You can compile OCaml code to Javascript using the
rescript compiler version 8.4.2.
It implements an OCaml 4.06.1 syntax.
It's planned that rescript removes the ocaml syntax in future versions,
but don't worry you will always be able to use rescript 8.4.2,
it will not disappear and this version is already mature enough to do
everything you want with it.
Also maybe a fork will emerge when the ocaml syntax will be removed.
Let's start with a very simple example that just draws a rectangle in a canvas:
open Canvas let () = let canvas = getElementById document "my_canvas" in let ctx = getContext canvas "2d" in fillStyle ctx "#DDD"; fillRect ctx 180 100 240 200; ;;
'draw.ml'
just draws a rectangle with ocaml.
type document // abstract type for a document object type context @val external document: document = "document" @val external window: Dom.element = "window" @send external getElementById: (document, string) => Dom.element = "getElementById" @send external getContext: (Dom.element, string) => context = "getContext" @send external fillRect: (context, int, int, int, int) => unit = "fillRect" @set external fillStyle: (context, string) => unit = "fillStyle"
'canvas.res'
contains bindings to the javascript functions that we need.
Here are the commands to compile these 2 files:
bsc canvas.res bsc -I . draw.ml > draw.js
The Javascript output is very readable, which is great for debugging:
// Generated by ReScript, PLEASE EDIT WITH CARE 'use strict'; var canvas = document.getElementById("my_canvas"); var ctx = canvas.getContext("2d"); ctx.fillStyle = "#DDD"; ctx.fillRect(180, 100, 240, 200); /* canvas Not a pure module */
You can include this javascript file in an HTML file containing a canvas tag:
<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <style rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> body { background-color:#999; } canvas { background-color:#BBB; border:1px solid #666; margin:80px; } </style> </head> <body> <canvas id="my_canvas" width="600" height="400"> </canvas> <script>var exports = {};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="./draw.js"></script> </body> </html>
Now let's make a simple snake game:
let width, height = (640, 480) type pos = int * int type game_state = { pos_snake: pos; seg_snake: pos list; dir_snake: [`left | `right | `up | `down]; pos_fruit: pos; game_over: bool; } let canvas = Canvas.getElementById Canvas.document "my_canvas" let ctx = Canvas.getContext canvas "2d" let red = "#F00" let green = "#0F0" let blue = "#00F" let black = "#000" let fill_rect color (x, y) = Canvas.fillStyle ctx color; Canvas.fillRect ctx x y 20 20; ;; let display_game state = let bg_color, snake_color, fruit_color = if state.game_over then (red, black, green) else (black, blue, red) in (* background *) Canvas.fillStyle ctx bg_color; Canvas.fillRect ctx 0 0 width height; fill_rect fruit_color state.pos_fruit; List.iter (fill_rect snake_color) state.seg_snake; ;; let rec pop = function | [_] -> [] | hd :: tl -> hd :: (pop tl) | [] -> invalid_arg "pop" let rec new_pos_fruit seg_snake = let new_pos = (20 * Random.int 32, 20 * Random.int 24) in if List.mem new_pos seg_snake then new_pos_fruit seg_snake else (new_pos) let update_state req_dir ( { pos_snake; seg_snake; pos_fruit; dir_snake; game_over; } as state) = if game_over then state else let dir_snake = match dir_snake, req_dir with | `left, `right -> dir_snake | `right, `left -> dir_snake | `up, `down -> dir_snake | `down, `up -> dir_snake | _ -> req_dir in let pos_snake = let x, y = pos_snake in match dir_snake with | `left -> (x - 20, y) | `right -> (x + 20, y) | `up -> (x, y - 20) | `down -> (x, y + 20) in let game_over = let x, y = pos_snake in List.mem pos_snake seg_snake || x < 0 || y < 0 || x >= width || y >= height in let seg_snake = pos_snake :: seg_snake in let seg_snake, pos_fruit = if pos_snake = pos_fruit then (seg_snake, new_pos_fruit seg_snake) else (pop seg_snake, pos_fruit) in { pos_snake; seg_snake; pos_fruit; dir_snake; game_over; } let () = Random.self_init (); let initial_state = { pos_snake = (100, 100); seg_snake = [ (100, 100); ( 80, 100); ( 60, 100); ]; pos_fruit = (200, 200); dir_snake = `right; game_over = false; } in let state = ref initial_state in let req_dir = ref !state.dir_snake in let keychange_event ev = req_dir := match ev.Canvas.keyCode with | 37 -> `left | 38 -> `up | 39 -> `right | 40 -> `down | _ -> (!state.dir_snake) in let animate () = state := update_state !req_dir !state; display_game !state; () in Canvas.addKeyEventListener Canvas.window "keydown" keychange_event true; let _ = Canvas.setInterval animate (1000/7) in () ;;
Add some bindings in 'canvas.res'
:
type key_event = { keyCode: int, key: string, } @send external addKeyEventListener: (Dom.element, string, key_event => unit, bool) => unit = "addEventListener" type intervalID @val external setInterval: (unit => unit, int) => intervalID = "setInterval"
Compile:
bsc canvas.res bsc -I . snake.ml > snake.js sed -i -e 's!.*require.*!!g' snake.js
Here I replace all the 'requires' from the beginning of 'snake.js'
by 'caml-platform.js' included in the HTML page.
This file groups in a single file the javascript implementations of the usual ocaml functions
that are located in 'bs-platform/lib/js/'
from the rescript system.
It's possible to use a javascript bundler like 'esbuild'
but the result is then not
very readable anymore, and it also packs everything into a closed function which make it
impossible to have interaction with the outside like buttons from an html form.
<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <style rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> body { background-color:#999; } canvas { background-color:#BBB; border:1px solid #666; margin:80px; } </style> </head> <body> <canvas id="my_canvas" width="640" height="480"> </canvas> <script type="text/javascript" src="./caml-platform.js"></script> <script>var exports = {};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="./snake.js"></script> </body> </html>
See the result (move with arrows of the keyboard).
Find other examples with sources there.
© 2022 Florent Monnier
Content provided under
CC-by-sa license.