Lists

Lists in Zard are dynamic containers capable of holding multiple elements of the same type. They support addition, removal, access, and clearing operations, all type-safe and efficient.

Declaring Lists

If a list is created empty, the type must be declared explicitly:

List<int> numbers;
      

If initialized with values, the compiler infers the type automatically from the first element, eliminating the need to inform <type>:

List nomes = ("zard", "angel");
      

Mixing incompatible types will cause a compile-time error:

# ❌ Invalid example — inferred as <double>, but second element is <string>
List test = (3.14, "hello");
      

Adding Elements

Use add() to insert a single element, and addAll() to add multiple at once:

numbers.add(3);
int x = 2;
numbers.addAll(3, 4, 5, x);
      

Getting the Size

The size() method returns the total number of elements. It must be called within an expression or assignment.

int z = numbers.size();
print(z);
print(numbers.size());
      

Removing Elements

Remove an element by its index using remove(index):

numbers.remove(0);
      

Accessing Elements

Use get(index) to retrieve an element by its position:

print(numbers.get(1));
      

Clearing a List

The clear() method removes all elements from the list:

numbers.clear();
      

Restrictions: No Lists of Lists

In Zard, it is not allowed to have a list that holds other lists or use List<List<T>>. This design decision ensures clarity and avoids potential performance issues in the ARC memory system..

# ❌ Invalid example — Lists cannot contain other lists.
List<List<int>> matrix;
      

To model more complex structures like matrices or tables, use structs instead:

struct Matrix {
  List<int> row;
}

List<Matrix> matrix;
      

Full Example

main {

  # If instantiated empty, type must be declared
  List<int> numbers;

  # If initialized with values, type is inferred
  List nomes = ("zard", "angel");

  # Adding values
  numbers.add(3);
  int x = 2;
  numbers.addAll(3,4,5,x);

  # Getting size
  int z = numbers.size();
  print(z);
  print(numbers.size());

  # Removing
  numbers.remove(0);

  # Accessing
  print(numbers.get(1));

  # Clearing
  numbers.clear();
}