Functional Shell Snake
from hardkorebob@programming.dev to programming_languages@programming.dev on 28 Mar 2024 14:20
https://programming.dev/post/12043124

In Oct’23 a basic Text widget with Subprocess to run shell commands allowed me to take my command line fu into a different arena because Tkinter gave me special tricks. This tool (shell functions) allows me to type up GUI apps or any Python script with less effort, for my fingers and brain.

wc newide; ksh newide | wc

513 1641 10859 newide [shell functions]

600 1959 29558 newide [python file]

The blocks of color are capital letters colored using tkinter methods (tag_add & tag_configure) with a bg and fg of the same color to make it look like a lego block, it’s all ASCII. On the right, an idle clicker game/toy made with pnk.lang, also just ASCII/UTF-8. The IDE you see in the pic also was coded using functional shell language I call pnk.lang and the original first iteration of this specification is in the legacy folder in the repo below. Just me learning how to code faster in Python but in shell but in neither at this point.

github.com/dislux-hapfyl/pynksh

www.reddit.com/r/pnk/

Don’t be put off by Ksh because Bash can also interpret it, since it’s just shell functions that print Python code. But I have plans to use an Xbox controller so I can move away from building with the keyboard at piecemeal rates. I will do this by abstracting away identifiers and all data we use as engineers into “dictionaries” to then transform it into a spatial system. I already done this first step! Using a basic grid with a maximum of 10 rows x 3 cols, indexing row[0-9] col[0-2], as you see there on the left side, and by using a letter I then categorize the functions of pnk(shell+python) so I can have 30 x 26[a-z] available slots; a00 b11 k22 and so on…by making it a visual shortcut that reduces cognitive load and typing for me.

Take a closer look at my repo without dismissing it too quickly. It could seem unnecessary but maybe someone else can see what I have made as useful and how we gonna take it to higher levels of abstraction and create a new realm for making computer applications in an abstract game/IDE of art and code. Perhaps it’s that creator effect that happens when you make something for the first time that makes me see its future utility and appeal. All this was made incrementally using my own software I built from scratch. I do have a great vision and would love to speak to anyone who is interested. I also demonstrate the utility of this small tool on youtube[link in repo]. Thanks.

#programming_languages