Value Stages

All expressions have a value stage which dictate which stage of compilation it may be used in.

Comptime Value Stage

Comptime values are values that are known at compile-time and can be used as comptime expressions. Anywhere that requires a interptime or a runtime value also accept comptime values.

The following are comptime expressions:

• literals
• def variables
• template parameters
• comptime function calls with all arguments being comptime

Interptime Value Stage

Interptime values are values that may be used inside a comptime function but are not comptime themselves. Anywhere that requires a runtime values also accept interptime values.

The following are interptime expressions:

• global const variables
• const variables defined in a comptime function
• var variables defined in a comptime function
• function parameters in a comptime function
• return parameters in a comptime function
• error parameters in a comptime function
• comptime function calls with all arguments being comptime and/or interptime (must have at least 1 interptime parameter, or else it's comptime)

Runtime Value Stage

Runtime values are values that may only be used at runtime as they are not known and/or cannot be calculated at compile-time. Anywhere that that requires a runtime value also accept interptime and comptime values.

The following are runtime expressions:

• global var variables
• var variables and const variables declared in function scope
• calls to external functions that are unknown / not linked in by the build system
• calls to runtime functions
• calls to comptime functions with at least 1 runtime argument