codegen: integer / lowers to floating-point division on the JS-family backends

Summary

On the Deno-ESM backend (and, by inspection, the other JS-family text backends), Int / Int is emitted as JavaScript /, which is IEEE-754 floating-point division. So integer division produces a non-integer:

# probe: pub fn idiv(a: Int, b: Int) -> Int = a / b;  compiled --deno-esm
idiv(255, 16)  ===  15.9375     // expected 15
idiv(7, 2)     ===  3.5         // expected 3

Impact

stdlib/math.affine integer functions that use / return wrong (fractional) values on these backends: pow (exp / 2), sum_naturals (n * (n + 1) / 2), binomial, lcm (abs(a*b) / gcd(a,b)), div_floor. Any downstream .affine code doing integer division is affected.

Discovered while implementing stdlib/encoding.affine (#25), which sidesteps the bug by using bit-ops (>>, &) instead of /.

Root cause

The JS-family codegen is type-erased: division is ExprBinary (e1, OpDiv, e2) over the untyped AST (lib/ast.ml), and lib/codegen_deno.ml (gen_expr, the ExprBinary arm, ~:695) maps OpDiv -> "/" with no operand-type information, so it cannot distinguish Int/Int from Float/Float. The same OpDiv -> "/" arm is in lib/js_codegen.ml:177 (and the other OpDiv -> "/" text backends).

The wasm backend (lib/codegen.ml:396, OpDiv -> I32DivS) gets integer truncation for free because everything int-like is i32 — but that is the mirror-image latent bug (float division on the linear-memory wasm backend would be wrong; worth a separate check).

Correct semantics

AffineScript integer / truncates toward zero: the interpreter uses OCaml int / (lib/value.ml binop_int), wasm uses i32.div_s, constant-folding uses OCaml / (lib/opt.ml:21), and a separate div_floor exists in math.affine (confirming base / is truncation, not floor). The JS emit for integer division must therefore be Math.trunc(a / b).

⚠️ The naive fix is wrong

Blanket-wrapping every / in Math.trunc(...) fixes int but breaks float (3.0 / 2.0 → 1). The fix must be type-aware.

Recommended fix

Emit Math.trunc((a) / (b)) only when both operands are provably Int, otherwise keep /. Operand classification can be done locally in codegen_deno.ml by tracking variable types (function params + let bindings, which carry/can-infer types) plus int literals, int-arith, and -> Int calls; default unknown → / (so no float regression). This fixes the typed-Int-param cases (all the math.affine ones) safely. A more complete fix would thread the typechecker's inferred types (or a typed AST) into every backend.

Affected files

lib/codegen_deno.ml (~:695, OpDiv -> "/")
lib/js_codegen.ml:177
lib/codegen_node.ml and other JS/text backends sharing OpDiv -> "/"
(cross-check) lib/codegen.ml float division on the wasm backend

A scoped fix for the Deno-ESM backend (the one with tests/codegen-deno coverage) is in progress in PR #474.

feat(stdlib): base64 codec in encoding.affine (stdlib #25) + smoke co…

fix(codegen-deno): truncate Int/Int division instead of float divide (#…

The Deno-ESM backend half of this is fixed in PR #474.

Approach (since codegen_deno.ml is type-erased): lower a provably-Int a / b to Math.trunc(a / b) and leave every other / as float division. A conservative expr_is_int classifier reports Int only when provable — int literals, Int-typed params, let/assignment-tracked Int locals (reset per function, updated in source order), integer-closed arithmetic, JS bitwise results, and calls to Int-returning fns/builtins. Unknown operands keep /, so float division is never silently truncated. x /= y over ints truncates too.

Verified: 255 / 16 → 15, -7 / 2 → -3 (toward zero, not floor), 3.0 / 2.0 → 1.5 (float preserved); stdlib/math.affine's pow / sum_naturals / binomial / lcm / div_floor now correct. New regression: tests/codegen-deno/int_div.{affine,harness.mjs}.

Still open under this issue (not addressed by #474):

lib/js_codegen.ml and lib/codegen_node.ml share the same OpDiv -> "/" and need the equivalent fix.
Cross-check the mirror case: float division on the linear-memory wasm backend (lib/codegen.ml uses I32DivS unconditionally).

A complete fix would thread the typechecker's inferred types into the backends rather than re-deriving Int-ness locally per backend.

Generated by Claude Code

fix(codegen-deno): truncate Int/Int division instead of float divide (#…

Follow-up: a code-review of the initial Deno-ESM fix found two operand shapes it didn't yet recognize — both now handled in PR #474:

for x in xs { … x / k … } where xs: [Int] — the loop variable wasn't seeded as Int, so the body's division stayed float (for x in [5] … x/2 → 2.5). Now StmtFor seeds the loop var from a provable Array<Int> iterable (array literal of ints, or an [Int]-typed param), save/restored around the loop body.
xs[i] indexed read from an [Int] value — now recognized as an Int operand via a new expr_is_int_array classifier.

Both verified: for x in xs over [Int] → Math.trunc, over [Float] → plain / (no regression); xs[0] / 2 truncates. Regression cases added to tests/codegen-deno/int_div.

Still out of scope here (tracked above): the sibling OpDiv -> "/" in js_codegen.ml / codegen_node.ml; record-field Int operands (e.g. p.count / 2) — expr_is_int doesn't yet carry struct-field types; and the wasm float-division mirror. A typed-AST thread to the backends would subsume all of these.

Generated by Claude Code

feat(stdlib): base64 codec in encoding.affine (stdlib #25) + smoke co…

fix(codegen-deno): truncate Int/Int division instead of float divide (#…

docs(history): session handoff for bindings/stdlib closeout + #478 (PR …

feat(stdlib): base64 codec in encoding.affine (stdlib #25) + smoke co…

fix(codegen-deno): truncate Int/Int division instead of float divide (#…

docs(history): session handoff for bindings/stdlib closeout + #478 (PR …

Roadmap tracking + Zig-FFI doc (#19) + hex/base64 encoding (#25) + In…

Deno-ESM backend fix merged via PR #474 (`fb7e855`)

The Deno-ESM half of this is now on main: integer Int / Int lowers to Math.trunc(a / b) (truncate toward zero, matching the interpreter + wasm i32.div_s); Float / Float stays plain /. A conservative expr_is_int / expr_is_int_array classifier covers int literals, Int params, let/assign-tracked locals, integer-closed arithmetic, JS bitwise, Int-returning calls, for-loop variables over Array<Int>, and xs[i] element reads. Regression test: tests/codegen-deno/int_div. Fixes stdlib/math.affine's integer functions on this backend.

This issue stays OPEN for the remaining backends/cases (no Closes keyword used):

lib/js_codegen.ml and lib/codegen_node.ml share the same OpDiv -> "/" and need the equivalent fix.
Mirror check: float division on the linear-memory wasm backend (codegen.ml uses I32DivS unconditionally).
Record-field Int operands (p.count / 2) — expr_is_int doesn't yet carry struct-field types.

A complete fix would thread the typechecker's inferred types into the backends rather than re-derive Int-ness per backend.

Generated by Claude Code

test(stdlib): batch 1 of algebraic-law property tests (6 cases)

test(stdlib): batch 1 of algebraic-law property tests (6 cases) — sta…

fix(bun-esm,typecheck): Int division in loops; generic externs used b…

fix(compiler): fixes found building a real multi-module TEA app on Bu…

Navigation Menu

Repository navigation

codegen: integer `/` lowers to floating-point division on the JS-family backends #478

Summary

Impact

Root cause

Correct semantics

⚠️ The naive fix is wrong

Recommended fix

Affected files

Deno-ESM backend fix merged via PR #474 (`fb7e855`)

Metadata

Assignees

Labels

Projects

Milestone

Relationships

Development

codegen: integer / lowers to floating-point division on the JS-family backends #478

Description

Summary

Impact

Root cause

Correct semantics

⚠️ The naive fix is wrong

Recommended fix

Affected files

Activity

hyperpolymath commented on May 30, 2026

hyperpolymath commented on May 31, 2026

hyperpolymath commented on May 31, 2026

Deno-ESM backend fix merged via PR #474 (fb7e855)

Metadata

Metadata

Assignees

Labels

Projects

Milestone

Relationships

Development

Issue actions

codegen: integer `/` lowers to floating-point division on the JS-family backends #478

Deno-ESM backend fix merged via PR #474 (`fb7e855`)