Slots

Monte’s values are stored in slots, which are also values. This nested structure permits some flexibility.

The slot of a value is accessed using the & unary operator:

def slot := &value

Final Slots

Final slots are created by final definitions:

def finalValue := 42
def finalSlot := &finalValue

Lazy Slots

Lazy slots are a convenient and elegant tool in the safe scope for creating simple lazy values. A lazy slot is constructed with a thunk which will be transparently evaluated once (and only once) to compute the slot’s value.

def fib(i :Int) :Int:
    return if (i > 1) {fib(i - 1) + fib(i - 2)} else {i}
def &lazySlot := makeLazySlot(fn {fib(30)}) # or fib(40) for more drama
traceln(`$lazySlot`) # this will take a few moments
traceln(`$lazySlot`) # but this will be instantaneous

Note

Lazy slots can be constructed with a var slot, and it can be an enlightening exercise. makeLazySlot is provided as a courtesy since it acts like a final slot for auditions with DeepFrozen.

Var Slots

Var slots are created by var definitions:

var varValue := 7
def varSlot := &varValue

A var slot’s value can be assigned to, and the slot’s identity will not change:

varValue := 5
varSlot == &varValue # Still true after assignment