Eolian File Format Specification

Language Quick Reference

This is the quick reference, for a full definition see Format in EBNF

  • General:
    • /* comment */ or // are comments like in C/C++, they are used to explain the statements surrounding them. It's ignored and will never go to the generated files.
    • [[ documentation ]] will be transformed into documentation for their associated object (variable, class, method, property, enum, type...). In C, that goes as a doxygen-style comment in the generated header file, so do not confuse it with a regular /* comment */. When a comment sits alone on its own line, it refers to the text on the next line. When it sits at the end of a line, it refers to the previous text in that same line.
    • Groups and blocks are defined within { and }
    • Some modifiers may be used, their meaning and scope are defined per context, such as @extern may be used with type, enum and struct to denote they are already declared elsewhere (like an included header).
    • Optional components are defined with [ and ].
    • Most things (all toplevel declarations, methods, events etc.) let you add @beta in their tags section to mark it as beta API.
  • Basic Definitions:
    • Constant: const [@extern] name : type = value ;
    • Enumeration: enum [@extern] name { field1, field2 [= value2] ... }
  • Structure Definitions:
    • Opaque: struct [@extern] name ;
    • Opaque with free function: struct @free( free_function ) name ;
    • With fields: struct name { field1 : type1 , field2 : type2 ... } ;
  • Type Definitions:
    • Simple: type [@extern] name : other ;
    • List: type name : list* ;
    • Array: type name : array* ;
  • Object Definitions:
    • Common Body for class, abstract, interface and mixin:
      • c_prefix : prefix ;
      • events { event_name_1 [@private | @protected | @beta | @hot] : type1 ; event_name_2 : type2 ; ... }
      • methods { list_of_methods_and_properties }
      • Methods: name [@protected | @const | @static | @pure_virtual] { method_body }
        • return: type [(expression)] [@no_unused];
        • params { [@in | @out | @inout] name1 : type1 [(expression)] [@optional] ; name2 : type2 , ... }
      • Properties: @property name [@protected | @static | @pure_virtual ] { property_body }
        • get [@pure_virtual] [{ return: type ; }]
        • set [@pure_virtual] [{ return: type ; }]
        • values { name1 : type1 [(expression)] [@optional] ; name2 : type2 , ... }
        • keys { name1 : type1 [(expression)] [@optional] ; name2 : type2 , ... }
    • Classes: class name extends Base_Class1 implements Some_Interface composites Another_Interface ) { class_body }
      • data: private_data_type
      • implements { class.constructor; class.destructor; [@auto | @empty] interface_name1 ; .local_name2 , ... }
      • constructors { method_name1 ; .local_method_name2 , ... }
    • Abstract classes: abstract name extends Base_Class1 { abstract_body }
      • data: private_data_type
      • implements { class.constructor; class.destructor; [@auto | @empty] interface_name1 ; .local_name2 , ... }
      • constructors { method_name1 ; .local_method_name2 , ... }
    • Mixins: mixin name requires Some_Class extends Base_Class1 , Base_Class2 { mixin_body }
      • data: private_data_type
      • implements { class.constructor; class.destructor; [@auto | @empty] interface_name1 ; .local_name2 , ... }
    • Interfaces: interface name extends Base_Class1 , Base_Class2 { interface_body }
      • implements { class.constructor; class.destructor; }

Eolian File Format Example

Warning: This is out of date and does not reflect current Eolian syntax.

Before jumping to read the commented example file you may refer to the Language Quick Reference or check the full Eolian file format.

  /* COMMENTS ARE IMPORTANT, READ THEM. */
 
  import efl_types; /* Import efl_types.eot or efl_types.eo depends on which one exists. */
 
  type Something: int; // Simple type definition
  // complex types and free funcs
  // own() on typedefs means that the "base" type of the alias
  // is owned but not its inner types.
  // free provides the function to be called in order to free the type.
  // It's useful for humans but essential for automatic binding generations.
  type @free(eina_list_free) List_Objects: list<Some.Class>*;
  type @free(my_hash_free) My_Hash: hash<key_type, val_type>*;
 
  // const syntax: const pointer to const char, think of it like of
  // a "modifier function"
  type Foo: const(const(char)*);
 
  // immediate free for pointers
  type Bar: free(char *, my_str_free);
 
  // external structs - defined in the system and not to be generated in C
  struct @extern foo {
      x: int;
      y: float;
  }
 
  /* external type definitions - Evas.Coord is defined in eina, so no need to
   * generate in C, but generators need to know about it */
  type @extern Evas.Coord: int;
 
  class Elm.Button (Elm.Layout, Evas.Interface.Clickable) {
      legacy_prefix: elm_button; // To override the default legacy prefix
      eo_prefix: elm_obj_button; // To override the default Eo prefix
      /* To indicate the type for this class. If "null", the data is considered
       * as not present in the class.
       */
      data: Elm_Button_Data;
      methods {
          /* @part means that this method/property supports eo_part */
          @property some_text @part {
              /* When either of set/get is missing, that one is not generated.
               * When both are missing, both are generated. This is a short-cut
               * for prototyping quickly without the docs and extra declarations.
               */
 
              [[Doc for the property in general. Both set and get.]]
              set {
                  [[Docs - extra for set (optional)]]
              }
              get @pure_virtual { // Only the getter is virtual pure (no implementation)
                  [[Docs -extra for get (optional)]]
                  values { // you can optionally specify keys and values in get/set too
                      text: const(char)*;
                  }
              }
              /* Extra params passed to the setter and getter. Modifiers @in/@out/@inout
               * are *not* supported.
               */
              keys {
                  blah: const(char)*; [[Extra params for both]]
              }
              /* Which values make the property. Modifiers @in/@out/@inout are *not*
               * supported.
               */
              values {
                  text: char*; [[docs]]
              }
          }
          /* This function is a function that should be called when
           * constructing an object, so bindings should put it in the
           * generated constructor - it's marked as constructing below
             in a separate section (constructors) */
          some_constructing_function {
              params {
                  something_important: int;
              }
          }
          foo @class @pure_virtual { /* class method, virtual pure meaning it has no implementation */
              .....
          }
          /* Needed if this is a "const" method, that is, a getter and
           * obj should be const.
           */
          corner_coords_get @const {
              [[Docs.]]
              params {
                  corner: int; [[@in implied.]]
                  @in corner2: int;
                  @in base: char* @nullable; [[NULL is a valid value meaning "default".]]
                  @inout number_of_tries: int; [[Same property in both,
                                                  implies in/out, only one
                                                  documentation needed. Rarely
                                                  used anyway.]]
                  @out cx: Evas.Coord;
                  @out cy: Evas.Coord @optional; [[you can pass NULL if you would like to ignore this value]]
              }
              /* Lack of return implies return void.
               * The (false) implies EINA_FALSE is the default return value in case an error
               * occurs e.g eo_do failing...
               */
              return: bool (false) @warn_unused;
              /* override the legacy function name. If "null", no
               * legacy is created for this function.
               */
              legacy: elm_button_specific_corner_coords_get;
          }
          objects_list_get @protected {
              return: own(list<own(Some.Class)>*);
              /* own indicates that the ownership of the list is given to the
               * caller. We will have the same for @in params to give the
               * ownership to the callee. It means that the owner of the data
               * is responsible for freeing it when no more used.
               * In this example, we indicate that the returned data is a list
               * of Eo objects. Standard types have to be defined and
               * documented inside Eolian documentation, as it is the common
               * library used by all the generators.
               */
          }
      }
      /* Illegal for interface (except ctor/dtor), valid for the rest. */
      implements {
          class.constructor; /* Class constructor. */
          Eo.Base.constructor; /* Default constructor. */
 
          Elm.Widget.activate;
          Evas.Smart.add;
 
          .corner_coords_get; /* Name starting with . implies local class. */
 
          @empty Bla.foo.get; /* Provides an empty implementation.
                               * Either to block calls to the super functions,
                               * or to have a base implementation people can "super" to.
                               */
          @auto Bla.foobar.get; /* Only works on properties (set and get),
                                 * will automatically implement the foo_get function as:
                                 * "return pd->foo;".
                                 */
          /* If there's no modifier (@empty or @auto), it assumed that methods/properties
           * declared in this eo file are implemented, e.g some_part_text_set.
           */
      }
      /* marking as constructing */
      constructors {
          .some_constructing_function;
      }
      events {
          some_private_event @private: int;
          some_new_event: event_info_type;
          /* clicked and many others are there because of inheritance,
           * no need to list them. But there is a need to define the value
           * of the parameter passed when you get that event. Currently
           * lacking here!
           */
          some_unfreezable_event @hot;
      }
  }
 
  /* Little example on how the namespaces work */
  class Evas.Text (Efl.Interface.Text) {
      methods {
          foo {
              params {
                  x: Elm.Button*; /* translates to: Eo *x */
              }
          }
      }
      implements {
          Efl.Interface.Text.ellipsis.set;
      }
  }
 
  /* Struct definition */
  struct Some_Plain_Struct {
      some_field: int; [[Docs; parsing goes as <name>: <type>]]
      complex_field: list<int>*;
  }
 
  /* Opaque structures */
  struct Opaque;
 
  /* Constants - type is guessed from the value - no support for explicit */
  const some_constant: int = 5;
  const approximate_pi: float = 3.14;
 
  /* Globals */
  var some_global_var: int;
  var some_global_const_var: const(int);
 
  /* Global with default value */
  var other_global: int = 10;
 
  /* Enumerations - only named and global or in typedef */
  enum Foo {
      first_item, [[docs; also, for C usage, field names get uppercased and
                      prefixed with FOO in this case]]
      second_item
  }
 
  /* Enums allow basic expressions in them; they're purely numerical,
   * evaluated at generation time, and can contain constants (but not variables)
   */
  enum Bar {
      [[enum docs]]
      legacy: baz; /* allows to override the prefix field names use for legacy
                    * C usage - default is guessed by uppercasing enum name
                    */
      first_item  = 1 << 4, [[doc comment]]
      second_item = some_constant * 10,
      tau         = approximate_pi * 2 /* error: integer base only */
  }

Type Context Matrix

Value Named struct Enum Void
typedef YES NO NO NO
return YES NO NO NO
getter return YES NO NO YES
in param YES NO NO NO
out/inout param YES NO NO NO
event YES NO NO YES
struct field YES NO NO NO
function param YES NO NO NO
subtype YES NO NO NO
const modifier YES NO NO NO
own modifier NO NO NO NO
free modifier NO NO NO NO

Builtin Types

Type C type Comment
byte signed char Numerical byte
ubyte unsigned char Numerical unsigned byte
char char A character - signed or unsigned
short signed short
ushort unsigned short
int signed int
uint unsigned int
long signed long
ulong unsigned long
llong signed long long
ullong unsigned long long
int8 int8_t stdint.h
uint8 uint8_t stdint.h
int16 int16_t stdint.h
uint16 uint16_t stdint.h
int32 int32_t stdint.h
uint32 uint32_t stdint.h
int64 int64_t stdint.h
uint64 uint64_t stdint.h
int128 int128_t stdint.h
uint128 uint128_t stdint.h
size size_t
ssize ssize_t
intptr intptr_t stdint.h
uintptr uintptr_t stdint.h
ptrdiff ptrdiff_t
time time_t time.h
float float
double double
bool Eina_Bool Eina type, builtin values true and false mapping to EINA_TRUE and EINA_FALSE
void void Not applicable in some contexts
string const char *
stringshare Eina_Stringshare *
any_value Eina_Value *

Eolian File Format

The description here uses the extended BNF notation to describe the Eolian syntax.

Before jumping on the actual Eolian EBNF, a reminder on the EBNF syntax itself:

  • Comments: (* text *)
  • Definition: token ::= sequence
  • Sequence may be another token or a literal within quotes ('text'), order matters.
  • Choices are separated with a stroke (pipe char): choice1 | choice2
  • Options are enclosed within braces: [ optional_token ]
  • Repetitions (zero or more times) are enclosed within curly braces: { repeated_token }

Thus in the following EBNF you'll see:

EBNF Meaning
type_complex ::= 'accessor'
| 'array'
| 'iterator'
| 'hash'
| 'list'
When type_complex token is used, one of accessor, array, iterator, hash or list strings must be present
value ::= a-zA-Z0-9_* The token value must be composed of lower or upper case letters (a to z and A-Z), as well as numbers (0 to 9) or the underscore bar (_), repeated 0 or more times (*)
name_ns ::= value { '.' value } When name_ns token is used it may be a token value with a repetition of the string . followed by other token value, such as My.Token.With.Repetition
  (* Base definitions *)
 
  chunk   ::= [ '#version' integer ] { unit }
  integer ::= 0-9*
  value   ::= a-zA-Z0-9_*
  name_ns ::= value { '.' value }
  name    ::= value
  comment ::= '[[' any character ']]'
 
  c_name_qual ::= '@c_name' '(' name ')'
 
  (*
   * An unit is a basic unit of parsing in Eolian, aka all toplevel elements
   * (that includes different types of classes, named structs and typedefs)
   *)
 
  unit ::= 'abstract'  class_hdr '{' [ comment ] { class_body       } '}'
         | 'class'     class_hdr '{' [ comment ] { class_body       } '}'
         | 'mixin'     mixin_hdr '{' [ comment ] { class_body_mixin } '}'
         | 'interface' iface_hdr '{' [ comment ] { class_body_iface } '}'
         | ('import' | 'parse') name ';'
         | 'type' { type_struct_attrs } name_ns ':' (type | struct | enum) ';'
             [ comment ]
         | 'function' { '@extern' | '@beta' | c_name_qual } name_ns '{'
             [ comment ] { method_body } '}'
         | 'const' { '@extern' | '@beta' | c_name_qual } name_ns ':'
             type '=' expr ';' [ comment ]
         | 'error' { '@extern' | '@beta' | c_name_qual } name_ns '='
            string ';' [ comment ]
         | struct
         | enum
 
  (*
   * Types - they don't mention builtins or where void is allowed (not grammar)
   *)
 
  type_complex_owning ::= 'array' | 'list' | 'future'
  type_complex_view   ::= 'accesssor' | 'iterator' | 'slice' | 'rw_slice'
 
  (* standard type definition - without named structs *)
  type ::= 'const' '(' type     ')'
         | error '(' name_ns { ',' name_ns } ')'
         | type_complex_owning '<' type [ '@move' ] '>'
         | type_complex_view '<' type '>'
         | name_ns
 
  (* attributes for structs and typedefs *)
  type_struct_attrs ::= '@extern' | '@beta' | c_name_qual | '@free' '(' name ')'
 
  (* named struct definition *)
  struct ::= 'struct' { type_struct_attrs } name_ns (';' | '{' [ comment ]
             { struct_field } '}')
 
  (* struct field definition *)
  struct_field ::= name ':' type { '@by_ref' | '@move' } ';' [ comment ]
 
  (* enum definition *)
  enum ::= 'enum' { '@extern' | '@beta' | c_name_qual } name_ns '{'
           [ comment ] enum_field { ',' [ comment ] enum_field } [ comment ] '}'
 
  (* enum field definition *)
  enum_field ::= name [ '=' expr ]
 
  (*
   * Expressions - we don't handle operator precedences here
   *)
 
  expr ::= 'true' | 'false' | 'null' | number | string | character
         | expr binop expr | unop expr | name_ns
 
  number ::= a number literal, described elsewhere
 
  string ::= a string literal, described elsewhere
 
  character ::= a character literal, described elsewhere
 
  binop ::= binary operator, described elsewhere
 
  unop ::= unary operator, described elsewhere
 
  (*
   * Classes - everything related to class grammar
   *)
 
  (* class header - name + optional inherits *)
 
  class_hdr ::= { '@beta' | c_name_qual }
                name_ns [ 'extends' name_ns ]
                [ 'implements' name_ns { ',' name_ns } ]
                [ 'composites' name_ns { ',' name_ns } ]
 
  mixin_hdr ::= { '@beta' | c_name_qual }
                name_ns [ 'requires' name_ns { ',' name_ns } ]
                [ 'extends' name_ns { ',' name_ns } ]
                [ 'composites' name_ns { ',' name_ns } ]
 
  iface_hdr ::= { '@beta' | c_name_qual }
                name_ns [ 'extends' name_ns { ',' name_ns } ]
 
  (* common members shared by different class types *)
  class_body_common ::= 'event_c_prefix' ':' value ';'
                      | 'c_prefix'       ':' value ';'
                      | 'methods'       '{' { method | property } '}'
                      | 'events'        '{' { event             } '}'
                      | 'parts'         '{' { part              } '}'
 
  (* data member - not used for interfaces, used elsewhere *)
  class_body_data ::= 'data' ':' value ';'
 
  (* implements - the full form is allowed in everything but interfaces *)
  class_body_impls ::= 'implements' '{' { impl } '}'
 
  (* constructors - for class/abstract *)
  class_body_ctors ::= 'constructors' '{' { [ '.' ] name_ns [ '@optional' ] ';' } '}'
 
  (* members of regular classes, aka not interfaces or mixins *)
  class_body ::= class_body_common
               | class_body_data
               | class_body_impls
               | class_body_ctors
 
  (* members of interfaces - includes custom impl restrictions *)
  class_body_iface ::= class_body_common
                     | 'implements' '{' { impl_common } '}'
 
  (* members of mixins - like normal but doesn't allow ctors *)
  class_body_mixin ::= class_body_common
                     | class_body_data
                     | class_body_impls
 
  (* implements that are allowed everywhere *)
  impl_common ::= 'class' '.' ('constructor' | 'destructor') ';'
 
  (* implements specific for classes and mixins *)
 
  impl_quals ::= '@auto' | '@empty'
  impl_prop  ::= [ impl_quals ] [ comment ] ';'
 
  impl ::= impl_common | [ impl_quals ] [ '.' ] name_ns
           ( '{' [ 'get' impl_prop ] [ 'set' impl_prop ] '}' | ';' [ comment ] )
 
  (* how an event is defined *)
  event ::= name { ',' name } {
            '@private' | '@protected' | '@beta' | '@hot' | '@restart' }
            [ ':' type ] ';'
 
  (* how a part is defined *)
  part ::= name [ '@beta' ] ':' name_ns ';' [ comment ]
 
  (*
   * Everything related to constructors, methods and properties
   *)
 
  (* method, like constructor but more modifiers *)
  method ::= name { '@protected' | '@const' | '@static' | '@beta' | '@pure_virtual' }
                 '{' [ comment ] { method_body } '}'
 
  (* inside of a method *)
  method_body ::= return | 'params' '{' { param } '}'
 
  (* property, has accessors *)
  property ::= '@property' name { '@protected' | '@static' | '@pure_virtual' | '@beta' } '{' { property_body } '}'
 
  (* property body - get/set accessors, keys, values *)
  property_body ::= 'get' { '@pure_virtual' | '@protected' } '{' [ comment ] { return | 'keys' '{' { param_nodir } '}' | 'values' '{' { param_nodir } '}' } '}'
                  | 'set' { '@pure_virtual' | '@protected' } '{' [ comment ] { return | 'keys' '{' { param_nodir } '}' | 'values' '{' { param_nodir } '}' } '}'
                  | 'keys'   '{' { param_nodir } '}'
                  | 'values' '{' { param_nodir } '}'
 
  (* parameter without direction - implied @in *)
  param_nodir ::= name ':' type [ '(' expr ')' ] [ {  '@by_ref' | '@move' | '@optional' } ]
                  ';' [ comment ]
 
  (* parameter with direction - @in/@out/@inout *)
  param ::= [ '@in' | '@out' | '@inout' ] param_nodir
 
  return_suffix ::=  [ '(' expr ')' ] { '@no_unused' | '@move' | '@by_ref' } ';' [ comment ]
 
  (* return statement - used in methods and accessors - can have a default val *)
  return ::= 'return' ':' type return_suffix

Eo Expressions

Eo files support expressions within certain contexts. These expressions can then be evaluated using the Eolian API. There are several types of expressions:

Simple Expressions

These include "true", "false" and "null", besides the ones below. The former two are used in boolean contexts while the latter is used for pointers of any kind.

Numerical Expressions

Eolian numbers follow C syntax. They, however, don't support octal. They support type suffixes (case insensitive): U (unsigned int), L (long), UL (unsigned long), LL (long long), ULL (unsigned long long), F (float). Without suffix, the literal is either a signed integer or double depending on whether it contains a floating point.

Examples include:

5, 3.14, 2.0f, 50ULL, 0xFF, 0xF3UL.

Strings

Strings are enclosed within double quotes. They can contain any character except a newline (except when escaped). They support several escape sequences: "\a", "\b", "\f", "\n", "\r", "\t", "\v" (same as in C), plus "\"" and "\'" to escape quotes (single quotes can remain unescaped, but the lexer will accept escaped too) and arbitrary integer and hex escape sequences "\ddd" and "\xXX". A backslash character at the end of the line allows the string to span multiple lines (the newline will be included).

Example:

"hello world: \xAB \160 \83 \n \
foo"

Characters

A single character. Maps to builtin type char. Enclosed within single quotes. Can be either an arbitrary byte (represented within the Eo file, typically as UTF-8) or an escape sequence identical to the ones of strings. Cannot represent Unicode characters - it's just 1 byte. For example: ' a', ' \t'

Unary Expressions

There are 4 unary operators in Eolian, all with equal precedence level (see table below).

The unary + operator is a no-op, but it enforces typechecking - it must be used in a context that accepts a signed int and its operand must qualify as a signed int. The unary - operator acts as a standard unary minus and it typechecks identically to unary plus.

The ! operator is a logical "not" and its operand must qualify either as an arbitrary number or a boolean. Its result is always a boolean.

The ~ operator is a bitwise "not". Its operand must qualify as an integer and its result is again an integer (of the same type).

Binary Operators

The binary operators include standard arithmetic (+, -, *, /, %) - these act on numbers and yield a number of type identical to one of operands (subject to promotion, see below).

Other operators include comparison operators ==, !=, >, , >=, . On the former two, operands can be of any type. On the others, operands must be numbers. The "and" and "or" operators (with syntax && and || take any types as operands. Comparison operators and and/or yield booleans. Keep in mind that if one of the operands for any of these expressions is non-numerical, the other operand must be of the same type.

Finally, there are bitwise binary operators &, |, ^, and >> for bitwise AND, OR, XOR, left and right shift respectively. The operands must qualify as integers and it yields again an integer with the same type as one of operands (again, subject to promotion).

Promotion rules for numbers go as follows:

1) If either of operands is a floating point number, the other operand is promoted to a floating point number of the same type. If both are floating point, the smaller type gets promoted to the larger one. 2) If either operand is unsigned with rank higher or equal to the other operand, the other operand is converted to an unsigned integer of the same type. 3) If either operand is signed with rank higher than the other operand (which can be signed or unsigned), the other operand is converted to a signed integer of the same type.

A few examples: float + int == float, unsigned long + long == unsigned long, long + unsigned int == long.

Operator Precedence

What follows is a precedence table of operators in Eolian, from higher to lower precedence.

Precedence
unary operators (+, -, ~, !)
*, /, %
+, -
<<, >>
&
^
|
==, !=, >, <, >=, <=
&&
||

Eo File Style Guide

  • Variable names: foo_bar
  • Class names: Foo.Bar
  • Type names: Foo.Bar
  • Enum names: Foo.Bar
  • Indentation: 3 spaces per level
  • Brace placement: Opening brace on the same line with previous code, closing brace aligned with first non-whitespace character of the line with the opening brace
  • Please try to keep line length below 120 columns.
  • Put a space before every opening brace as well as before inherits list.

You can find handy syntax highlighting config files for different editors here.

Common Eolian Mistakes

  1. legacy_prefix: null; - deprecated, do not use.
  2. The default naming is the class/struct/enum name all in lower case with periods replaced with _ (e.g. Elm.Widget.Item -> elm_widget_item). No need to set it to that value.
  3. Document the properties themselves, not the set/get sections separately. For example look at Efl.Image.smooth_scale for an example:

    @property smooth_scale {
        [[Whether to use high-quality image scaling algorithm for this image.
    
        When enabled, a higher quality image scaling algorithm is used
        when scaling images to sizes other than the source image's
        original one. This gives better results but is more
        computationally expensive.
    
        $true by default
        ]]
        set {}
        get {}
        values {
            smooth_scale: bool; [[Whether to use smooth scale or not.]]
        }
    }
    

Beta-only features and transitioning old Eo files

Pointers

Old Eolian had a pointer syntax ptr(T). Example:

param: ptr(Some.Struct);

This syntax is currently working in beta-tagged APIs for transition purposes, but should not be used in stable API. What you should use instead is the new @by_ref tag. It applies in multiple contexts:

return: T @by_ref;
@in param: T @by_ref;
struct_field: T @by_ref;

Enum legacy field

Old Eolian used to allow the legacy keyword to be used in enums to set the C prefix. This was a misnomer.

enum Foo {
    legacy: BAR;
    ...
}

There is no replacement for this feature.

Owning

The old @owned tag is now called @move.

Freeing functions

Old Eolian used to allow free(T, func) to specify freeing functions on arbitrary types. It also had default fallbacks for freeing certain builtins. This is not allowed by modern Eolian. No builtins are offered (the generator is supposed to know them) and specifying custom freeing functions is only allowed on structs (with the same old @free(func) syntax).

Disallowed types

There are some types allowed in beta but not allowed in stable. These include __undefined_type, hash, void_ptr.

Inheritance syntax

Old Eolian specified inheritance all in a single section like this:

class Foo(Bar, Baz, ...)

New Eolian has sections:

class Foo extends Bar implements Baz, ... composites ...
interface Foo extends Bar, Baz, ... composites ...
mixin Foo requires Bar extends Baz, ... composites ...

Composites section

This is now specified in the inheritance part instead of a section in the class body. Putting an interface in the composites section also automatically puts it in implements/extends if it isn't already found in the inheritance tree.

Misc renames

The any_value_ptr builtin is now called any_value_ref.

Other notes

Generally, the Eolian parser will guide you through transitioning. You can more or less assume that if the parser does not error, your Eo file should be all right; otherwise, error messages should tell you what's wrong.