Concept: Postfix Evaluation

Postfix evaluation is the core reading rule of Ricochet: values come first, words come after the values they consume.

ricochet10 5 - println

The word - consumes the two numbers above it and leaves the result. The word println consumes that result and writes it as output.

Read left to right

A Ricochet line is easiest to read as a story:

ricochet"  Ada  " trim uppercase println

Start with text. Trim it. Uppercase it. Print it.

Prefer visible boundaries

Use bindings when a value becomes important enough to name:

ricochet"  Ada  " trim name var
$name uppercase println

This is often clearer than keeping many values on the stack while you perform unrelated work.

Check yourself

For any unfamiliar line, annotate the stack after each token. Stop as soon as the stack shape surprises you. The surprising point is where the misunderstanding lives.