[ = ]

src/compiler/compiler.ts

@@ -470,7 +470,18 @@ export class Compiler {
 
       case terms.Array: {
         const children = getAllChildren(node)
-        // todo: [ = ]
+
+        // We can easily parse [=] as an empty dict, but `[ = ]` is tougher.
+        // = can be a valid word, and also valid in words, so for now we cheat
+        // and check for arrays that look like `[ = ]` to interpret them as
+        // empty dicts
+        if (children.length === 1 && children[0].name === 'Word') {
+          const child = children[0]
+          if (input.slice(child.from, child.to) === '=') {
+            return [['MAKE_DICT', 0]]
+          }
+        }
+
         const instructions: ProgramItem[] = children.map((x) => this.#compileNode(x, input)).flat()
         instructions.push(['MAKE_ARRAY', children.length])
         return instructions

src/compiler/tests/literals.test.ts

@@ -127,6 +127,7 @@ describe('dict literals', () => {
   test('empty dict', () => {
     expect('[=]').toEvaluateTo({})
     expect('[ = ]').toEvaluateTo({})
+  })
 
   test('mixed types', () => {
     expect("[a=1 b='two' c=three d=true e=null]").toEvaluateTo({
@@ -136,6 +137,7 @@ describe('dict literals', () => {
       d: true,
       e: null,
     })
+  })
 
   test('semicolons as separators', () => {
     expect('[a=1; b=2; c=3]').toEvaluateTo({ a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 })
@@ -153,5 +155,3 @@ describe('dict literals', () => {
   c=3]`).toEvaluateTo({ a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 })
   })
 })
-  })
-})