Editing Programming Language (section)

=Binary Representation of Source Code=
* Represents the '''source code'''. Is not any kind of executable code (ASM/bytecode). Not an IR.
* Take any valid text source code, turn it into the binary representation and back again and end up with the same byte for byte file.
* Not storing individual token (ie no LEFT_BRACE). But do need to keep things like whitespace and comments.
* Edit source code not text.
* But still allows for people to use standard text editors.
* Also allows for non-text sourcecode specific editors.
** Quick and efficient editing of the binary format (ie quickgo/quickrust concept programs).
** Graphically represent source code (not the same as a graphical programming language, ie blocky, just an eaiser way to see read code).
** Having things like frames around things like data structures and function definitions.
** Could have UML like representations (Not advocating for UML specifically, but it's a possibility).
** Easy/quick navigation of source code. Things like goto definition would be much easier to represent.
* Makes tooling much easier. Can allow for libraries for manipulation of the code that tooling can use.
* Down side, any time you have an invalid syntax everything breaks. But that happens anyway with normal code...
* Could use a virtual filesystem to automatically convert stored binary to text or visa versa.
* Any text you edit could basically have any syntax you like, although obviously a standardised version would be best.
* Could allow for syntax changes.
* Could allow for special keywords for editing with a basic text editor (ie 'def myfunctionname' could be hooked to actually insert a function definition nearby on file save and the 'def' keyword removed).
* Would be easier with a well defined syntax for the source code (ie define tabs vs spaces, number of newlines between functions).
* But might be better to just store tabs/spaces and newlines in the binary format.