Getting Started

1. Running EXPL. Once EXPL32 is installed, an icon will appear on the desktop. Double clicking on the icon will run the program and display the EXPL IDE.

2. Testing EXPL. The best way to test EXPL is to compile and run some of the demo programs. Here are step-by-step instructions for doing that:

a. Open an XPL File. Select the File -> Open option on the menu bar. The default path is normally in the installation directory that contains the Demos directory. Navigate into the Demos directory and select one of the XPL files from the subdirectories. Click here for descriptions of all the demo programs.

b. Run the Program. Press the Compile/Run button from the toolbar. This will compile the program and start it executing in the console window.

3. Writing Programs. XPL programs are written by entering XPL code into the Source Editor and then doing test compiles until the code no longer generates fatal errors. At this point the program can be run and tested for runtime errors. There is a large assortment of tools to help with debugging. Finally, when the program compiles and runs correctly, you can create a stand-alone version of the program.

Tutorials on writing programs can be found here: http://www.xpl0.org/manual.html.