|
REBOL |
/Internet Messaging LanguageTM |
REBOL/core
Installation Guide
Version 2.1
$Date: 1999/07/03 00:13:57 $
By downloading or installing the software, you are consenting to be bound by and are becoming a party to the REBOL Technologies Software End User License Agreement. If you do not agree to all of the terms of this agreement, do not install the software.
You can download the latest version of the REBOL language free of charge from our web site at http://www.REBOL.com. You can also download copies of the documentation which can be read and printed using a web browser program. For technical support, type do %feedback.r at the REBOL prompt, press ENTER and follow the instructions. Alternately, you can email feedback@REBOL.com.
Here are the instructions for unpackaging and running the REBOLTM Internet Messaging Language version 2.1 on supported operating systems as well as information about platform-specific issues. Refer to the User's Guide and REBOL Dictionary for more information. Refer to the changes section for a list of modifications since version 2.0.0. Refer to our website for a library of example scripts and how-tos.
To place the messaging language and supporting files on your computer, simply extract the compressed file to the directory in which you want to run, then unarchive it using your platform's compression tool. Enclosed will be the executable program and supporting scripts. Contact feedback@REBOL.com if you have problems with unarchiving the compressed file.
To simplify using REBOL in multiple directories, we've added the REBOL_HOME feature. This allows common REBOL scripts (such as %user.r) to reside in only one directory and be found regardless of the directory in which you started REBOL. This is accomplished by setting a REBOL_HOME environment variable in your operating system:
set REBOL_HOME=C:\REBOL\home
This command must appear in one of your system startup or login scripts. The form and location of this setting varies between operating systems. For instance, under Windows-95/98 you would add this to your autoexec.bat file. See instructions for your system's environment variables.
Each time you run REBOL, it will look for rebol.r and user.r first in your current directory, then in your home directory.
Computers that use a proxy server require sockets or socks to make the connection. You can now indicate which socks proxy type the computer uses:
system/schemes/default/proxy/type: 'socks socks ;uses the latest version (currently version 5) socks5 ;uses a socks5 handshake on connections socks4 ;uses a socks4 handshake on connections generic ;uses generic proxy support none ;uses no proxy
In addition, you can use set-net to define your email address, mail server, and optional settings:
do set-net [email-addr default-server pop-server proxy-server proxy-port-id proxy-type]
The REBOL messaging language is platform independent. A script produced on a Windows NT system, for example, can be run on a Macintosh, Amiga, Solaris SPARC, Linux, and other supported platforms with no changes. Resulting data, too, can be passed between platforms with the assurance of full compatibility.
Of course, each system has its own operating differences. Here are some of the known conditions.
Amiga's time zone is set by default to US Central Time rather than GMT. Add the following line to the end of s:user-startup:
echo "PST8PDT" >ENV:TZ ;for PST where 8 is the GMT offsetSave the user-startup and reboot. You system will then be set to 8 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). You can also echo this line to ENVARC:TZ as all files in ENVARC are automatically copied to ENV when the computer boots up. We also expect to be supporting the locale library on the next release.
REBOL for BeOS is run from a terminal window rather than a console. To open a terminal, click on the Be menu, then choose the Applications sub-menu, and select Terminal. Type the path to the REBOL executable program and press ENTER. We will be supporting a console window in a future release.
Default permissions now include read and write permissions for the user and for the user's group, and read permissions for all others.
REBOL only copies the data fork of Macintosh files, not the resource information. This means that using REBOL to read and write certain types of files will produce the desired results. This is a common problem on the Macintosh, and we will be providing additional capability in a future release.
REBOL uses the TERMCAP entry provided by UNIX-based systems. If some of your function keys are not operating properly, you will need to setup your computer's TERMCAP entry.
Default permissions now include read and write permissions for the user and for the user's group, and read permissions for all others.
To start a script in REBOL, use a mouse to drag the script file icon to the REBOL icon. Alternately, change Start/Settings/Folder Options to automatically open *.r files with rebol.exe. To copy, select text with the mouse, then use Edit/Copy or Ctrl-C to copy selected text to the clipboard. Simultaneously press the Shift key to select only text typed at the keyboard. Use Edit/Paste or Ctrl-V to paste text from the clipboard to REBOL. Or use the right mouse button to access a Copy/Paste pop-up menu.
In addition, older computers and some palmtops with minimum memory may have problems evaluating larger REBOL scripts.
REBOL scripts are written and exchanged as ASCII text files, allowing them to be created and modified with any text editor. The script begins with the word REBOL followed by a header block that provides information about the script. The header has many uses for documentation, archiving, revision tracking, script requirements, or other purposes. Here's a typical header:
REBOL [
Title: "Include Files"
Date: 11-May-1999
File: %include.r
Purpose: {
A useful function for "including" a single file
or a block of files. Web and other file paths
are allowed.
}
]
Text that appears before the header block is ignored. Text appearing after the header is the script itself.
Use the semicolon ";" to mark the beginning of a comment which continues through the end of a line.
name: "Franklin" ; the name of the manufacturer
REBOL script headers can include the script title, date, name, version, file name, home url, author's name and email address, owner, rights, tab spaces, version requirement, language, character set, purpose, history, example, and other useful information. Refer to the User's Guide for more information. The REBOL header is evaluated before the script so you can use the header to set special options that the script will use.
To evaluate a REBOL script and see the results, you have two choices. First, you can start the REBOL language and type at the prompt >>:
do %filename.r
The file will be loaded and evaluated. (The % tells the language that the value is a file name rather than a word, function, or something else.)
Second option: you can specify a script from the shell or GUI (if your computer platform supports it):
REBOL filename.r
This immediately starts the language running with the script.
REBOL can be started from the command line with arguments to start REBOL scripts:
REBOL file.r REBOL file.r script args here REBOL --cgi script args here REBOL --secure none REBOL --cgi --script file.r REBOL --cgi --script file.r script args here
Type usage at the REBOL prompt to view the command line arguments.
The CGI variations were added because HTTP servers often append the remainder of a URL to the command line. CGI runs in quiet mode unless an error occurs which is then printed to stdout so the user can report the problem to the webmaster.
To accommodate setting multiple options, you can also provide multiple characters at the command prompt. For example,
-cs ;sets CGI mode with security off (security defaults ON) -sq ;sets security off and the quiet mode on -sqw ;sets security off, quiet mode on, and the window off
A concise REBOL Dictionary can be built using the rebdoc.r script that came with your version of REBOL. To build the HTML file:
do %rebdoc.r
To build a 100+ page REBOL Dictionary in HTML format, download the script reboldoc.r from our website, then:
do %reboldoc.r
It will compile an HTML document that includes all REBOL words, their arguments, concise and extended descriptions, examples, and links to related words. The REBOL-generated document is twice as large as the REBOL program!
Alternately, you can download the dictionary in HTML format from our website.
REBOL/core 2.1 offers five user-selected levels of security. The secure native allows you to change the security level of scripts with an argument:
none ;turns off security and allows all operations read ;secures against write access, prompting the user ask ;prompts the user to read or write throw ;denies the operation and provides an error trap to the script quit ;denies the operation and quits the program
The default security level when running REBOL is read. That is, by default REBOL allows the reading of files and network connections, but does not allow writing files or sending to the network. To lower the security level and allow writing to files and the network, you can execute REBOL with either of these command line options:
REBOL -s REBOL --secure none
In addition, you can add a line to your user.r file and other scripts to request a security level different from the current settings. For instance:
secure none
And you will be prompted each time to approve the change of security before the script will continue.
Here are some examples of directory references:
%/Volume/Directory/File ;path to a file %/ ;root of current volume %//path/ ;root of system %path ;relative to current directory %../path ;up one level from current dir %. ;current directory
To find the name of the current directory::
what-dir
To view a directory listing, enter the following:
list-dir %mydir/ ;or whatever directory you want
You can use the helpfunction to get the description, arguments, and refinements for all functions. Type help and the function name at the prompt:
>> help cosine Returns the trigonometric cosine in degrees. Arguments: value -- (number) Refinements: /radians -- Value is specified in radians.
To get a list of all functions with arguments, type what at the REBOL prompt.
You can view the interface specification of any native or mezzanine (higher level system) function. For example,
source bind bind: native [ "Binds words to a specified context." words [block! word!] "A block of words or single word." known-word [word!] "A sample word from the target context." /copy "Deep copies block before binding it." ]source join join: func [ "Concatenates values." value "Base value" rest "Value or block of values" ][ value: either series? value [copy value] [form value] append value reduce rest ]
You can upgrade to the latest version of REBOL by typing upgrade at the REBOL prompt. It will access the REBOL web site, compare the version you are currently using with a table of the latest available version for your platform, then ask if you wish to download it.
path? xyz Script Error: xyz has no value Where: path? xyz
Here are the changes made to this version since version 2.0.0:
REBOL Technologies (REBOL) hereby grants you a non-exclusive and non-transferable license to use the Software and Documentation for the purpose of designing, developing, writing, testing and running computer software applications. If you do not agree with the terms herein, then do not use the software.
The Software and Documentation are licensed, not sold, to you. REBOL retains all right, title and interest in and to the Software including, without limitation, all intellectual property rights relating to or embodied in the Software and Documentation.
You may not remove from the Software or alter or add to its copyright, trademark and other proprietary rights notices contained in the Software. You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the Software.
You agree to use the Software in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations including all laws governing the export or re-export of the Software. You agree to indemnify REBOL from and against your violation of any such laws or regulations.
THE SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NONINFRINGEMENT OR FITNESS FOR PARTICULAR USE OR PURPOSE.
IN NO EVENT SHALL REBOL OR ITS SUPPLIERS OR RESELLERS BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY OTHER PERSON FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS OR DATA, ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR USE OF THE SOFTWARE. IN NO EVENT WILL REBOL BE LIABLE FOR (a) ANY DAMAGES IN EXCESS OF THE AMOUNT REBOL RECEIVED FROM YOU FOR A LICENSE TO THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF REBOL HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES AND NOTWITHSTANDING THE FAILURE OF ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF ANY REMEDY, OR (b) FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY THIRD PARTY.
This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of California. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable. This Agreement may only be modified in writing signed by both parties.
REBOL can be contacted at www.REBOL.com.