Mac

Meme as Code. A programming language where memes are first-class citizens.

@two_panel {
    top: "Me: it works on my machine"
    bottom: "Prod: lol no"
} |> glitch => "meme.png"

Install

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jona62/mac/main/install.sh | bash

Or build from source:

cmake -S . -B build && cmake --build build

Grammar

Every meme expression follows a composable grammar. Here's how all the pieces fit together:

Meme Literal

@<template> [WxH] [style] { top: "..." bottom: "..." }  [|> effect]  [=> "path"]
@<template> [WxH] [style] "one-liner text"               [|> effect]  [=> "path"]
@"path/to/image.png" [WxH] [style] { ... }               [|> effect]  [=> "path"]

@blank "Hello"                                    // minimal
@two_panel { top: "A" bottom: "B" }               // block with positions
@square 800x800 { top: "Sized" }                  // with dimensions
@dark neon { top: "Styled" }                      // with style
@dark 800x800 neon { top: "All" } |> glitch       // size + style + effect
@"photo.png" { top: "Custom" } => "out.png"       // custom template + save

Effect Preset

effect <name> = <effect> >> <effect> >> ... ;

effect glitch = pixelate(4) >> contrast(1.8) >> noise(0.2);
effect vintage = sepia >> brightness(0.9);
effect cyberpunk = hueShift(180) >> contrast(1.5) >> chromatic(3) >> glow(4);

Style Block

style <name> {
    color: "#RRGGBB"
    outline: <pixels>
    outlineColor: "#RRGGBB"
    shadow: <offset>
    shadowColor: "#RRGGBBAA"
}

style neon {
    color: "#00FF41"
    outline: 4
    outlineColor: "#003300"
    shadow: 3
    shadowColor: "#00FF4180"
}

GIF Block

gif [loop] {
    <meme> [|> effect] : <duration>
    <meme> [|> effect] : <duration>
    ...
} [=> "path"]

gif loop {
    @blank "3" : 500ms
    @blank "2" : 500ms
    @blank "GO!" : 1s
} => "countdown.gif"

Timeline Block

timeline [loop] {
    <meme> [|> effect] : <duration>
    --- <transition> <duration> [easing] ---
    <meme> [|> effect] : <duration>
    ...
} [=> "path"]

timeline loop {
    @two_panel { top: "Act 1" } |> vintage : 3s
    --- crossfade 300ms ease ---
    @two_panel { top: "Act 2" } |> glitch : 3s
    --- fadeBlack 400ms ---
    @blank "fin." : 2s
} => "story.gif"

Grid Block

grid <cols>x<rows> {
    <meme> [|> effect]
    <meme> [|> effect]
    ...
} [|> pad(n)] [|> border(n)] [=> "path"]

grid 2x2 {
    @blank "A" |> sepia
    @blank "B" |> glitch
    @blank "C" |> vintage
    @blank "D" |> deepfry
} |> pad(5) |> border(2) => "grid.png"

Layout Operators

beside(<meme>, <meme>)     // side by side
stack(<meme>, <meme>)      // vertical
<expr> |> pad(<px>)        // padding
<expr> |> border(<px>)     // border

Pipe & Compose

<expr> |> <fn>                          // pass as first arg
<expr> |> <fn>(args) |> <fn> ...        // chain
<fn> >> <fn> >> <fn>                    // compose into new function

Functional Pipelines

<array> |> map(<fn>)                    // transform each
<array> |> filter(<fn>)                 // keep matches
<array> |> reduce(<fn>, <init>)         // fold to value
<array> |> zip(<array>)                 // pair elements

["Mon", "Tue", "Wed"]
    |> map(d -> @two_panel { top: d })
    |> reduce((g, m) -> g.frame(m, Duration(500)), Gif())
    |> save("week.gif")

Save Operator

<expr> => "filename.png"       // save to ~/mac/output/
<expr> => "filename.gif"       // auto-detects format
<expr> => "subdir/file.png"    // explicit relative path
<expr> => "/tmp/file.png"      // explicit absolute path

If MAC_OUTPUT_DIR is set, saves are redirected there and only the filename portion is kept.

Reference

Element	Options
Templates	two_panel three_panel bottom_text blank dark wide tall square four_panel caption_bar or @"path"
Positions	top bottom center
Effects (param)	blur(n) pixelate(n) noise(n) saturate(n) contrast(n) brightness(n) jpeg(n) hueShift(n) glow(n) posterize(n) chromatic(n) threshold(n) tint(n)
Effects (direct)	invert sepia sharpen vignette grayscale deepfry
Transitions	crossfade slideLeft slideRight slideUp slideDown wipe fadeBlack zoom
Easing	ease easeIn easeOut easeInOut
Durations	400ms 2s Duration(400)
Sizes	800x600 Size(800, 600)

Language

Mac is a dynamically typed language with functions, closures, classes, arrays, maps, arrow functions, pipes, and operator overloading.

See LANGUAGE.md for the full reference.

VS Code Extension

Syntax highlighting, LSP (hover, go-to-definition, inlay hints, semantic tokens, signature help, find references, document symbols), snippets, and file icons.

cd mac-lang && npm install && npx tsc && cd ..
ln -sf "$(pwd)/mac-lang" ~/.vscode/extensions/mac-lang

Development

cmake --build build && bash tests/run_tests.sh

See docs/BUILDING.md and docs/ARCHITECTURE.md.

License

MIT