Add comprehensive documentation for when statement and integrate related tests and references

docs/tutorial.md

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ __Other documents to read__ maybe after this one:
 
 - [Advanced topics](advanced_topics.md), [declaring arguments](declaring_arguments.md)
 - [OOP notes](OOP.md), [exception handling](exceptions_handling.md)
-- [math in Lyng](math.md)
+- [math in Lyng](math.md), [the `when` statement](when.md)
 - [time](time.md) and [parallelism](parallelism.md)
 - [parallelism] - multithreaded code, coroutines, etc.
 - Some class
@@ -712,6 +712,8 @@ Or, more neat:
 
 ## When
 
+See also: [Comprehensive guide to `when`](when.md)
+
 It is very much like the kotlin's:
 
     fun type(x) {

docs/when.md

@@ -0,0 +1,239 @@
+# The `when` statement (expression)
+
+Lyng provides a concise multi-branch selection with `when`, heavily inspired by Kotlin. In Lyng, `when` is an expression: it evaluates to a value. If the selected branch contains no value (e.g., it ends with `void` or calls a void function like `println`), the whole `when` expression evaluates to `void`.
+
+Currently, Lyng implements the "subject" form: `when(value) { ... }`. The subject-less form `when { condition -> ... }` is not implemented yet.
+
+## Quick examples
+
+    val r1 = when("a") {
+        "a" -> "ok"
+        else -> "nope"
+    }
+    assertEquals("ok", r1)
+    
+    val r2 = when(5) {
+        3 -> "no"
+        4 -> "no"
+        else -> "five"
+    }
+    assertEquals("five", r2)
+    
+    val r3 = when(5) {
+        3 -> "no"
+        4 -> "no"
+    }
+    // no matching case and no else → `void`
+    assert(r3 == void)
+    >>> void
+
+## Syntax
+
+    when(subject) {
+        condition1 [, condition2, ...] -> resultExpressionOrBlock
+        conditionN -> result
+        else -> fallback
+    }
+
+- Commas group multiple conditions for one branch.
+- First matching branch wins; there is no fall‑through.
+- `else` is optional. If omitted and nothing matches, the result is `void`.
+
+## Matching rules (conditions)
+
+Within `when(subject)`, each condition is evaluated against the already evaluated `subject`. Lyng supports:
+
+1) Equality match (default)
+- Any expression value can be used as a condition. It matches if it is equal to `subject`.
+- Equality relies on Lyng’s comparison (`compareTo(...) == 0`). For user types, implement comparison accordingly.
+
+    when(x) {
+        0 -> "zero"
+        "EUR" -> "currency"
+    }
+    >>> void
+
+2) Type checks: `is` and `!is`
+- Check whether the subject is an instance of a class.
+- Works with built‑in classes and user classes.
+
+    fun typeOf(x) {
+        when(x) {
+            is Real, is Int -> "number"
+            is String -> "string"
+            else -> "other"
+        }
+    }
+    assertEquals("number", typeOf(5))
+    assertEquals("string", typeOf("hi"))
+    >>> void
+
+3) Containment checks: `in` and `!in`
+- `in container` matches if `container.contains(subject)` is true.
+- `!in container` matches if `contains(subject)` is false.
+- Any object that provides `contains(item)` can act as a container.
+
+Common containers:
+- Ranges (e.g., `'a'..'z'`, `1..10`, `1..<10`, `..5`, `5..`)
+- Lists, Sets, Arrays, Buffers
+- Strings (character or substring containment)
+
+Examples:
+
+    when('e') {
+        in 'a'..'c' -> "small"
+        in 'a'..'z' -> "letter"
+        else -> "other"
+    }
+    >>> "letter"
+    
+    when(5) {
+        in [1,2,3,4,6] -> "no"
+        in [7,0,9] -> "no"
+        else -> "ok"
+    }
+    >>> "ok"
+    
+    when(5) {
+        in [1,2,3,4,6] -> "no"
+        in [7,0,9] -> "no"
+        in [-1,5,11] -> "yes"
+        else -> "no"
+    }
+    >>> "yes"
+    
+    when(5) {
+        !in [1,2,3,4,6,5] -> "no"
+        !in [7,0,9,5] -> "no"
+        !in [-1,15,11] -> "ok"
+        else -> "no"
+    }
+    >>> "ok"
+    
+    // String containment
+    "foo" in "foobar"   // true (substring)
+    'o' in "foobar"      // true (character)
+    >>> true
+
+Notes on mixed String/Char ranges:
+- Prefer character ranges for characters: `'a'..'z'`.
+- `"a".."z"` is a String range and may not behave as you expect with `Char` subjects.
+
+    assert( "more" in "a".."z")
+    assert( 'x' !in "a".."z")  // Char vs String range: often not what you want
+    assert( 'x' in 'a'..'z')     // OK
+    assert( "x" !in 'a'..'z')   // String in Char range: likely not intended
+    >>> void
+
+## Grouping multiple conditions with commas
+
+You can group values and/or `is`/`in` checks for a single result:
+
+    fun classify(x) {
+        when(x) {
+            "42", 42 -> "answer"
+            is Real, is Int -> "number"
+            in ['@', '#', '^'] -> "punct1"
+            in "*&.," -> "punct2"
+            else -> "unknown"
+        }
+    }
+    assertEquals("number", classify(π/2))
+    assertEquals("answer", classify(42))
+    assertEquals("answer", classify("42"))
+    >>> void
+
+## Return value and blocks
+
+- `when` returns the value of the matched branch result expression/block.
+- Branch bodies can be single expressions or blocks `{ ... }`.
+- If a matched branch produces `void` (e.g., only prints), the `when` result is `void`.
+
+    val res = when(2) {
+        1 -> 10
+        2 -> { println("two"); 20 }
+        else -> 0
+    }
+    assertEquals(20, res)
+    >>> void
+
+## Else branch
+
+- Optional but recommended when non‑exhaustive.
+- If omitted and nothing matches, `when` result is `void` (see r3 in the Quick examples).
+- Only one `else` is allowed.
+
+## Subject‑less `when`
+
+The Kotlin‑style subject‑less form `when { condition -> ... }` is not implemented yet in Lyng. Use `if/else` chains or structure your checks around a subject with `when(subject) { ... }`.
+
+## Extending `when` for your own types
+
+### Equality matches
+- Equality checks in `when(subject)` use Lyng comparison (`compareTo` semantics under the hood). For your own Lyng classes, implement comparison appropriately so that `subject == value` works as intended.
+
+### `in` / `!in` containment
+- Provide a `contains(item)` method on your class to participate in `in` conditions.
+- Example: a custom `Box` that contains one specific item:
+
+    class Box(val item)
+    fun Box.contains(x) { x == item }
+    
+    val b = Box(10)
+    when(10) { in b -> "hit" }
+    >>> "hit"
+
+Any built‑in collection (`List`, `Set`, `Array`), `Range`, `Buffer`, and other containers already implement `contains`.
+
+### Type checks (`is` / `!is`)
+- Every value has a `::class` that yields its Lyng class object, e.g. `[1,2,3]::class` → `List`.
+- `is ClassName` in `when` uses Lyng’s class hierarchy. Ensure your class is declared and can be referenced by name.
+
+    []::class == List
+    >>> true
+    
+    fun f(x) { when(x) { is List -> "list" else -> "other" } }
+    assertEquals("list", f([1]))
+    >>> void
+
+## Kotlin‑backed classes (embedding)
+
+When embedding Lyng in Kotlin, you may expose Kotlin‑backed objects and classes. Interactions inside `when` work as follows:
+- `is` checks use the Lyng class object you expose for your Kotlin type. Ensure your exposed class participates in the Lyng class hierarchy (see Embedding docs).
+- `in` checks call `contains(subject)`; if your Kotlin‑backed object wants to support `in`, expose a `contains(item)` method (mapped to Lyng) or implement the corresponding Lyng container wrapper.
+- Equality follows Lyng comparison rules. Ensure your Kotlin‑backed object’s Lyng adapter implements equality/compare correctly.
+
+For details on exposing classes/methods from Kotlin, see: [Embedding Lyng in your Kotlin project](embedding.md).
+
+## Gotchas and tips
+
+- First match wins; there is no fall‑through. Order branches carefully.
+- Group related conditions with commas for readability and performance (a single branch evaluation).
+- Prefer character ranges for character tests; avoid mixing `String` and `Char` ranges.
+- If you rely on `in`, check that your container implements `contains(item)`.
+- Remember: `when` is an expression — you can assign its result to a variable or return it from a function.
+
+## Additional examples
+
+    fun label(ch) {
+        when(ch) {
+            in '0'..'9' -> "digit"
+            in 'a'..'z', in 'A'..'Z' -> "letter"
+            '$' -> "dollar"
+            else -> "other"
+        }
+    }
+    assertEquals("digit", label('3'))
+    assertEquals("dollar", label('$'))
+    >>> void
+
+    fun normalize(x) {
+        when(x) {
+            is Int -> x
+            is Real -> x.round()
+            else -> 0
+        }
+    }
+    assertEquals(12, normalize(12))
+    assertEquals(3,  normalize(2.6))
+    >>> void

lynglib/src/jvmTest/kotlin/BookAllocationProfileTest.kt

@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ class BookAllocationProfileTest {
         runDocTests("../docs/Set.md")
         runDocTests("../docs/Map.md")
         runDocTests("../docs/Buffer.md")
+        runDocTests("../docs/when.md")
         // Samples folder, bookMode=true
         for (bt in Files.list(Paths.get("../docs/samples")).toList()) {
             if (bt.extension == "md") runDocTests(bt.toString(), bookMode = true)