Quick Start Guide
The Basics
The following instructions should get you up and running with a basic workflow in the Dyalog development environment.
Installation
Microsoft Windows
Download the installer, extract the contents and double click on setup*.exe
Dyalog strongly recommends installing with administrator privileges.
More information: Dyalog for Microsoft Windows Installation and Configuration Guide.
macOS
Download the installer and double click the .pkg file.
More information: Dyalog for macOS Installation and Configuration Guide.
Linux
Download the interpreter installer.
Some desktop environments allow you to double click on the installer, otherwise:
Debian etc.: sudo dpkg --install linux_64*.deb
Fedora etc.: sudo rpm --install linux_64*.rpm
Debian etc.: sudo dpkg --install ride*.deb
Fedora etc.: sudo rpm --install ride*.rpm
More information: Dyalog for UNIX Installation and Configuration Guide.
Raspberry Pi
We support only 32-bit Buster or later but not Bookworm.
wget -O - https://packages.dyalog.com/dyalog-apt-key.gpg.key | sudo apt-key add -
CODENAME=$(lsb_release -sc)
echo "deb https://packages.dyalog.com ${CODENAME} main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/dyalog.list
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install dyalog-unicodeMore information: Dyalog APT Repository website.
Using Dyalog
The notes below describe the basics of writing code and saving your work. For a more detailed walkthrough of installing Dyalog and beginning to use the development environments, see Chapter 2 of Mastering Dyalog APL.
Interactive Session (REPL)
Videos: Overview of the Windows IDE or Overview of Ride.
When you start Dyalog, you are met with a blank area with a text cursor. This is the Session window. From here you can interact with the interpreter. Type APL expressions (usually indented by 6 spaces) and press Enter to see their results:
2 + 3
5
Create, trace, edit and continue
Video: Editing and Debugging Dyalog APL
Type the name of your function and press Shift+Enter.
You can now write the function’s definition. See APL Course: User-defined Functions for details.
Pressing Esc will close the editor and save your changes in the currently active workspace.
Use Ctrl+Enter to trace through the function line-by-line.
Video: Useful (Keyboard) Shortcuts
Save your work
Choose a folder to save your work:
]LINK.Create # /tmp/MyProject
Linked: # ←→ C:\tmp\MyProject [directory was created]
From now on, when you make a change using the Editor (after closing it with Esc), a file in that folder will be created or updated.
Variables and dfns defined using the assignment arrow in the session are not saved to a linked folder by default. Use ]LINK.Add mything to save the source for mything with your code.
Tacit functions cannot be saved as text source, they must be wrapped in a tradfn or dfn.
Quit Dyalog
Use ⎕OFF to exit Dyalog.
Resume your work
]LINK.Create # /tmp/MyProject again (you can click on the line from before and press Enter) to resume working on the code you saved earlier. 
