Standard Library

Vex provides a focused standard library and a powerful Prelude that is available to all programs automatically.

The Prelude

Core types are available everywhere without an import statement. These include:

Collections

• Vec<T>: Dynamic heap-allocated array.
• Map<K, V>: Hash map (SwissTable implementation).
• Set<T>: Hash set (built on top of Map).

Smart Pointers

• Box<T>: Revolutionary unified memory management (VUMM). Automatically selects Unique/SharedRc/AtomicArc.

Error & Optionality

• Result<T, E>: For operations that can fail.
• Option<T>: For values that may not exist.

---

Standard Modules

Modules in std must be explicitly imported.

std.fs (File System)

Provides basic file and path operations.

import * as fs from "fs"

fn example(): i32 {
    // Path handling
    let path = fs.newPath("test.txt")
    if !path.exists() {
        println("File not found")
    }

    // File I/O
    let! file = fs.open("test.txt") !> |err| {
        println(f"Error: {err.msg}")
        return 1
    }
    
    // ... read/write operations
    return 0
}

std.math

Comprehensive math constants and functions.

import * as math from "math"

let root = math.sqrt(16.0)
let pi = math.PI

std.time

Time and duration utilities.

import * as time from "time"

let start = time.Instant.now()
// ... do work
let elapsed = start.elapsed()

---

Future Roadmap

The following modules are currently in development and not yet available in the stable standard library:

• std.json / std.toml: Serialization support.
• std.net: Networking (TCP/UDP/HTTP).
• std.process: Advanced process management.

---

Next Steps

• VUMM Memory Model - How Box works
• Error Handling - Using Result and Option
• FFI - Interacting with C code