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Cookbook

Console

The Rye console is an interactive environment for evaluating Rye code and exploring the language. It provides specialized functions for navigating contexts, discovering available functions, and understanding the structure of your program’s environment.

Entering the Rye console

When you start Rye with the rye command, you enter the interactive console. A new context is created with the builtin functions available as the parent context.

$ rye
Welcome to Rye console
x> ; your cursor will be here

Exploring contexts

The Rye environment is organized around contexts - containers for words (variables and functions). You can navigate and explore these contexts using console-specific functions.

List current context

Use lc (list context) to see what’s defined in your current context:

x> lc
Empty context
[Bool: true]    ; the returned value

List parent context

Use lcp (list context parent) to see the builtin functions available:

x> lcp
Context: Context of builtins
 ^check: [BFunction(2): Returning Check. (core) (^check)]
 ^fail: [BFunction(1): Returning Fail. (core) (^fail)]
 ^fix: [BFunction(2): Fix as a returning function. If Arg 1 is failure, do the block and return to caller. (core) (^fix)]
 _+: [Pure BFunction(2): Adds or joins two values together (Integers, Strings, Uri-s and Blocks) (core) (_+)]
 _-: [Pure BFunction(2): Subtracts two numbers. (core) (_-)]
 _*: [Pure BFunction(2): Multiplies two numbers. (core) (_*)]
 ...and hundreds more...

Filtering context listings

Use lc\ with a string to filter functions by name:

x> lc\ "print"
Context: Context of builtins
 print: [BFunction(1): Prints a value and adds a newline. (core) (print)]
 print\csv: [BFunction(1): Prints CSV formatted output. (core) (print\csv)]
 print\json: [BFunction(1): Prints JSON formatted output. (core) (print\json)]
 printv: [BFunction(2): Prints a value with custom formatting. (core) (printv)]

Filter by value type using a word:

x> lc\ 'context
Context: Context of builtins
 math: [Context: Mathematical functions]
 os: [Context: Operating system functions]
 pipes: [Context: Pipeline functions]

Change to a context

Use cc (change context) to move into a specific context:

x> cc math
x> lc
Context: Mathematical context
 sin: [BFunction(1): Sine function]
 cos: [BFunction(1): Cosine function]
 ...

Change to parent context

Use ccp (change context to parent) to move up one level:

x> ccp
; Returns the context you're moving from
x> lc
; Now shows the parent context

Generic functions

Rye supports generic functions that dispatch based on the type of their first argument. These are listed separately from regular functions.

List generic functions

Use lg (list generic) to see generic functions that work with specific types:

x> lg 'table
Context: Generic functions for tables
 query: [BFunction: Executes SQL queries on tables]
 where-equal: [BFunction: Filters table rows by equality]
 add-row: [BFunction: Adds rows to tables]
 ...

Filter generic functions

Use lg\ to filter generic functions by both type and name:

x> lg\ 'file "read"
Context: Generic functions for files
 read-string: [BFunction: Reads file content as string]
 read-lines: [BFunction: Reads file content as lines]
 ...

Use lg with a string to find all generic functions related to that concept:

x> lg "http"
Context: Generic functions
 query: [BFunction: HTTP query functions for various types]
 request: [BFunction: HTTP request functions]
 ...

Console keyboard shortcuts

The Rye console supports various keyboard shortcuts for efficient editing and navigation:

Tab completion

Press Tab to auto-complete function names, variables, and context words:

x> pri<Tab>
; Expands to available completions:
; print, print\csv, print\json, printv

x> math/<Tab>
; Shows available functions in math context:
; sin, cos, tan, sqrt, ...

Control key commands

  • Ctrl+A: Move cursor to beginning of line
  • Ctrl+E: Move cursor to end of line
  • Ctrl+B: Move cursor backward (left) one character
  • Ctrl+F: Move cursor forward (right) one character
  • Ctrl+D: Delete character under cursor (or exit console if line is empty)
  • Ctrl+K: Delete from cursor to end of line
  • Ctrl+U: Delete from cursor to beginning of line
  • Ctrl+W: Delete word before cursor
  • Ctrl+L: Clear screen
  • Ctrl+C: Interrupt current input and start fresh prompt
  • Ctrl+X: Execute incomplete code block or multi-line input
  • Ctrl+P: Previous command in history (up arrow)
  • Ctrl+N: Next command in history (down arrow)

Multi-line input

Use Ctrl+X to execute multi-line code blocks when the parser detects incomplete input:

x> list {
   1 2 3
<incomplete>... 4 5 6
<incomplete>... }<Ctrl+X>
[List: [1 2 3 4 5 6]]

Advanced context exploration

Get context data

Use lc\data to get context contents as a data structure instead of printing:

x> words: lc\data
x> words |each { print . }
; Programmatically process all words in context

Clone and modify contexts

Create copies of contexts for experimentation:

x> my-ctx: context { x: 100 y: 200 }
x> modified-ctx: clone\ my-ctx { z: x + y }
x> modified-ctx/z
[Integer: 300]

Tips for effective console use

  • Use Tab completion frequently to discover available functions and avoid typos
  • Use lc\ with search terms to quickly find functions related to your task
  • Use lg to discover generic functions that work with specific data types
  • The console maintains command history - use Ctrl+P/Ctrl+N to recall previous commands
  • Use enter-console "description" within your programs to drop into a debugging console
  • Remember that Ctrl+X can execute incomplete multi-line blocks
  • Use Ctrl+L to clear the screen when output gets cluttered

The Rye console is designed for exploration and experimentation - don’t hesitate to try functions and inspect the environment to learn how the language works!