sub _^✦ script

Tiny expression parser & evaluator.

• Safe — sandboxed, blocks __proto__, constructor, no global access
• Fast — Pratt parser engine, see benchmarks
• Portable — universal expression format, any compile target
• Metacircular — can parse and compile itself
• Extensible — pluggable syntax for building custom DSL

Usage

import subscript from 'subscript'

let fn = subscript('a + b * 2')
fn({ a: 1, b: 3 })  // 7

Presets

subscript

Common expressions:

a.b a[b] a(b) + - * / % < > <= >= == != ! && || ~ & | ^ << >> ++ -- = += -= *= /=

import subscript from 'subscript'

subscript('a.b + c * 2')({ a: { b: 1 }, c: 3 })  // 7

justin

JSON + expressions + templates + arrows:

'str' 0x 0b === !== ** ?? >>> ?. ? : => ... [] {} ` // /**/ true false null

import justin from 'subscript/justin.js'

justin('{ x: a?.b ?? 0, y: [1, ...rest] }')({ a: null, rest: [2, 3] })
// { x: 0, y: [1, 2, 3] }

jessie

JSON + expressions + statements, functions:

if else for while do let const var function class return throw try catch switch import export /regex/

import jessie from 'subscript/jessie.js'

let fn = jessie(`
  function factorial(n) {
    if (n <= 1) return 1
    return n * factorial(n - 1)
  }
  factorial(5)
`)
fn({})  // 120

Jessie can parse and compile its own source.

Parse / Compile

Subscript exposes parse to build AST and compile to create evaluators.

import { parse, compile } from 'subscript'

// parse expression
let tree = parse('a.b + c - 1')
tree // ['-', ['+', ['.', 'a', 'b'], 'c'], [,1]]

// compile tree to evaluable function
fn = compile(tree)
fn({ a: {b: 1}, c: 2 }) // 2

Extension

import { binary, operator, compile } from 'subscript/justin.js'

// add intersection operator
binary('∩', 80)  // register parser
operator('∩', (a, b) => (  // register compiler
  a = compile(a), b = compile(b),
  ctx => a(ctx).filter(x => b(ctx).includes(x))
))

import justin from 'subscript/justin.js'
justin('[1,2,3] ∩ [2,3,4]')({})  // [2, 3]

See docs.md for full API.

Syntax Tree

Expressions parse to a minimal JSON-compatible AST:

import { parse } from 'subscript'

parse('a + b * 2')
// ['+', 'a', ['*', 'b', [, 2]]]

AST has simplified lispy tree structure (inspired by frisk / nisp), opposed to ESTree:

• not limited to particular language (JS), can be compiled to different targets;
• reflects execution sequence, rather than code layout;
• has minimal overhead, directly maps to operators;
• simplifies manual evaluation and debugging;
• has conventional form and one-liner docs:

Three forms:

'x'             // identifier — resolve from context
[, value]       // literal — return as-is (empty slot = data)
[op, ...args]   // operation — apply operator

See spec.md.

Safety

Blocked by default:

• __proto__, __defineGetter__, __defineSetter__
• constructor, prototype
• Global access (only context is visible)

subscript('constructor.constructor("alert(1)")()')({})
// undefined (blocked)

Performance

Parse 30k:  subscript 150ms · justin 183ms · jsep 270ms · expr-eval 480ms · jexl 1056ms
Eval 30k:   new Function 7ms · subscript 15ms · jsep+eval 30ms · expr-eval 72ms

Utils

Codegen

Convert tree back to code:

import { codegen } from 'subscript/util/stringify.js'

codegen(['+', ['*', 'min', [,60]], [,'sec']])
// 'min * 60 + "sec"'

Bundle

Create custom dialect as single file:

import { bundle } from 'subscript/util/bundle.js'

const code = await bundle('subscript/jessie.js')
// → self-contained ES module

Used by

• jz — JS subset → WASM compiler

Refs

jsep, jexl, expr-eval, math.js.

ॐ