What is Haxe?

• Cross platform toolkit
• C++, JS, PHP, C#, Java, SWF, Neko, Python...
• One language, multiple platforms
• No VM/Runtime !
• «native everywhere»

What is Haxe?

• Tools and Libraries
• Cross Compiler
• Standard Library
• Modern Language
• A way of thinking
• A way of thinking

My own experience

• Started programming at 10
• GWBasic, QBasic, Turbo Pascal, x86 ASM, C, C++, Java, Lisp, OCaml, Perl, ActionScript, PHP...
• Web dev, PHP/Flash/JS
• Haxe

Haxe Goals

• Support mainstream platforms
• Write once, reuse everywhere
• Always native, no wrapper
• Generated but readable
• Trust the developer
• No vendor lock-in

Haxe for what?

• What people are using Haxe for?
• 
• entirely rewrote their presentation client in Haxe/JS
• Haxe enable them to easily maintain a large codebase

What is Haxe?

• Tools and Libraries
• Cross Compiler
• Standard Library
• Modern Language
• A way of thinking

Haxe Language

• Class based
• Mixed OO/functional
• Not pure OO:
• class, interface, typedef, structure, enum, abstract
• Conservative Syntax (Java/JS/C-like)

Haxe Language

• Type Inference

• 		function foo( k ) {
  			var str = "Hello World !";
  			var a = [];
  			for( i in 0...k )
  				for( word in str.split(" ") )
  					a.push(word);
  			return a;
  		}
  		

• 		function foo( k : Int ) : Array<String>
  		

• The compiler is an ally, not the enemy

Haxe Language

• The Almighty Dynamic

• 		var x : Dynamic = ...;
  		// d⁣o anything with x
  		// use at your own risks
  		

• Direct unchecked platform access
• Use Reflect API for crossplatorm

Haxe Language

• Structural subtyping

• 		typedef AnyPoint = { x : Float, y : Float };
  
  		function distance( a : AnyPoint, b : AnyPoint ) {
  			var dx = a.x - b.x;
  			var dy = a.y - b.y;
  			return Math.sqrt(dx * dx + dy * dy);
  		}
  		

• 		distance( new Point(5,1), { x : 1.5, y : -1 });
  		

Haxe Language

• Iterators

  for( e in iterable ) {...}

• String interpolation

  'The value of x is $x, and squared is ${x*x}'

• Array comprehension

  			var arr = [for( i in 0...10 ) i];
  			// [0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]
  		

  			var arr2 = [for( x in arr ) if( x % 3 == 0 ) x];
  			// [0,3,6,9]
  		

Haxe Language

• Enums

• 		enum Color {
  			Red;
  			Green;
  			Blue;
  			Gray( amount : Float );
  			Mix( a : Color, b : Color );
  		}
  		

Haxe Language

• Pattern Matching

• 		function getValue( c : Color ) {
  			return switch( color ) {
  			case Red:   0xFF0000;
  			case Green: 0x00FF00;
  			case Blue:  0x0000FF;
  			case Gray(v):
  				var g = Std.int(v*255);
  				v | (v<<8) | (v<<16);
  			case Mix(a,b):
  				mixColor(getColor(a), getColor(b));
  			};
  		}
  		

Haxe Language

• Designed to run everywhere efficiently
• Example : properties

  		class User {
  			public var age(get,set) : Int;
  			function get_age() { ... }
  			function set_age(v:Int) { ... }
  		}
  		

• And much more...
• RTFM :-)

Haxe for what?

• What people are using Haxe for?
• 
• ported 1MLOC DVR UI to Haxe
• better performances, easy access to new platforms

What is Haxe?

• Tools and Libraries
• Cross Compiler
• Standard Library
• Modern Language
• A way of thinking

Standard Library

• «Batteries included»
• Crossplatform, specified, unit-tested
• String, Array<T>, Map<K,V>, Date, Math, Bytes, Xml, JSON, Reflect, Type, EReg, Http, Unicode, Serialization, Crypto, Zip, Binary I/O...

Standard Library

• Platform-specific packages
  
  
• js.html: entirely typed HTML5 API
• sys: crossplatform system library
  (file, process, network...)
• 
  http://api.haxe.org

Standard Library

• Conditional compilation

• 		function print( str : String ) {
  		#if js
  			js.Browser.console.log(str);
  		#elseif sys
  			Sys.println(str);
  		#else
  			throw "Not supported for this platform";
  		#end
  		}
  		

• Encapsulate, reuse

Standard Library

• Conditional compilation

• 		inline function print( str : String ) {
  		#if js
  			js.Browser.console.log(str);
  		#elseif sys
  			Sys.println(str);
  		#else
  			throw "Not supported for this platform";
  		#end
  		}
  		

• Encapsulate, reuse, optimize

What is Haxe?

• Tools and Libraries
• Cross Compiler
• Standard Library
• Modern Language
• A way of thinking

Cross Compiler

• Not black magic !
• if( value > 58 ) print("Hello"+" World")
• Lex a program into tokens
• if ( value > 58 ) print "Hello" + " World" )

Cross Compiler

• if ( value > 58 ) print "Hello" + " World" )
• Parse tokens into AST
• 

Cross Compiler

• Typer check program and give types
• 

Cross Compiler

• Optimizer optimize the AST
• 
• 

Cross Compiler

• Generator translate the AST to target language

• 			<?php
  			if( $value > 58 )
  				haxe_Log::trace("Hello World !");
  			

  or

  			# python
  			if (value > 58):
  				haxe_Log.trace("Hello World !")
  			

Cross Compiler

• Sanitize any language (even PHP)
• Keep the existing runtime/libraries
• Team «speak the same language»
• Reuse code on different platform
• Easy to maintain / long term
• Very Fast

Cross Compiler

• Debug in target language
• code easy to read + some solutions exists : C++, JS (sourcemap), Flash/Neko C#/Java soon.
• Tooling perfectible
• IDE support for refactoring etc : we're working on it!

Cross Compiler

• Powerful Dead Code Elimination
• -dce full
• Code completion compiler service
• Compilation Cache Server
• ☢ Macros ☢

Haxe for what?

• 
• Evoland, entirely written in Haxe, sold 400K units
• Use open source Heaps.io 2D/3D game engine

Macros FTW

• 				hxd.Res.|
  			

  				sfx
  				music
  				Hero
  				Monster
  			

  				sfx
  				music
  				Hero ->
  				Monster
  			

Macros FTW

• 				hxd.Res.Hero.|
  			

  				.toTile()
  				.toTexture()
  				.toBitmap()
  				...
  			

Macros FTW

• 				hxd.Res.sfx.hurt.|
  			

  				.play()
  				.loop
  				.isPlaying()
  				...
  			

Macros FTW

• Compilation-time code generator
• can access the hard drive
• can access your types
• can extract metadata
• can modify the AST
• not the syntax

Macros FTW

• ORM, using Haxe-to-SQL generation

• User.manager.select($age >= 30 && $name == searchedName)

• HxSL, macro based Shader for GPU

• 			function vertex() {
  				output.position = vec4(input.position,1) * camera.mvp;
  			}
  		

• Generating types from a JSON DB (CastleDB.org)

Macros FTW

• Ease handling of asynchronous code

• 			@whenever(target.gets(MOUSE_DOWN)) @do {
  			  var x0 = stage.mouseX - target.x,
  				  y0 = stage.mouseY - target.y;
  			  @until(stage.gets(MOUSE_UP).next())
  				@whenever(stage.gets(MOUSE_MOVE)) {
  				  target.x = stage.mouseX - x0;
  				  target.y = stage.mouseY - y0;
  				}
  			}
  		

• ...while abusing Medata (tink_lang)

Macros FTW

What is Haxe?

• Tools and Libraries
• Cross Compiler
• Standard Library
• Modern Language
• A way of thinking

Many Tools

• IDE Support
• FlashDevelop, SublimeText, IntelliJ, etc.
• Generic Libraries
• docgen, code coverage, unit tests, etc.
• Check lib.haxe.org
haxelib install <libname>

For Games

For Web Server

• sys.db ORM
• Erazor and Templo Template system
• PHP, Java, or NekoVM/Tora application server
• UFront framework to unify it all

For Better JS

• plain Haxe + js.JQuery
• easy to extend with externs
• modularity, flexibility
• choose what to generate
• DCE for large codebase

And For...

• Mobile Apps
• Desktop Apps
• Commandline Apps
• +∞

In Short

• Haxe can be used alone
• Or with high level libraries
• To develop many things
• Or write the next successful crossplatform library

Haxe Goals Reached!

• Support mainstream platforms
• Write once, reuse everywhere
• Always native, no wrapper
• Generated but readable
• Trust the developer
• No vendor lock-in

About Us

• Haxe Foundation
• Manage Haxe evolution
• Long-Term investement
• Financed by our partners
• Any question ? Please contact us