squiggle/packages/website/docs/Features/Language.mdx

---
sidebar_position: 2
title: Language Basics
---

import { SquiggleEditor } from "../../src/components/SquiggleEditor";

The squiggle language has a very simple syntax. The best way to get to understand
it is by simply looking at examples.

## Expressions and statements

A squiggle **expression** is a value like a float or a distribution or a data structure like an array or a record.

<SquiggleEditor initialSquiggleString={`mixture(1 to 2, 3, [0.3, 0.7])`} />

The bottom line of your squiggle buffer should be an expression, which we evaluate (i.e., render). Sometimes we call the last expression of a squiggle file an _export_.

A squiggle **assignment** is a statement, when you want to bind an expression to a name.

<SquiggleEditor
  initialSquiggleString={`value_of_work = 10 to 70
value_of_work`}
/>

### Functions

Some assignments are functions

<SquiggleEditor
  initialSquiggleString={`ozzie_estimate(t) = lognormal(1, t ^ 1.01)
nuño_estimate(t) = mixture(0.5 to 2, normal(1, t ^ 1.25))
ozzie_estimate(5) * nuño_estimate(5.5)
`}
/>

## Data structures

A squiggle **array** is a list of expressions, which is interpretable as an export.

<SquiggleEditor
  initialSquiggleString={`[cauchy(1,1), 4, isNormalized(toPointSet(1 to 2))]`}
/>

A squiggle **record** is a key-value store with dot accessors.

<SquiggleEditor
  initialSquiggleString={`d1 = {dist: normal(0, 1), weight: 0.25}
d2 = {dist: 5 to 6, weight: 0.75}
mx(d1.dist, d2.dist, [d1.weight, d2.weight])`}
/>