This folder contains the source code of the C++ implementation of the MiniScript scripting language, including the command-line host program.

MiniScript is built with CMake. You can generate your desired flavour of build files as usual from either the CMake GUI or using cmake on the command line. If you are unfamiliar with CMake and want to build right now, use the GUI, or follow the command-line steps below.

1. Clone minimicro-sysdisk in the same directory as this repository (so minimicro-sysdisk and miniscript should be folders next to each other, with this directory (MiniScript-cpp) in miniscript). We use a lot of the same libraries as Mini Micro, so having both of them next to each other lets us avoid having 2 copies of the same library.

2. Create a directory in this (MiniScript-cpp) folder called build. (Don't worry, it will be ignored by git.)

3. cd build to change to that build directory.

4. cmake ../.. (or on Windows, cmake ..\..) to generate a makefile and related files in the build directory.

5. cmake --build . --config Release to actually do the build.

If successful, you should find an executable called miniscript (or miniscript.exe on Windows) which you can install (see Installation, below). You'll also find a shared library (libminiscript-cpp.a, miniscript-cpp.lib, or similar) for you to link to in your own projects if you like. You can even include() the CMakeLists.txt of this project inside your own for clean dependency management.

If you are only interested in the C# edition of MiniScript, there is a project file provided in the respective directory.

Options can be controlled in the usual way - either within the CMake GUI or by passing -D<OPTION>=ON from your terminal.

This option controls whether or not unit tests binaries are built and added to CTest. For an overview of the flags passed to the binaries to cause them to execute tests, take a look in the testing section at the bottom of the CMakeLists.txt - however, rather than doing this, you can simply run ctest after building. Most IDEs integrate with CMake/CTest and will detect the tests. If you generated a multi-configuration build (such as a VS project) you would need to run ctest -C <Debug/Release>

You can copy (or symlink) the miniscript executable anywhere in your search path, and either put the lib folder next to it, or point to the lib folder with an environment variable (see below). For a standard Unix/Linux-style installation, and assuming you are currently in the build folder:

1. ln -s "$(pwd)/miniscript" /usr/local/bin/miniscript to get a symbolic link into the /usr/local/bin folder

2. ln -s ../lib lib to put a link to the lib folder next to the executable.

The lib folder contains importable scripts (modules) for use with the import command. MiniScript will look for these in any directory in the MS_IMPORT_PATH environment variable. If undefined, a value of $MS_SCRIPT_DIR:$MS_SCRIPT_DIR/lib:$MS_EXE_DIR/lib will be used — that is, it will look for import modules first next to the current script, then in a lib folder next to the current script, and finally in a lib folder next to the executable.

The installation steps in the previous section place (a symbolic link to) the lib folder next to the executable, which will be found via $MS_EXE_DIR/lib.

To ensure you've correctly built and installed command-line MiniScript:

1. cd to your home directory, or any other place on your system
2. miniscript should launch command-line MiniScript, looking something like:

MiniScript 
Command-Line (Unix) v1.21; language v1.6.1 (Jun 30 2023)
> 

3. import "dateTime" (at the MiniScript > prompt) should return no errors
4. dateTime.now should print the current date and time
5. exit (or contral-D) should exit MiniScript and return you to the shell.