SIMPOL Documentation

The function is the basis for every program in SIMPOL. The simplest program consists of a single function called main. When the main function is exited, the program also ends. A function begins with a function statement. The function statement consists of the function keyword, followed by the name of the function which must be a valid identifier, followed by the left parethesis, followed by zero or more parameters in the format type identifier white space parameter name optionally followed by an equals sign and a default value for the parameter. Multiple parameters are separated by commas. The parameters are then followed by a closing right parenthesis. If the function is part of a library and should be exported, then the export keyword follows the closing parenthesis. The complete syntax diagram can be seen below:

	Tip
	One point worth noting is that in the function declaration there is no indication of whether or not there is a return value, nor if there is one any information about its type. That is mainly because the return value follows the end function statement and the type may not be known when the function is written or even when it is compiled.