sai-language/docs/26.Globals.md

An object-oriented language designed to afford code comprehension and maintenance. Transpiles in-place to Javascript.

# 

This file is automatically generated. _Do not edit._

Unknown Heading


### ASSERT - _run-time error checking_ - globals - ^assert

If the first expression is _falsy_, throw an exception with the second expression as a message.
Otherwise, return the expression.

    assert [test value], [error message]
    
    .. !assert [test value], [error message]

For example:

    assert everythingIsAwesome, 'I have some bad news...'

    > Error: SAI: failed assertion: I have some bad news...

You can use __assert__ in an expression, because it returns the value passed.

    set sock !assert GetSocket, "Could not obtain socket resource"

__Assert__, like __debug__, is functionality that can be redefined by passing a new handler
to SAI's configuration facility.



### DEBUG - _print diagnostics to the console_ - globals - ^debug

Prints the value of the expression to the console.

    debug [expr]

Compiles to a call to $AI.debug_op in `sai-library`, which you can hook to provide your own
implementation.

In the default implementation, just calls `console.log` with the provided value.

    debug "this is a test"

    > this is a test



### ENVIRONMENT - _return SAI runtime environment information_ - globals - ^environment

Call the __environment__ function to gain information about the runtime state of your SAI module.

    .. set env to environment()

The __environment__ function returns different things based on whether your module is running
in static or dynamic mode.

In static mode (when you're running from a pre-compiled `.js` script), you get this:

    fields
      dynamic (false)
      static (true)

In dynamic mode (when you're using the `sai-language` package to compile on the fly), you get this:

    fields
      dynamic (true)
      static (false)
      paths (array)                             // array of paths searched dring CREATE

      Clean (function)                          // reset the compiler environment
      Configure (function)                      // e.g. change paths, etc
      GetSource (function)                      // return full JS source for a SAI object by name
      RegisterWithNode (function)               // theoretically register .sai with node's require
      Require (function)                        // a version of require that uses SAI's paths, not node's