Gain insights into functional programming with OCaml and Haskell, explore lambda calculus, abstractions, and dataflows, and learn to apply these concepts to real-world scenarios, contrasting with Java.

ocaml_utop_haskell.tar.gz

OCaml

Functional programming is a paradigm that builds complete applications by breaking down programs into constituent functions that empowers developers to build fast, bug-resistant applications.

You’ll be introduced to functional programming with illustrative examples contrasting the more widely used imperative programming paradigm. You’ll review lambda calculus as an introduction to expressions, the building blocks of functional programs. You’ll continue with abstractions and complex data types before exploring common computation patterns. Next, you’ll learn how dataflows create whole programs out of existing functions. Finally, you’ll finish by applying your functional programming knowledge to various real-world scenarios. At each step, you’ll learn OCaml and Haskell, while contrasting imperative programming with Java.

By the end of this course, you’ll be prepared to use functional programming in your daily work and have the framework to know when to use either imperative or functional paradigms.

Mastering Functional Programming with OCaml and Haskell

At its core, a program written in any textual programming language, such as OCaml, Java, Python is nothing more than a long string consisting of characters we enter with a keyboard. A string that makes up a valid program in one programming language might be considered invalid in another and vice versa. To illustrate, consider the following obscure string:

```shell
++++++++++[>+++++++>++++++++++>+++<<<-]>++.>+.+++++++
 ..+++.>++.<<+++++++++++++++.>.+++.------.--------.>+.
```

Obviously, its not a valid OCaml program.  
The OCaml compiler will reject that string with a `syntax error` message.
Yet, it is a valid Hello World program according to the esoteric programming language [Brainfuck](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainfuck).

Conversely, the string `1 + 2` is a perfectly valid OCaml program, but the Brainfuck compiler bluntly rejects it as invalid.

Learn how the syntax of expressions can be defined and how the parsing process works.

Introduction

Expressions: Building Blocks of Functional Programs

Building Abstractions with Functions

Compound Data Types

Common Computation Patterns

Dataflow Programming with Functions

Applying Functional Programming to Various Domains

Conclusion

Appendix

Syntax of Expressions