Welcome to Bop

Bop is a small, dynamically-typed programming language designed for the Codefire puzzle game. It’s the only way to talk to your bot — and your bot only speaks Bop.

Bop isn’t Python, JavaScript, or any real language, but it borrows familiar syntax so that the skills transfer. Curly braces, functions with arguments, arrays, dictionaries — real programming concepts, zero setup.

Quick example

// Collect all the gems in a row
repeat 5 {
  if gem_here() {
    grab()
  }
  move("right")
}
say("Done!")

What makes Bop different?

• Looks like real code — curly braces, functions, operators. Skills transfer to real languages.
• One concept at a time — new syntax is introduced gradually through puzzle progression.
• Friendly errors — never cryptic, always helpful. ("I don't know what 'moev' is — did you mean 'move'?")
• No escape hatches — no imports, no file I/O, no network access. Bop can only talk to the game.
• Grows with the player — early levels use only function calls; later levels unlock variables, loops, and user-defined functions.

Where to start

If you’re new to Bop, start with the Basics section and work your way through. If you’re looking for a specific function or operator, jump straight to the Reference section.