---
title: Mist 0.4.0 is released, virtual methods, array types, and more
author: Klesti Selimaj
date: 2026-07-12
---

## New Features

### Virtual Methods

The `virtual` keyword enables polymorphic dispatch through vtables. Methods marked `virtual` can be overridden in subclasses and will be dispatched dynamically at runtime:

```mist
pub class Animal
{
    pub virtual void speak(&self)
    {
        println!("...");
    }
}

class Dog : Animal
{
    void speak(&self) override
    {
        println!("Woof!");
    }
}
```

### Array Types

Fixed-size array types are now supported with `[T; N]` syntax:

```mist
[i32; 10] numbers;    // Array of 10 i32s
[str&; 3] names;      // Array of 3 string references
```

### Tuple Variable Declarations

Tuple variables can now be declared with explicit type annotations using `as`:

```mist
(i32, bool) as x, y = (1, true);

i32 a, b = (1, 2, 3);
```

### Include Directives

C-style include directives for importing external files and crates:

```mist
#include <stdio.h>           // Global include
pub use my_crate::module;    // Use include
#include "local.mist"        // Local include
```

## Syntax Changes

### Allman Style Struct/Enum Fields

Struct and enum fields now use semicolons instead of commas:

```mist
// Before (v0.3.x)
struct Point { i32 x, i32 y }

// After (v0.4.0)
struct Point { i32 x; i32 y; }
```

## Bug Fixes

- Fixed default initializers in classes
- Fixed the mapping system for error remapping
- Fixed include manifest path resolution
- Fixed various analyzer bugs
- Fixed the publish command
- Fixed completion pollution in LSP

## Improvements

- Updated bootstrap infrastructure
- Migrated to core library for `c_void` and classes
- Removed unnecessary lifetime annotations
- Fixed generics and function type handling