AILANG Debug

Fix common AILANG errors quickly.

Quick Reference

Error	Cause	Fix
`undefined variable: print`	Not in entry module	Use entry module or `import std/io (print)`
`undefined variable: println`	Wrong function name	Use `print` not `println`
`undefined variable: map`	Not imported	`import std/list (map)` or write recursive
`No instance for Num[string]`	`print(42)`	Use `print(show(42))`
`expected }, got let`	Missing semicolon	Add `;` between statements
`unexpected token: for`	No loops in AILANG	Use recursion instead
`unexpected token: in`	No `for x in xs`	Use `match xs { ... }`

Decision Tree

Error message?
│
├─ "undefined variable: X"
│   └─ Is X a builtin?
│       ├─ Yes → Import it: ailang builtins list | grep X
│       └─ No → Check spelling, define it
│
├─ "expected }, got ..."
│   └─ Missing semicolon between statements
│       Fix: let x = 1; let y = 2; x + y
│
├─ "No instance for Num[string]"
│   └─ Passing number to string function
│       Fix: print(show(42)) not print(42)
│
├─ "unexpected token: for/while/in"
│   └─ AILANG has no loops!
│       Fix: Use recursion with match
│
└─ Parse error with braces
    └─ Unmatched { } or missing expression
        Fix: Check all blocks are closed

Common Fixes

1. Missing Semicolons

ailang

-- WRONG
export func main() -> () ! {IO} {
  let x = 10
  let y = 20
  print(show(x + y))
}

-- CORRECT (semicolons between statements)
export func main() -> () ! {IO} {
  let x = 10;
  let y = 20;
  print(show(x + y))
}

2. Print Needs String

ailang

-- WRONG: print expects string
print(42)

-- CORRECT: convert with show()
print(show(42))

3. No Loops - Use Recursion

ailang

-- WRONG: no for loops
for i in range(5) { print(show(i)) }

-- CORRECT: recursive function
export func printRange(n: int) -> () ! {IO} {
  if n <= 0 then () else {
    print(show(n));
    printRange(n - 1)
  }
}

4. Import Standard Library

ailang

-- WRONG: map not in scope
let doubled = map(\x. x * 2, nums)

-- CORRECT: import from std/list
import std/list (map)
let doubled = map(\x. x * 2, nums)

-- OR: write it yourself (recursion)
export func myMap[a,b](f: func(a) -> b, xs: [a]) -> [b] {
  match xs {
    [] => [],
    hd :: tl => f(hd) :: myMap(f, tl)
  }
}

Debugging Workflow

Type-check first (faster feedback):
bash
```
ailang check file.ail
```
Read error location - line:column tells you where
Check the pattern above for your error type

Use REPL for quick tests:

bash

ailang repl
> show(42)
> 1 + 2
> :type \x. x * 2

List builtins to find imports (CLI is source of truth):

bash

# SOURCE OF TRUTH: Full documentation with examples
ailang builtins list --verbose --by-module

# Search for specific function with full docs
ailang builtins list --verbose | grep -A 10 "map"

# See a specific module's functions
ailang builtins list --verbose --by-module | grep -A 30 "std/list"

Resources

Always prefer CLI commands (ailang prompt, ailang builtins list --verbose) over static docs - they're always up-to-date.

See resources/error_catalog.md for additional error patterns.

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AILANG Debug

Quick Reference

Decision Tree

Common Fixes

1. Missing Semicolons

2. Print Needs String

3. No Loops - Use Recursion

4. Import Standard Library

Debugging Workflow

Resources