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Euphoria for Newbies

This is a list of steps, or 'kit', to help anyone who has not programmed before, or has a little programming experience (but not with Euphoria) get started with Euphoria. Its not intended to teach you how to program in 3 easy steps (contrary to what RDS says, all programming languages require some effort to learn, even though Euphoria is remarkably clear and logical), but how to get you started, so you can begin your learning journey (grasshopper!)

Note - this applies to the windows version of euphoria, the Linux version is a little more complicated.

{short description of image}Step 1 - download and install euphoria

Go to RDS' web site, and download euphoria - its a self installing program, that should set up your environment variables for your computer - download it from here if you haven't gone to RDS' website and already done so.

{short description of image} Step 2 - test the download

Euphoria developed from a 1989(ish) DOS based language, and it still retains many of these features. Consequently the first test of a 'virgin' Euphoria install will have to be run from DOS - this will ensure you have the basic setup created corrctly.

Open a dos box (start > run > type 'command' (without the quotes) ). See that black box, with something like

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That's DOS - believe it or not, in the olden days, thats all some computers had

Now type

it should ask you for a file name - just press return for now, the paths are working.

Now type

Ed (the euphoria text editor), is now in the box, with the euphoria program buzz.ex loaded into it. to run the program, press

Congratulations, you've just run your first euphoria program. Try out the others this way.

{short description of image}Step 2 - make sure that windows associations are set

Close the dos box. Open 'My computer' (right click explore is better), and navigate to the \euphoria\demo directory. Click on a file with an extension .ex - eg csort.ex. If the program runs, then associations for .ex are sorted. If they don't, then associate the files with \euphoria\bin\ex.exe (in the folder go to Tools, folder options, file types, new, and fill out the fields)

{short description of image} Step 3 - start using a windows text editor

Whatever you feel comfortable with will do - even Notepad, but that has no in-built program launching facility. Here's some choices

This is not an exhaustive list whatever you feel comfortable with, use.

{short description of image} Step 4 - download the windows tools to start writing windows code

This is quite an advanced bit, so pay attention. Download these two files from the linked sites

Unzip them into the euphoria folder, it should look like this :-

\EUPHORIA\w32006006 (that last number may change, according to the version number)

\EUPHORIA\IDE18-6P (same again, the version number changes quite regularly)

There will be more directories (or folders if you prefer) below these.

Some purists will baulk at what I'm going to do next, but its easier for newbies to do. Navigate to the win32lib\include folder, and copy everything in there into the \euphoria\include folder. There is another way, but this will get you going quicker. You have now put the windows library files into the include folder so that euphoria windows programs can access them.

{short description of image} Step 5 - try out euphoria on windows

Navigate (using explorer) to the \euphoria\win32lib\demo folder, and launch rundemos.exw. If it doesn't launch when you click or double click, and this file does not have the little euphoria icon, then you need to associate the files (again), but this time .exw with \euphoria\bin\exw.exe.

Now try the demos in this program.

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Thats just about it. If you want any help there are several places to go.

  1. Read the documentation (in the doc and html folders). Read the 'what to do' document.
  2. If you have never done any programming, there are several of us (on an entirely voluntary basis) who will mentor / tutor you through your first steps with programming - go to the Euphoria board and sign up.
  3. There is a very active discussion list, newbies are very well tolerated, sometimes the humour takes a little getting used to, but I have never known anyone to be deliberately nasty or rude. Don't be shy - chip in. Go here

Other tutorial sites

Have lots of fun

Chris Burch