Language Guide

Strings and Characters

String literals, the builtin String type, documentation strings, and the current lack of a separate character surface.

Kira's current checked and runnable examples use string literals and the builtin String type.

String Literals

Strings use double quotes:

print("hello from kira");
print("callbacks")

The lexer also treats // comments and string delimiters as first-class syntax, which is why generated bindings and documentation annotations can use normal source text cleanly.

The String Type

String is a builtin type recognized by the current semantics layer:

struct RevenueSnapshot {
    let monthLabel: String
}

It also appears in:

  • /// documentation comments
  • struct/class fields and method signatures
  • the current proven print(...) contract

Characters

This repository does not currently document a separate character literal or Character type surface.

The Swift-style chapter name stays useful because strings are real Kira syntax today, but the current book should be read literally: Kira documents string behavior here, not a wider character model.

Current Status

The proven cross-backend string path today is straightforward:

  • string literals parse and type-check
  • print("...") is proven in the checked-in runnable examples

Do not assume that every future string API or text-processing abstraction already exists just because String is a builtin name.

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