SwaziLang Built-in Functions

SwaziLang provides a set of built-in global functions you can use directly in your code.
These functions are always available—you don’t need to import anything!

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What Are Built-in Global Functions?

• Global functions are available everywhere in your program.
• You call them by name, passing arguments as needed.
• They’re not attached to objects or modules—they’re always in the global environment.

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List of Built-in Global Functions

1. ainaya(val)

Returns the type of a value as a string.

• "namba" for numbers, "neno" for strings, "null" for null/empty, "bool" for booleans, "object" for objects, "muundo" for classes, "orodha" for arrays, "kazi" for functions.

Example:

chapisha ainaya(5)          // namba
chapisha ainaya("hello")    // neno
chapisha ainaya([1,2,3])    // orodha

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2. Orodha(...)

Creates an array (list).

• Orodha(5) — array of length 5 filled with null
• Orodha([1,2,3]) — copies an array
• Orodha(a, b, c) — array with those values

Example:

chapisha Orodha(3)          // [null, null, null]
chapisha Orodha(1,2,3)      // [1, 2, 3]

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3. Bool(val)

Converts a value to a boolean (kweli or sikweli).

Example:

chapisha Bool(0)      // sikweli
chapisha Bool(5)      // kweli
chapisha Bool("")     // sikweli

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4. Namba(val)

Converts a value to a number (float).

Example:

chapisha Namba("123")   // 123
chapisha Namba("abc")   // 0

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5. Neno(val)

Converts a value to a string.

Example:

chapisha Neno(100)     // "100"
chapisha Neno(kweli)   // "kweli"

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6. soma(prompt?)

Reads input from the user (like input() in Python).

• Optional prompt string.

Example:

data name = soma("Enter your name: ")
chapisha `Hello, ${name}!`

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7. Makosa(msg?)

Throws an error (exception) with a message.

• Use to signal problems intentionally.

Example:

Makosa("Something went wrong!")   // Stops execution, prints error

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8. thibitisha(cond, msg?)

Asserts that a condition is true.
If not, throws an error (with optional message).

Example:

thibitisha(x > 0, "x must be positive")

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Summary Table

Function	Purpose	Example Use
ainaya	Get type of value	ainaya(val)
Orodha	Create array/list	Orodha(3)
Bool	Convert value to boolean	Bool("hello")
Namba	Convert value to number	Namba("123")
Neno	Convert value to string	Neno(100)
soma	Read user input	soma("Prompt: ")
Makosa	Throw error/exception	Makosa("Error!")
thibitisha	Assert condition or throw error	thibitisha(cond, "msg")

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Pro Tips

• These functions are safe to use anywhere in your program.
• If you need more specialized tools (math, objects, time), check out the global objects like Hesabu, Object, Muda, and swazi.

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Next:
Learn about SwaziLang’s built-in global objects and how they make working with numbers, objects, arrays, and time easier!