Getting Started

Installation

Elle is written in Rust and requires cargo to build. Clone the repository and build the interpreter:

git clone https://github.com/elle-lisp/elle.git
cd elle
cargo build --release

The compiled binary will be at ./target/release/elle. You can add it to your PATH or use it directly.

Running a Script

Create a file hello.lisp with your Elle code:

(print "Hello, Elle!")
(println)

Run it with:

./target/release/elle hello.lisp

You can also make scripts executable with a shebang:

#!/usr/bin/env elle
(print "Hello from a script!")
(println)

Your First Program

Let's write a program that demonstrates a few core features. Create greet.lisp:

# A greeting program
(def name "World")
(def greeting (-> "Hello, " (append name) (append "!")))
(println greeting)

Run it:

./target/release/elle greet.lisp

Output:

Hello, World!

Basic Syntax

Elle uses S-expressions with prefix notation. Comments start with #.

Next Steps

Now that you've got Elle running, explore: