first oo steps are wobbly, but a string.plus parses

lib/ast/basic_expressions.rb

@@ -42,8 +42,6 @@ module Ast
     end
   end
 
-  class VariableExpression < NameExpression
-  end
   class ModuleName < NameExpression
   end
 

lib/ast/call_site_expression.rb

@@ -35,4 +35,11 @@ module Ast
     end
   end
   
+  class VariableExpression < CallSiteExpression
+
+    def initialize name
+      super( :_get_instance_variable  , [StringExpression.new(name)] )
+    end
+  end
+  
 end

lib/ast/module_expression.rb

@@ -16,10 +16,9 @@ module Ast
     end
     def compile context , into
       clazz = context.object_space.get_or_create_class name
-      puts "Class #{clazz.inspect}"
+      context.current_class = clazz
-      context.class = clazz
       expressions.each do |expression|
-        # check if it'sa function definition and add
+        # check if it's a function definition and add
         # if not, execute it, but that does means we should be in crystal (executable), not ruby. ie throw an error for now
         raise "only functions for now #{expression.inspect}" unless expression.is_a? Ast::FunctionExpression
         expression_value = expression.compile(context , nil )

lib/core/kernel.rb

@@ -20,7 +20,27 @@ module Core
       def function_exit block , f_name
         Vm::RegisterMachine.instance.function_exit block , f_name
       end
-        
+      
+      # in ruby, how this goes is   
+      #  def _get_instance_variable var
+      #     i = self.index_of(var)
+      #     return at_index(i)
+      #  end  
+      # The at_index is just "below" the api, somehting we need but don't want to expose, so we can't code the above in ruby
+      def _get_instance_variable context , name = Vm::Integer
+        get_function = Vm::Function.new(:_get_instance_variable , [Vm::Integer , Vm::Integer ] , Vm::Integer )
+        me = get_function.args[0]
+        var_name = get_function.args[1]
+        index_function = context.object_space.get_or_create_class(:Object).get_or_create_function(:index_of)
+        b = get_function.body
+        b.push( me )
+        index = b.call( index_function )
+        b.pop(me)
+        b.mov( var_name , index )
+        Vm::RegisterMachine.instance.at_index( get_function.body , number  , remainder )
+        return get_function
+      end
+
       #TODO this is in the wrong place. It is a function that returns a function object
       #   while all other methods add their code into some block. --> kernel
       def putstring context , string = Vm::Integer , length = Vm::Integer

test/fragments/test_class.rb

@@ -5,23 +5,38 @@ class TestClass < MiniTest::Test
 
   def test_class
     @string_input = <<HERE
+class Object
+  def layout()
+    return @layout
+  end
+  def class()
+    return layout.class()
+  end
+  def index_of( name )
+    return layout.index_of(name) 
+  end
+end
 class String
-  def plus( str)
+  def length()
+    return @length
+  end
+  def plus(str)
     my_length = self.length() 
     str_len = str.length()
     new_string = String.new(my_length + str_len)
     i = 0
-    while( i < my_length)
+    while( i < my_length) do
       char = self.get(i)
       new_string.set(i , char)
       i = i + 1
     end
     i = 0
-    while( i < str_len)
+    while( i < str_len) do
       char = str.get(i)
       new_string.set( i + my_length , char)
       i = i + 1
     end
+    return new_string
   end
 end
 HERE