Getting Started

Installation

To get started with Latimer, use the latimer command-line binary to run your code. Platform-specific binaries are available as follows:

• latimer-version-linux-x86_64 for Linux
• latimer-version-macos-universal for macOS (supports both Intel and Apple Silicon)
• latimer-version-windows-amd64.exe for Windows

You can download the appropriate binary from the lateset release.

Creating a “Hello World”

To write your first Latimer script, create a new file with the .lat extension. For this example, we’ll create a file called hello_world.lat.

Latimer does not require a main() function to execute a program. Instead, it executes all statements in the global scope, in the order they appear.

void hello_world[]() {
    print("Hello World!");
}

hello_world();

In the example above, we define a function named hello_world with no captured variables ([]) and no parameters (()). The function is then called from the global scope.

Running the “Hello World”

To run the script, use the latimer binary. Assuming the binary is in the same directory as hello_world.lat, run the program with:

$ ./latimer hello_world.lat
Hello World!

Next Steps

Congratulations on writing your first Latimer program! If you want to explore more, consider checking out:

• Explore rest of the documentation for a deeper look at Latimer’s features and internals.
• Check out the Latimer GitHub repository to browse the source code or contribute via pull request.

Getting Help

If you’re stuck or have questions, there are a few ways to get support:

• Browse or post in GitHub Discussions — Ask for help, share ideas, or show off what you’re building.
• Open an issue on GitHub Issues — If you think you’ve found a bug or something’s not working as expected.
• Read the full documentation — You might find what you’re looking for in the language guide or native functions docs.

Latimer is being built in the open, so don’t hesitate to reach out or contribute!