Classes

object defines a class — fields, an init, and methods, all with the vocabulary NEKOVA uses instead of Python's.

Defining a class

object Person:
    name: text
    age: number

    init(name, age):
        self.name = name
        self.age = age

    func greet():
        return f"Hi, I am {self.name}"

let p = new Person("Ada", 30)
show p.greet()
show p.name
show p.age

NEKOVA uses object where many languages use class, and new to instantiate.

Fields

Field declarations (name: text, age: number) are documentation of shape — the actual values are set in init via self.name = name.

Docstrings

Classes, init, and methods can all carry a leading string as documentation:

object Person:
    """Represents a person."""

    init(name):
        """Creates a new person."""
        self.name = name

    func greet():
        """Returns a greeting."""
        return f"Hi, I am {self.name}"

show doc(Person)             # "Represents a person."
show doc(Person, "init")     # "Creates a new person."
show doc(Person, "greet")    # "Returns a greeting."

Methods calling other methods

object Circle:
    init(radius):
        self.radius = radius

    func area():
        return 3.14159 * self.radius * self.radius

    func describe():
        return f"A circle with area {self.area()}"

let c = new Circle(5)
show c.describe()