ {#syntax#}"Hello, {s}!\n"{#endsyntax#} is the {#link|escape sequence|Escape Sequences#} for the newline character.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The {#link|try#} expression evaluates the result of {#syntax#}stdout.print{#endsyntax#}. If the result is an error, then the
+ {#syntax#}try{#endsyntax#} expression will return from {#syntax#}main{#endsyntax#} with the error. Otherwise, the program will continue.
+ In this case, there are no more statements or expressions left to execute in the {#syntax#}main{#endsyntax#} function, so the program exits.
</p>
<p>
In Zig, the standard output writer's {#syntax#}print{#endsyntax#} function is allowed to fail because