CatLua

A full front-to-back compiler toolchain and VS Code Language Server for CatWeb (v2.16+). Write your CatWeb scripts in a clean, Luau-flavored syntax and compile them directly into CatWeb-ready JSON files.

Features

• Custom Compiler Pipeline: Lexing, parsing, semantic analysis, and IR emission built from scratch.
• Optimizer: Features constant folding and Dead Code Elimination (DCE) via -O1 and -O2 flags so your scripts are optimized in action counts.
• VS Code Extension: Real-time linting, rich auto-complete menus for CatWeb services, and full syntax highlighting.
• Scope Tracking: Explicit tracking for local (l!), global (g!), and object (o!) variables.
• Annotations: Use --#type audio (--@ type=audio) or --@ builtin to force specific CatWeb routing (like AVAR_SET vs LOOK_SET_PROP).
• Multi-File Linker: Organize massive projects using require("file.catlua").
• Safety: Automatically warns you if you hit the CatWeb 120-action limit per event.

Usage

The Compiler

1. Clone this repository
2. Ensure you have Python installed
3. Run the compiler via CLI:

python main.py <file.catlua> [-o output.json] [--ir] [-O0|-O1|-O2]

VS Code Extension

1. Grab the .vsix file inside the Releases tab, or build the extension yourself
2. Go to your VS Code Settings and search for CatLua
3. Set the Compiler Path to the absolute path of your main.py file

Syntax Examples

Basic Scopes and Services

OnWebsiteLoaded
    local myVar = 10
    object myObjVar = "hello"
    
    -- emits USER_GET_NAME
    local name = LocalPlayer.Name
    print(`welcome {name}!`)
end

Annotations

--#type audio
mySong.Volume = 8
mySong.PlaybackSpeed = 1.2
--#type

-- the compiler knows this is an object and emits TABLE_SET_OBJ
myTable["btn"] = (MenuButton)

Method Desugaring

-- compiles down perfectly to IF_IS_ANCESTOR and IF_CONTAINS
if ancestor:IsAncestorOf(child) then
    if myString:find("hello") then
        print("found it!")
    end
end