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Javascript for refined palates: a Python 3 to ES6 Javascript translator
https://github.com/metapensiero/metapensiero.pj

babeljs conversion es6-javascript javascript python

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Javascript for refined palates: a Python 3 to ES6 Javascript translator

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README

        

.. -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
.. :Project: metapensiero.pj -- readme
.. :Created: mar 01 mar 2016 15:52:36 CET
.. :Author: Alberto Berti
.. :License: GNU General Public License version 3 or later
..

======================================================
JavaScripthon: a Python 3 to ES6 JavaScript translator
======================================================

.. image:: https://gitlab.com/metapensiero/metapensiero.pj/badges/master/pipeline.svg
:target: https://gitlab.com/metapensiero/metapensiero.pj/commits/master
:align: left
:alt: tests status

.. image:: https://gitlab.com/metapensiero/metapensiero.pj/badges/master/coverage.svg
:target: https://gitlab.com/metapensiero/metapensiero.pj/commits/master
:align: left
:alt: tests coverage

.. image:: https://badges.gitter.im/javascripthon/Lobby.svg
:alt: Join the chat at https://gitter.im/javascripthon/Lobby
:target: https://gitter.im/javascripthon/Lobby?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=badge&utm_campaign=pr-badge&utm_content=badge
:align: left

.. figure:: http://s3.amazonaws.com/fossbytes.content/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Javascripthon-python-js-converter.jpg
:alt: JavaScripthon
:align: left
:width: 750px

..

(image courtesy of `fossBytes`__)

__ http://fossbytes.com/javascripthon-a-simple-python-to-es6-javascript-translator/

It is based on previous work by `Andrew Schaaf `_.

:author: Alberto Berti
:contact: [email protected]
:license: GNU General Public License version 3 or later

.. contents:: Table of Contents
:backlinks: top

Introduction
------------

JavaScripthon is a small and simple Python 3.5+ translator to JavaScript which
aims to be able to translate most of the Python's core semantics without
providing a full python-in-js environment, as most existing translators do. It
tries to emit code which is simple to read and check. It does so by switching
to ES6 construct when possible/required. This allows to simplify the needs of
polyfills for many of the expected Python behaviors.

It is designed to be the first step in a pipeline that translates your Python
code into something that a browser can understand. Usually it is used with
tools like `BabelJS`__ and `Webpack`__ to prepare the final bundle that will
be served to the browser. The steps from the source code to the bundle are the
following:

1) JavaScripthon converts your Python 3.5+ code to ES6 JavaScript modules;
2) the BabelJS loader (configured inside Webpack or standalone) translates the
ES6 JavaScript to ES5 so that the browser can understand it;
3) Webpack parses the resulting source code and packages your source code with
its dependencies by analyzing ``import`` statements and emits a
``bundle.js`` ready to be served to the browser.

Along this process the corresponding `source maps`__ are read and integrated at
every step, allowing you to place breakpoints on your original Python source
files when working with the developer tools of your browser.

An example of such setup is provided in the ``examples`` directory.

__ http://babeljs.io/
__ http://webpack.github.io/
__ http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/introduction-source-maps

In addition to that, you can choose to do most these steps without using
external JS tools. It comes with an `embedded js interpreter`__ that loads a
standalone version of BabelJS and converts your code to ES5 JavaScript without
the need to install anything else. In fact most of the the test you can find
in ``tests/test_evaljs.py`` use the embedded interpreter to dual evaluate the
source code (one time in Python, one time in JavaScript) and simply check that
the results are the same.

__ https://github.com/amol-/dukpy

Thanks to that, JavaScripthon can also be used as a server-side library to
translate single functions or classes that you want your browser to load and
evaluate.

The interface with the JS world is completely flat, just import the modules
or use the expected globals (``window``, ``document``, etc...) as you
would do in JavaScript.

Brief list of the supported Python semantics
--------------------------------------------

The fact that JavaScripthon doesn't *reinvent the wheel* by reimplementing in
Python many of the features available with JavaScript translators/transpilers
allows it to be lean while implementing quite a decent set of the core Python
semantics. These are, briefly:

* Misc

- list slices;
- list's ``append()``;
- dict's ``copy()``, ``update()``;
- ``len()``;
- ``print()``;
- ``str()``;
- ``type(instance)``;
- ``yield`` and ``yield from``;
- ``async`` and ``await``;
- ``import`` and ``from...import`` to use any JS module (see `import
statements`_);
- ``callable()``;
- ``hasattr()``, ``getattr()``, ``setattr()``;
- template literals with ``tmpl('a string with ${substitution}')``;
- simple Python 3.6+ `f-strings`_ (see `Strings`_);
- template literals and tagged_templates (see `Strings`_);
- names starting with ``d_`` and ``dd_`` will have that part replaced with
``$`` and ``$$``, respectively;
- names ending with an underscore will have it removed. Useful for example
with the AVA ES6 test runner which has a check named ``is``;
- ``__instancecheck__`` to ``[Symbol.hasInstance]``;
- ``int`` to ``parseInt``;
- ``float`` to ``parseFloat``;
- dictionary keys are unambiguous when ES6 translation is
enabled. For example the following code gets translated correctly:

.. code:: python

a = 'foo'
d = {a: 1}
print(d[a])

prints ``1`` in both Python and JavaScript, while it prints
``undefined`` when translated and evaluated in JavaScript without
ES6.

.. _f-strings: https://docs.python.org/3.6/reference/lexical_analysis.html#f-strings

* Comparisons (see section `Simple stuff`_ for the details)

- most of the basics;
- ``isinstance()`` and ``issubclass()``;
- ``element in container`` for use with lists, objects, strings and the new
ES6 collections like ``Map``, ``Set`` and so on;
- identity checks: ``foo is bar``;
- chained comparisons like ``x < y <= z``;

* Statements (see section `Simple stuff`_ and `for statement`_ for the
details)

- ``if...elif...else``;
- ``while`` loop;
- ``for`` over list, over range, over plain js objects, over iterables (JS
iterables);
- ``try...except...finally`` with pythonesque behavior (see
`try...except...finally statement`_ section for the details);
- ``assert`` statement;

* Functions (see `Functions`_ section)

- standard functions, generator functions, async functions;
- parameters defaults;
- keyword parameters;
- parameters accumulators (``*args`` and ``**kwargs``), with some
restrictions;
- functions in methods are usually converted to "arrow functions" (the new
ES6 syntax like ``(foo, bar) => foo * bar;``) because they automatically
keep ``this`` from the enclosing scope. Appending ``_fn`` to a function
declaration will force the translation to a normal function;

* Classes (see `Classes`_ section)

- single inheritance;
- Exception classes for use with ``except`` statement;
- class decorators and method decorators;
- property descriptors;
- special handling of ``property`` and ``classmethod`` descriptors;
- async methods, generator methods;
- non-function body members (i.e. ``member_of_class_Foo = bar``);

License
-------

This package is covered by the `GNU General Public License version
3 or later`__. The code produced by it (i.e. the transpiled
JavaScript) is *your* code, and *you* are free to choose whatever
license you like. The only ``runtime`` that exists is the file
`snippets.py`__ from which some utility functions are picked when
necessary and transpiled together with your code. While it's
distributed with the same license as the other source code, in its
*transpiled* form will have the license you choose.

So, to summarize, the license of the this tool is GPL, but it doesn't
extends to the products of this tool, on which you are free to decide.

__ https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html
__ https://github.com/azazel75/metapensiero.pj/blob/master/src/metapensiero/pj/snippets.py

Installation
------------

Python 3.5 is required because Python's AST has changed between 3.4
and 3.5 and as of now supporting multiple Python versions is not one
of my priorities.

To install the package execute the following command::

$ pip install javascripthon

or, if you want install it from sources::

$ git clone https://github.com/azazel75/metapensiero.pj
$ pip install -r metapensiero.pj/requirements.txt
$ pip install metapensiero.pj

Usage
-----

To *compile* or *transpile* a python source module, use the
commandline:

.. code:: bash

$ python -m metapensiero.pj source.py

or:

.. code:: bash

$ python -m metapensiero.pj -5 source.py

to transpile.

A ``pj`` console script is also automatically installed:

.. code:: bash

$ pj --help
usage: pj [-h] [--disable-es6] [--disable-stage3] [-5] [--transform-runtime]
[-o OUTPUT] [-d] [--pdb] [-s STRING] [-e]
[file [file ...]]

A Python 3.5+ to ES6 JavaScript compiler

positional arguments:
file Python source file(s) or directory(ies) to convert.
When it is a directory it will be converted
recursively

optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
--disable-es6 Disable ES6 features during conversion (Ignored if
--es5 is specified)
--disable-stage3 Disable ES7 stage3 features during conversion
-5, --es5 Also transpile to ES5 using BabelJS.
--transform-runtime Add trasform runtime as plugin during transpile
-o OUTPUT, --output OUTPUT
Output file/directory where to save the generated code
-d, --debug Enable error reporting
--pdb Enter post-mortem debug when an error occurs
-s STRING, --string STRING
Convert a string, useful for small snippets. If the
string is '-' will be read from the standard input.
-e, --eval Evaluate the string supplied with the -s using the
embedded interpreter and return the last result. This
will convert the input string with all the extensions
enabled (comparable to adding the '-5' option) and so
it will take some time because of BabelJS load times.

This offers many ways to test the framework, both the string conversion and
the evaluation using the embedded JavaScript interpreter are very handy. For
example:

.. code:: bash

$ pj -s '"foo" if True else "bar"'
(true ? "foo" : "bar");

and evaluating the same statement:

.. code:: bash

$ pj -s '"foo" if True else "bar"' -e
foo

You can even try more fancy ES6 features, like destructuring assignment:

.. code:: bash

$ pj -s "a, b, c = (2, 3, 5) \na+b+c" -e
10

You can use metapensiero.pj in python code as well.

.. code:: python

from metapensiero.pj.__main__ import transform_string

transform_string("print()")

Reporting Bugs
--------------

The main development repository is the one on gitlab__, the one on
github is just a mirror so please report issues and feature requests
there__.

__ https://gitlab.com/metapensiero/metapensiero.pj
__ https://gitlab.com/metapensiero/metapensiero.pj/issues

Conversions Rosetta Stone
-------------------------

Here is a brief list of examples of the conversions the tool applies,
just some, but not all.

Simple stuff
~~~~~~~~~~~~

.. list-table:: Most are obvious
:header-rows: 1

* - Python
- JavaScript

* - .. code:: python

x < y <= z < 5

- .. code:: javascript

((x < y) && (y <= z) && (z < 5))

* - .. code:: python

def foo():
return [True, False, None, 1729,
"foo", r"foo\bar", {}]

- .. code:: javascript

function foo() {
return [true, false, null, 1729,
"foo", "foo\\bar", {}];
}

* - .. code:: python

while len(foo) > 0:
print(foo.pop())

- .. code:: javascript

while ((foo.length > 0)) {
console.log(foo.pop());
}

* - .. code:: python

if foo > 0:
....
elif foo < 0:
....
else:
....

- .. code:: javascript

if ((foo > 0)) {
....
} else {
if ((foo < 0)) {
....
} else {
....
}
}

* - .. code:: python

str(x)

- .. code:: javascript

x.toString()

* - .. code:: python

yield foo
yield from foo

- .. code:: javascript

yield foo
yield* foo

Then there are special cases. Here you can see some of these
conversions. JavaScripthon cannot do a full trace of the sources, so
some shortcuts are taken about the conversion of some core, specific
Python's semantics. For example Python's ``self`` is always converted
to JavaScript's ``this``, no matter where it's found. Or ``len(foo)``
is always translated to ``foo.length``. Albeit this an API specific of
just some objects (Strings, Arrays, etc...), it is considered wide
adopted and something the user may consider obvious.

The rules of thumb to treat things especially are:

* Is it possible to think of a conversion that covers most of the use
cases?

* Is ts possible to find a convention widely used on the Python world
to express this special case?

.. list-table:: There are special cases
:header-rows: 1

* - Python
- JavaScript

* - .. code:: python

==

- .. code:: javascript

===

* - .. code:: python

!=

- .. code:: javascript

!==

* - .. code:: python

2**3

- .. code:: javascript

Math.pow(2, 3)

* - .. code:: python

'docstring'

- .. code:: javascript

/* docstring */

* - .. code:: python

self

- .. code:: javascript

this

* - .. code:: python

len(...)

- .. code:: javascript

(...).length

* - .. code:: python

print(...)

- .. code:: javascript

console.log(...)

* - .. code:: python

isinstance(x, y)
isinstance(x, (y, z))

- .. code:: javascript

(x instanceof y)
(x instanceof y || x instanceof z)

* - .. code:: python

typeof(x)

- .. code:: javascript

(typeof x)

* - .. code:: python

type(x)

- .. code:: javascript

Object.getPrototypeOf(x)

* - .. code:: python

FirstCharCapitalized(...)
new(any_function(...))

- .. code:: javascript

new FirstCharCapitalized(...)
new any_function(...)

* - .. code:: python

foo in bar

- .. code:: javascript

var _pj;
function _pj_snippets(container) {
function in_es6(left, right) {
if (((right instanceof Array) || ((typeof right) === "string"))) {
return (right.indexOf(left) > (- 1));
} else {
if (((right instanceof Map) || (right instanceof Set)
|| (right instanceof WeakMap)
|| (right instanceof WeakSet))) {
return right.has(left);
} else {
return (left in right);
}
}
}
container["in_es6"] = in_es6;
return container;
}
_pj = {};
_pj_snippets(_pj);
_pj.in_es6(foo, bar);

* - .. code:: python

foo[3:]
foo[:3]

- .. code:: javascript

foo.slice(3);
foo.slice(0, 3);

* - .. code:: python

list(foo).append(bar)

- .. code:: javascript

foo.push(bar);

* - .. code:: python

dict(foo).update(bar)

- .. code:: javascript

Object.assign(foo, bar);

* - .. code:: python

dict(foo).copy()

- .. code:: javascript

Object.assign({}, foo);

``for`` statement
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ``for`` statement by default is translated as if the object of the
cycle is a list but has two special cases:

.. list-table:: ``for`` loops
:header-rows: 1

* - Python
- JavaScript
- notes

* - .. code:: python

for el in dict(a_dict):
print(el)

- .. code:: javascript

var _pj_a = a_dict;
for (var el in _pj_a) {
if (_pj_a.hasOwnProperty(el)) {
console.log(el);
}
}

- With this kind of loop if you use ``dict(a_dict, True)`` the check on
``hasOwnProperty()`` will not be added, so the loop will include
*inherited* (and *enumerable*) properties.

* - .. code:: python

for el in an_array:
print(el)

- .. code:: javascript

for (var el, _pj_c = 0, _pj_a = an_array, _pj_b = _pj_a.length;
(_pj_c < _pj_b); _pj_c += 1) {
el = _pj_a[_pj_c];
console.log(el);
}

-

* - .. code:: python

for i in range(5):
print(i)

- .. code:: javascript

for (var i = 0, _pj_a = 5; (i < _pj_a); i += 1) {
console.log(i);
}

-

* - .. code:: python

for el in iterable(a_set):
print(el)

- .. code:: javascript

var _pj_a = a_set;
for (var el of _pj_a) {
console.log(el);
}

- This will loop over all the iterables, like instances of ``Array``,
``Map``, ``Set``, etc. **but not over normal objects**.

Functions
~~~~~~~~~

Functions are very well supported. This should be obvious, you can say. Really
it is not so simple, if we mean functions in their broader meaning, including
the *async functions* and *generator functions*.

.. list-table:: The various types of functions at play
:header-rows: 1

* - Python
- JavaScript
- notes

* - .. code:: python

def foo(a, b, c):
pass

- .. code:: javascript

function foo(a, b, c) {
}

- Normal functions

* - .. code:: python

def foo(a, b, c):
for i in range(a, b, c):
yield i

for i in iterable(foo(0, 5, 2)):
print(i)

- .. code:: javascript

function* foo(a, b, c) {
for ... { // loop control omitted for brevity
yield i;
}
}

for (var i of foo(0, 5, 2)) {
console.log(i);
}

- Generator functions. They return an iterable and to correctly loop over
it you should use the ``iterable(...)`` call, so that the Python's
``for...in`` will be converted into a ``for...of``

* - .. code:: python

async def foo(a, b, c):
await some_promise_based_async

- .. code:: javascript

async function foo(a, b, c) {
await some_promised_base_async;
}

- Async functions. They make use of the new ``Promise`` class, which is
also available.

Function's args and call parameters
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Parmeters defaults and keyword parameters are supported and so is ``*foo``
accumulator, which is translated into the ES6 rest expression (``...foo``).

The only caveat is that JS support for keyword args sucks, so you will have to
**remember to fill in all the arguments before specifying keywords**.

On function definitions, ``**kwargs`` is supported if it's alone, i.e. without
either keyword arguments or ``*args``.

.. list-table:: function's args and call parameters
:header-rows: 1

* - Python
- JavaScript

* - .. code:: python

def foo(a=2, b=3, *args):
pass

- .. code:: javascript

function foo(a = 2, b = 3, ...args) {
}

* - .. code:: python

def bar(c, d, *, zoo=2):
pass

- .. code:: javascript

function bar(c, d, {zoo = 2}={}) {
}

* - .. code:: python

foo(5, *a_list)

- .. code:: javascript

foo(5, ...a_list);

* - .. code:: python

bar('a', 'b', zoo=5, another='c')

- .. code:: javascript

bar("a", "b", {zoo: 5, another: "c"});

* - .. code:: python

def zoo(e, **kwargs):
print(kwargs['bar'])

- .. code:: javascript

function zoo(e, kwargs = {}) {
console.log(kwargs['bar'])
}

* - .. code:: python

zoo(4, bar=6)

- .. code:: javascript

zoo(4, {bar: 6})

Classes
~~~~~~~

Classes are translated to ES6 classes as much as they can support. This means:

* no direct support multi-class inheritance, you have to come up with your own
solution for now. Many established frameworks support this in a way or
another so just use those facilities for now. I've read of some attempts,
see for example the suggestion on `Mozilla developer`__ or the other about
`simple mixins`__ on ``Exploring ES6``.

* external implementation for class-level non assignment members. Assignment
members are those on the body of a class which are defined with: ``a_label =
an_expression`` like:

.. code:: python

class Foo:

bar = 'zoo' # or any kind of expression

These members are removed from the translated body and submitted to a
snippet of code that will run after class creation in JS land. This serves
two purposes: if the value is *simple*, i.e. it isn't an instance of
``Object``, it will be setup as a *data descriptor*, and it will work mostly
like you are used to in Python. The most noticeable caveat is that it will
not be accessible through the class as it is in Python, you will have to
access the class' *prototype*, so in the case above i mean
``Foo.prototype.bar``.

The other purpose is to check for *accessor descriptors*. If the value on
the right side of the assignment implements a ``get`` function, it will be
installed as a property as-is, and its *get* and *set* members will be used
to manage the value with the ``bar`` name.

* external implementation for method decorators whose name is different from
``property`` or ``classmethod`` (more on these later on), because these are
already supported by the ES6 class notation.

* external implementation for class decorators. One caveat here is that the
return value of the decorator has always to be a function with a prototype:
unfortunately a ``new`` statement seems not to be *delegable* in any way. So
for example a class decorator implemented like the following:

.. code:: python

def test_class_deco():

counter = 0

def deco(cls):
def wrapper(self, *args):
counter += 1 # side effect
return cls(*args)
return wrapper

@deco
class Foo:
pass

will never work. This will work instead:

.. code:: python

def deco(cls):
def wrapper(self, *args):
counter += 1 # side effect
return cls.prototype.constructor.call(self, *args)
wrapper.prototype = cls.prototype
return wrapper

So either return the original class or setup the wrapper appropriately.

__ https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Classes#Mix-ins
__ http://exploringjs.com/es6/ch_classes.html#_simple-mixins

Methods can be functions or async-functions although the latters aren't
officially supported yet by the JavaScript specification. You can disable them
adding a ``--disable-stage3`` to the command line utility.

Python`s ``super()`` calls are converted accordingly to the type of
their surrounding method: ``super().__init__(foo)`` becomes
``super(foo)`` in constructors.

Functions inside methods are translated to arrow functions so that
they keep the ``this`` of the surrounding method.

``@property`` and ``@a_property.setter`` are translated to ES6 properties.

Methods decorated with ``@classmethod`` are translated to ``static`` methods.

Special methods ``__str__`` and ``__len__`` are translated to
``toString()`` method and ``get length()`` property, respectively.

Arrow method expression to retain the ``this`` at method level aren't
implemented yet.

.. list-table:: Classes
:header-rows: 1

* - Python
- JavaScript

* - .. code:: python

class Foo(bar):
def __init__(self, zoo):
super().__init__(zoo)

def meth(self, zoo):
super().meth(zoo)
def cool(a, b, c):
print(self.zoo)

async def something(self, a_promise):
result = await a_promise

def generator_method(self):
yield something

@property
def foo(self):
return self._foo

@foo.setter
def foo(self, value):
self._foo = value

@classmethod
def bar(self, val):
do_something()

def __len__(self):
return 1

def __str__(self):
return 'Foo instance'

- .. code:: javascript

class Foo extends bar {
constructor(zoo) {
super(zoo);
}

meth(zoo) {
super.meth(zoo);
var cool;
cool = (a, b, c) => {
console.log(this.zoo);
};
}

async something(a_promise) {
var result;
result = await a_promise;
}

* generator_method() {
yield something;
}

get foo() {
return this._foo;
}

set foo(value) {
self._foo = value;
}

static bar(val) {
do_something()
}

get length() {
return 1;
}

toString() {
return "Foo instance";
}
}

Only direct descendants of ``Exception`` are treated especially, but
just for them to be meaningful in JS land and to be detectable with
``instanceof`` in catch statements.

.. list-table:: Exceptions
:header-rows: 1

* - Python
- JavaScript

* - .. code:: python

class MyError(Exception):
pass

raise MyError("An error occurred")

- .. code:: javascript

function MyError(message) {
this.name = "MyError";
this.message = (message || "Custom error MyError");
if (((typeof Error.captureStackTrace) === "function")) {
Error.captureStackTrace(this, this.constructor);
} else {
this.stack = new Error(message).stack;
}
}
MyError.prototype = Object.create(Error.prototype);
MyError.prototype.constructor = MyError;
throw new MyError("An error occurred");

``try...except...finally`` statement
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The conversion of this statement is mostly obvious with the only
exception of the ``except`` part: it translates to a ``catch`` part
containing one ``if`` statement for each non catchall ``except``. If a
catchall ``except`` isn't present, the error will be re-thrown, to mimic
Python's behavior.

.. list-table:: ``try...catch...finally`` statement
:header-rows: 1

* - Python
- JavaScript

* - .. code:: python

try:
foo.bar()
except MyError:
recover()
except MyOtherError:
recover_bad()
finally:
foo.on_end()

- .. code:: javascript

try {
foo.bar();
} catch(e) {
if ((e instanceof MyError)) {
recover();
} else {
if ((e instanceof MyOtherError)) {
recover_bad()
} else {
throw e;
}
}
} finally {
foo.on_end();
}

``import`` statements
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

``import`` and ``from ... import`` statements are converted to ES6
imports, and the declaration of an ``__all__`` member on the module
top level is translated to ES6 named exports.

.. list-table:: import and exports
:header-rows: 1

* - Python
- JavaScript

* - .. code:: python

import foo, bar
import foo.bar as b
from foo.bar import hello as h, bye as bb
from ..foo.zoo import bar
from . import foo
from .foo import bar

from foo__bar import zoo

from __foo.zoo import bar

from foo import __default__ as bar

from __globals__ import test_name

# this should not trigger variable definition
test_name = 2

# this instead should do it
test_foo = True

__all__ = ['test_name', 'test_foo']
__default__ = 'test_name'

- .. code:: javascript

var test_foo;

import * as foo from 'foo';
import * as bar from 'bar';
import * as b from 'foo/bar';
import {hello as h, bye as bb} from 'foo/bar';
import {bar} from '../foo/zoo';
import * as foo from './foo';
import {bar} from './foo';

import {zoo} from 'foo-bar';

import {bar} from '@foo/zoo';

import bar from 'foo';

test_name = 2;
test_foo = true;

export {test_name, test_foo};
export default test_name;

About JS **default** ``export`` and ``import``
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If you want to export something as *default export* in your modules,
declare a ``__default__`` member and assign to it the string of the
symbol you want to export. To clarify:

.. code:: python

foo = 42
bar = "hello"

__all__ = ['foo', 'bar'] # foo and bar will be exported as named exports
__default__ = 'bar' # bar will also be exported as the *default*

This becomes:

.. code:: javascript

var bar, foo;

foo = 42;
bar = "hello";

export {foo, bar};
export default bar;

For what concerns the ``import``, you can import the default export of
a module using the ``default`` name, as defined by the ES6
spec. However, as there were some issues reported to me with bundlers
not supporting the named import of the default export, a special
``import`` statement using ``__default__ as name`` has been added that
directly translates to the more common form of ES6 default import. So:

.. code:: python

from foo import default as bar
from foo import __default__ as zoo

Translates to:

.. code:: javascript

import {default as bar} from 'foo';
import zoo from 'foo';

The two imports should work the same, see `exploring js section`__ and
the linked spec. But if you encounter problems with the former use
the latter instead. Keep in mind that you cannot mix the
``__default__`` import with others (i.e. it needs to be on a line of
its own) and that you always need to specify an ``... as name ...`` part.

__ http://exploringjs.com/es6/ch_modules.html#sec_importing-exporting-details

Strings
-------

Javascripthon supports converting Python 3.6+ `f-strings`_ to ES6
`template literals`_. The expression in the braces gets converted, but
neither `conversion`__ nor `format_spec`__ are supported: ``f"Value of
{a}"`` becomes ```Value of ${a}``` and ``f"Value of {self.foo}"``
becomes ```Value of ${this.foo}```.

.. _template literals: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Template_literals
__ https://docs.python.org/3.6/reference/lexical_analysis.html#grammar-token-conversion
__ https://docs.python.org/3.6/reference/lexical_analysis.html#grammar-token-format_spec

You can also write *raw* template literals by using the function
``tmpl()`` it does only a conversion of the string markers, from those
used in Python's literal string notation to template literal notation.

There is also the way to express *tagged templates*, template literals
that are parsed using a provided function. This is done by using the
function ``__``. So for example:

.. code:: python

__('A template ${string} with foo', bar)

gets translated to:

.. code:: javascript

bar`A template ${string} with foo`

``bar`` will be executed with the value of ``${string}`` as a
parameter, see the link for `template literals`_ for help.

Verbatim JS
-----------

You can intermix Python and JS by using the
``JS('Your-JS-code-here')`` marker function. It will not be touched by
the ES6 transcoder but if you choose to also transpile it to ES5, il
will be considered by Babel.

Examples
--------

Execute ``make`` inside the ``examples`` directory.

Testing
-------

To run the tests you should run the following at the package root::

python setup.py test

How to contribute
-----------------

So you like this project and want to contribute? Good!

These are the terse guidelines::

There are some TODO points in the readme, or even the issue #6 is
quite simple to fix. Feel free to pick what you like.

The guidelines are to follow PEP8 for coding where possible, so use
CamelCase for classes and snake_case for variables, functions and
members, and UPPERCASE for constants.

An exception to this rules are the function names inside
``metapensiero.pj.transformations`` subpackage. Those are matched
against names of the AST objects coming from the ``ast`` module in
standard lib, so they have to to match even in case.

Try to keep lines lengths under 79 chars, more or less ;-)

The workflow is to fork the project, do your stuff, maybe add a test
for it and then submit a pull request.

Have fun

Contributing
------------

Any contribution is welcome, drop me a line or file a pull request.

External contributions
----------------------

* `BrainBacon`__ has made a `JavaScripthon loader`__ for WebPack;

* `icarito`_ has contributed support for JavaScripthon to the
`python-webpack-loader`__ for WebPack (Every valid JS package has at
least two implementations! ROTFL);

* `icarito`_ has also `integrated JavaScripthon with Nuxt.js and
Vue.js`__;

* `chfw`__ has integrated `JavaScripthon into pyecharts`__ to allow
Python function translation.

.. _icarito: https://github.com/icarito
__ https://github.com/BrainBacon
__ https://github.com/Beg-in/javascripthon-loader
__ https://github.com/martim00/python-webpack-loader
__ https://nuxt-python.surge.sh/
__ https://github.com/chfw
__ https://github.com/pyecharts/pyecharts

Todo
----

This is a brief list of what needs to be done:

* refactor the comprehensions conversion to use the snippets facility;
* refactor snippets rendering to write them as a module and import
them in the module when tree conversion is enabled;
* convert ``dict()`` calls to ES6 ``Map`` object creation;
* convert *set* literals to ES6 ``Set`` objects. Also, update
"foo in bar" to use bar.has(foo) for sets;

Done
----

Stuff that was previously in the todo:

* translate *import* statements to ES6;
* translate ``__all__`` definition to ES6 module exports;
* write a command line interface to expose the api;
* make try...except work again and implement try...finally;
* convert *async* and *await* to the same proposed features for js
(see BabelJS documentation);
* convert argument defaults on functions to ES6;
* convert call keyword arguments;
* convert `*iterable` syntax to ES6 destructuring;
* use arrow functions for functions created in functions;
* properties to ES6 properties (getter and setter);
* take advantage of new duckpy features to use a JS execution context
that lasts multiple calls. This way the BabelJS bootstrap affects
only the initial execution;
* class and method decorators;
* implement *yield*, *yield from* and generator functions;
* update "foo in bar" to use bar.has(foo) for maps;

External documentation
----------------------

A good documentation and explanation of ES6 features can be found on
the book `Exploring ES6`__ by Axel Rauschmayer (donate if you can).

__ http://exploringjs.com/es6/

An `extensive documentation`__ about Python's AST objects, very handy.

__ https://greentreesnakes.readthedocs.org/en/latest/

Tools
-----

Have a look at `ECMAScript 6 Tools`__ by Addy Osmani.

__ https://github.com/addyosmani/es6-tools

To debug *source maps* have a look at `source-map-visualization`__ and
its `package`__ on npm.

__ https://sokra.github.io/source-map-visualization/
__ https://www.npmjs.com/package/source-map-visualize

Still i found these links to be helpful:

* `BASE64 VLQ CODEC (COder/DECoder)`__
* `Testing Source Maps`__

__ http://murzwin.com/base64vlq.html
__ http://fitzgeraldnick.com/2013/08/02/testing-source-maps.html

Here is an `example`__ of the latter tool showing code generated by
JavaScripthon, have fun!

__ https://sokra.github.io/source-map-visualization/#base64,ZnVuY3Rpb24gc2ltcGxlX2FsZXJ0KCkgewogICAgd2luZG93LmFsZXJ0KCJIaSB0aGVyZSEiKTsKfQpmdW5jdGlvbiBhdHRhY2hfaGFuZGxlcigpIHsKICAgIHZhciBlbDsKICAgIGVsID0gZG9jdW1lbnQucXVlcnlTZWxlY3RvcigiYnV0dG9uIik7CiAgICBlbC5hZGRFdmVudExpc3RlbmVyKCJjbGljayIsIHNpbXBsZV9hbGVydCk7Cn0KYXR0YWNoX2hhbmRsZXIoKTsKCi8vIyBzb3VyY2VNYXBwaW5nVVJMPWh0bWxfdGVzdC5qcy5tYXAK,eyJtYXBwaW5ncyI6IkFBT0E7SUFDSUEsTUFBQUMsTUFBQSxDQUFhLFdBQWI7QUFESjtBQUdBOztJQUNJQyxLQUFLQyxRQUFBQyxjQUFBLENBQXVCLFFBQXZCO0lBQ0xGLEVBQUFHLGlCQUFBLENBQW9CLE9BQXBCLEVBQTZCQyxZQUE3QjtBQUZKO0FBSUFDLGNBQUEiLCJzb3VyY2VzIjpbImh0bWxfdGVzdC5weSJdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjozLCJuYW1lcyI6WyJ3aW5kb3ciLCJ3aW5kb3cuYWxlcnQiLCJlbCIsImRvY3VtZW50IiwiZG9jdW1lbnQucXVlcnlTZWxlY3RvciIsImVsLmFkZEV2ZW50TGlzdGVuZXIiLCJzaW1wbGVfYWxlcnQiLCJhdHRhY2hfaGFuZGxlciJdLCJzb3VyY2VzQ29udGVudCI6WyIjIC0qLSBjb2Rpbmc6IHV0Zi04IC0qLVxuIyA6UHJvamVjdDogIHBqIC0tIHRlc3QgZm9yIGh0bWxcbiMgOkNyZWF0ZWQ6ICAgIG1hciAwMSBtYXIgMjAxNiAyMzo0ODo1MiBDRVRcbiMgOkF1dGhvcjogICAgQWxiZXJ0byBCZXJ0aSA8YWxiZXJ0b0BtZXRhcGVuc2llcm8uaXQ+XG4jIDpMaWNlbnNlOiAgIEdOVSBHZW5lcmFsIFB1YmxpYyBMaWNlbnNlIHZlcnNpb24gMyBvciBsYXRlclxuI1xuXG5kZWYgc2ltcGxlX2FsZXJ0KCk6XG4gICAgd2luZG93LmFsZXJ0KCdIaSB0aGVyZSEnKVxuXG5kZWYgYXR0YWNoX2hhbmRsZXIoKTpcbiAgICBlbCA9IGRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3IoJ2J1dHRvbicpXG4gICAgZWwuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcignY2xpY2snLCBzaW1wbGVfYWxlcnQpXG5cbmF0dGFjaF9oYW5kbGVyKClcbiJdfQ==,IyAtKi0gY29kaW5nOiB1dGYtOCAtKi0KIyA6UHJvamVjdDogIHBqIC0tIHRlc3QgZm9yIGh0bWwKIyA6Q3JlYXRlZDogICAgbWFyIDAxIG1hciAyMDE2IDIzOjQ4OjUyIENFVAojIDpBdXRob3I6ICAgIEFsYmVydG8gQmVydGkgPGFsYmVydG9AbWV0YXBlbnNpZXJvLml0PgojIDpMaWNlbnNlOiAgIEdOVSBHZW5lcmFsIFB1YmxpYyBMaWNlbnNlIHZlcnNpb24gMyBvciBsYXRlcgojCgpkZWYgc2ltcGxlX2FsZXJ0KCk6CiAgICB3aW5kb3cuYWxlcnQoJ0hpIHRoZXJlIScpCgpkZWYgYXR0YWNoX2hhbmRsZXIoKToKICAgIGVsID0gZG9jdW1lbnQucXVlcnlTZWxlY3RvcignYnV0dG9uJykKICAgIGVsLmFkZEV2ZW50TGlzdGVuZXIoJ2NsaWNrJywgc2ltcGxlX2FsZXJ0KQoKYXR0YWNoX2hhbmRsZXIoKQo=

Notes
-----

* A `post`__ about proposed solutions to use ES6 classes with
`Backbone`__. See also the `bug`__ open on github.

__ http://benmccormick.org/2015/07/06/backbone-and-es6-classes-revisited/
__ http://backbonejs.org
__ https://github.com/jashkenas/backbone/issues/3560

* A `benchmark of ES6 features`__ and `discussion about it`__ on
hacker's news.

__ https://kpdecker.github.io/six-speed/
__ https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11203183

* A `compatibility table of ES6 features`__ showing completeness of
support feature by feature.

__ http://kangax.github.io/compat-table/es6/

* `A story`__ about ES6 craziest stuff... symbols

__ http://blog.keithcirkel.co.uk/metaprogramming-in-es6-symbols/