LOLCODE

Esoteric programming language.

Hello World

#!/usr/bin/env lci
HAI 1.2

BTW BEGIN_FRAGLET
VISIBLE "Hello World!"
BTW END_FRAGLET

KTHXBYE

Coding Guide

Language Version

LOLCODE (lci interpreter)

Execution Model

• Interpreted language written entirely in lolspeak
• Code executes sequentially from top to bottom
• Uses lolspeak keywords for all operations
• BTW (comments) are ignored

Key Characteristics

• LOLSPEAK SYNTAX: Everything is written in internet meme language
• Case-insensitive (but tradition uses ALL CAPS for keywords)
• Variables are dynamically typed
• BTW starts comments (By The Way)
• Indentation is preserved from the injection point

Fragment Authoring

Write valid LOLCODE statements. Your fragment becomes the script body. Code runs at the top level of the script.

Key LOLCODE Concepts

• HAI / KTHXBYE: Program start/end (already in template)
• VISIBLE: Print output (like print or console.log)
• I HAS A: Variable declaration (I HAS A VAR ITZ "value")
• R: Assignment operator (VAR R "new value")
• SUM OF / DIFF OF / PRODUKT OF / QUOSHUNT OF: Math operations
• BOTH SAEM / DIFFRINT: Comparison operators
• O RLY? / YA RLY / NO WAI: If/else statements
• IM IN YR LOOP / IM OUTTA YR LOOP: Loops

Common Patterns

• Print: VISIBLE "message"
• Variable: I HAS A VAR ITZ "value"
• Assignment: VAR R "new value"
• Math: SUM OF 5 AN 10 (returns 15)
• Comparison: BOTH SAEM VAR AN "test"
• If/else: O RLY? YA RLY ... NO WAI ... OIC

Examples

BTW Simple output
VISIBLE "Hello, World!"

BTW Variable assignment and output
I HAS A PHRASE ITZ "Hello, World!"
VISIBLE PHRASE

BTW Math operations (because why not?)
I HAS A NUM1 ITZ 5
I HAS A NUM2 ITZ 10
I HAS A TOTAL ITZ SUM OF NUM1 AN NUM2
VISIBLE TOTAL

BTW Conditional logic (O RLY? YA RLY!)
I HAS A MOOD ITZ "HAPPY"
O RLY?
  YA RLY
    VISIBLE "I'M HAPPY!"
  NO WAI
    VISIBLE "I'M SAD"
OIC

BTW Loop (IM IN YR LOOP)
I HAS A COUNTER ITZ 0
IM IN YR LOOP
  VISIBLE COUNTER
  COUNTER R SUM OF COUNTER AN 1
  BOTH SAEM COUNTER AN 5, O RLY?
    YA RLY, GTFO
  OIC
IM OUTTA YR LOOP

Caveats

• Fragments must be valid LOLCODE that executes without errors
• Variables are scoped to the script level
• Use VISIBLE for output (not print or console.log)
• Remember: This is a REAL programming language, not a joke (well, it is, but it works!)
• Make fragments idempotent—repeated runs should succeed without manual cleanup
• BTW - Comments are important for readability, even in LOLCODE!

Pro Tips

• O RLY? - When you need conditional logic, this is your friend
• IM IN YR LOOP - For iteration, obviously
• SUM OF X AN Y - Math is done with words, because why not?
• VISIBLE - The only way to output (invisible output would be useless)

KTHXBYE! (That means "thanks, bye!" in LOLCODE)

Fraglet Scripts

Stdin Upper

#!/usr/bin/env -S fragletc --vein=lolcode
I HAS A LINE
GIMMEH LINE
VISIBLE LINE

Test

#!/usr/bin/env -S fragletc --vein=lolcode
VISIBLE "Hello World!"

Container Info