implemented 'R ptr T' syntax

compiler/parser.nim

@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ proc getPrecedence(tok: TToken, strongSpaces: bool): int =
   of tkIn, tkNotin, tkIs, tkIsnot, tkNot, tkOf, tkAs: result = 5
   of tkDotDot: result = considerStrongSpaces(6)
   of tkAnd: result = 4
-  of tkOr, tkXor: result = 3
+  of tkOr, tkXor, tkPtr, tkRef: result = 3
   else: result = -10
 
 proc isOperator(tok: TToken): bool =

compiler/semtypes.nim

@@ -125,11 +125,12 @@ proc semAnyRef(c: PContext; n: PNode; kind: TTypeKind; prev: PType): PType =
   if n.len < 1:
     result = newConstraint(c, kind)
   else:
+    let isCall = ord(n.kind in nkCallKinds)
     let n = if n[0].kind == nkBracket: n[0] else: n
     checkMinSonsLen(n, 1)
     result = newOrPrevType(kind, prev, c)
     # check every except the last is an object:
-    for i in 0 .. n.len-2:
+    for i in isCall .. n.len-2:
       let region = semTypeNode(c, n[i], nil)
       if region.skipTypes({tyGenericInst}).kind notin {tyError, tyObject}:
         message n[i].info, errGenerated, "region needs to be an object type"
@@ -1107,6 +1108,10 @@ proc semTypeNode(c: PContext, n: PNode, prev: PType): PType =
           result = makeNotType(c, negated)
         else:
           localError(n.info, errGenerated, "invalid type")
+      elif op.id == ord(wPtr):
+        result = semAnyRef(c, n, tyPtr, prev)
+      elif op.id == ord(wRef):
+        result = semAnyRef(c, n, tyRef, prev)
       else:
         result = semTypeExpr(c, n)
     else:

doc/manual.txt

@@ -1380,13 +1380,16 @@ development of OS kernels:
     Kernel = object
     Userspace = object
 
-  var a: ptr[Kernel, Stat]
-  var b: ptr[Userspace, Stat]
+  var a: Kernel ptr Stat
+  var b: Userspace ptr Stat
 
   # the following does not compile as the pointer types are incompatible:
   a = b
 
-In order to make generic code easier tor write ``ptr T`` is a subtype
+As the example shows ``ptr`` can also be used as a binary
+operator, ``region ptr T`` is a shortcut for ``ptr[region, T]``.
+
+In order to make generic code easier to write ``ptr T`` is a subtype
 of ``ptr[R, T]`` for any ``R``.
 
 Furthermore the subtype relation of the region object types is lifted to
@@ -1417,11 +1420,9 @@ not compatible to ``pointer`` to prevent the following from compiling:
 Future directions:
 
 * Memory regions might become available for  ``string`` and ``seq`` too.
-* Bultin regions like ``private``, ``global`` and ``local`` will
+* Builtin regions like ``private``, ``global`` and ``local`` will
   prove very useful for the upcoming OpenCL target.
-* Bultin "regions" can model ``lent`` and ``unique`` pointers.
-* Syntactially ``ptr`` might become an infix operator so that ``region ptr T``
-  is transformed into ``ptr[region, T]``.
+* Builtin "regions" can model ``lent`` and ``unique`` pointers.
 
 
 

tests/typerel/tregionptrs.nim

@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ discard """
 
 type
   RegionA = object
-  APtr = ptr[RegionA, int]
+  APtr = RegionA ptr int
   RegionB = object
-  BPtr = ptr[RegionB, int]
+  BPtr = RegionB ptr int
   
 var x,xx: APtr
 var y: BPtr