stationeers_lang/docs/getting-started.md

Getting Started

• Getting Started
  • Program Structure
  • The yield() Function
  • Your First Program
    • Explanation
  • Comments
  • See Also

This guide covers the basics of writing your first Slang program.

Program Structure

A Slang program consists of top-level declarations and a main loop:

// Device declarations
device self = "db";
device sensor = "d0";

// Constants
const THRESHOLD = 100;

// Variables
let counter = 0;

// Main program loop
loop {
    yield();
    // Your logic here
}

The yield() Function

IC10 programs run continuously. The yield() function pauses execution for one game tick, preventing the script from consuming excessive resources.

Important: You should always include yield() in your main loop unless you know what you're doing.

loop {
    yield(); // Recommended!
    // ...
}

Your First Program

Here's a simple program that turns on a light when a gas sensor detects low pressure:

device gasSensor = "d0";
device light = "d1";

const LOW_PRESSURE = 50;

loop {
    yield();
    light.On = gasSensor.Pressure < LOW_PRESSURE;
}

Explanation

1. device gasSensor = "d0" — Binds the device at port d0 to the name gasSensor
2. device light = "d1" — Binds the device at port d1 to the name light
3. const LOW_PRESSURE = 50 — Defines a compile-time constant
4. loop { ... } — Creates an infinite loop
5. yield() — Pauses for one tick
6. light.On = gasSensor.Pressure < LOW_PRESSURE — Reads the pressure and sets the light state

Comments

Slang supports single-line comments and documentation comments:

// This is a regular comment

/// This is a documentation comment
/// It can span multiple lines
fn myFunction() {
    // ...
}

See Also

• Language Reference — Complete syntax guide
• Built-in Functions — Available system calls
• Examples — Real-world programs and patterns