Synthesis lab - Natural-language programming

  • Logseq is an open platform. But even the best platform:
    • may still have its strong points beyond the capacity of non-power-users
      • think of emacs
    • needs a killer feature, something that can:
      • put that platform clearly ahead of its competition
        • even challenge players outside its main focus (here knowledge management)
      • be accessible and attract users to that platform by the thousands
        • schools etc.
  • Synthesis is (among other things):
    • a game-changer, that explodes the possibilities.
      • especially for simple users
        • “forget” datalog, clojurescript, javascript, VBA etc.
    • developed:
      • thanks to Logseq’s openess
      • fully inside Logseq
        • no IDE used
      • with vanilla javascript
        • no framework used
        • the whole code is inside Logseq pages
      • as a kit
        • no other dependencies
        • Runs on mobile too.
        • Can do everything that a kit can, like calling other languages.
  • After implementing Jupyter-level experience, the time has come to make it superior:
    • better structure
    • better scaling
    • far beyond Notion formulas
    • things like spreadsheets etc.
  • What follows is a teaser, but filled with already working examples.

Html elements of custom behavior (here one-line hello world):

Logseq API:


Arbitrary calculations from custom natural-language definitions, both functional and imperative (screenshot’s link):
image


Context-specific evaluation:
image


String manipulation:

  • simple:
    image
  • mixed:
    image
  • custom printing of nested structures (fully implemented in natural language):
    image

Multiple ways to generate tables (here with JSON):


Spreadsheet-like (but much better) live cells anywhere:


Every execution step is visible:


What else? Too much for one post. This is a subset of “fresh” ideas from some research technology in a very different (even visual) environment, stripped-down and adapted to Logseq. The pipeline has cool things, but not enough people and funding. However, such discussion belongs to a different thread.

Go to the dedicated subforum.