Getting Started

Introduction

Quant is a statically-typed programming language with C-like syntax. It features a powerful type system, module imports, and modern programming constructs.

Your First Program

Let’s start with a simple “Hello, World!” program:

from std import print

fn main() -> int {
    print("Hello, World!\n");
    return 0;
}

Breaking It Down

• from std import print: Imports the print function from the standard library
• fn main() -> int: Declares the main function that returns an integer
• print("Hello, World!\n");: Prints a message
• return 0;: Returns 0 to indicate successful execution

Basic Program Structure

Every Quant program consists of:

1. Imports (optional): Import functions or modules you need
2. Function Definitions: Define functions with the fn keyword
3. Main Function: The entry point of your program (unless it’s a library)

import math

from std import print

fn main() -> int {
    // Your code here
    return 0;
}

Import Styles

Quant supports two import styles:

Module Import

import math

fn main() -> int {
    x: int = int(math.sqrt(16));
    return 0;
}

Selective Import

from std import print

fn main() -> int {
    print("Direct function call\n");
    return 0;
}

Comments

Quant supports two types of comments:

// Single-line comment

/*
   Multi-line comment
   can span multiple lines
*/

# Alternative single-line comment (Python-style)

Statements and Semicolons

All statements in Quant must end with a semicolon (;):

fn main() -> int {
    x: int = 10;        // Variable declaration
    print("%d\n", x);   // Function call
    return 0;           // Return statement
}

Next Steps

Now that you understand the basics, explore:

• Language Basics - Variables, types, and expressions
• Types Reference - Comprehensive type system documentation
• Control Flow - Conditionals and loops