ciel/docs/install.md

Install

Once you have it installed, see the next section on how to create your package definition with CIEL.

With Quicklisp

You need a Lisp implementation and Quicklisp installed.

CIEL is not yet on Quicklisp (but it is on Ultralisp), so clone this repository and load the .asd (with load or C-c C-k in Slime).

git clone https://github.com/ciel-lang/CIEL ~/quicklisp/local-projects/CIEL

Then, quickload it:

(ql:quickload "ciel")

and enter the ciel-user package, instead of the default common-lisp-user (or cl-user):

(in-package :ciel-user)

With a core image

You need a Lisp implementation, but you don't need Quicklisp.

Build a core image for your lisp with all CIEL's dependencies:

sbcl --load build-image.lisp

and use it:

sbcl --core ciel --eval '(in-package :ciel-user)'

TODO: we will distribute ready-to-use core images.

With a binary. Use CIEL's custom REPL.

You don't need anything, just download the CIEL executable and run its REPL.

TODO: build it on CI for different platforms.

To build it, clone this repository and run make build.

Start it with ./ciel-repl.

You are dropped into a custom Lisp REPL, freely based on sbcli.

This REPL is more user friendly than the default SBCL one:

• it has readline capabilities, meaning that the arrow keys work by default (wouhou!) and there is a persistent history, like in any shell.

• it has multiline input.

• it has TAB completion.

• it handles errors gracefully: you are not dropped into the debugger and its sub-REPL, you simply see the error message.

• it has optional syntax highlighting.

  It also defines short helper commands:

%help => Prints this general help message
%doc => Prints the available documentation for this symbol
%? => Gets help on a symbol <sym>: :? str
%w => Writes the current session to a file <filename>
%d => Dumps the disassembly of a symbol <sym>
%t => Prints the type of a expression <expr>
%q => Ends the session.

Note: the documentation is also available by appending a "?" after a function name:

ciel-user> (dict ?

Syntax highlighting is currently off by default. To enable it, install pygments and add this in your ~/.cielrc:

(in-package :sbcli)
(setf *syntax-highlighting* t)

;; and, optionally:
;; (setf *pygmentize* "/path/to/pygmentize")
;; (setf *pygmentize-options* (list "-s" "-l" "lisp"))

You can also switch it on and off from the REPL:

(setf sbcli:*syntax-highlighting* t)

Use in the REPL and in new packages

On the REPL, enter the ciel-user package instead of cl-user (,in-package RET ciel-user).

Use CIEL in your own packages by use-ing it in addition of cl:

(defpackage yourpackage
  (:use :cl :ciel))

You can also use generic-ciel, based on generic-cl:

(defpackage yourpackage
  (:use :cl :generic-ciel))

generic-cl allows us to define our + or equalp methods for our own objects (and more).