Your first program

Create hello.goblin:

print("Hello, world!")

To write the same kind of line to stderr (for warnings or diagnostics), use eprint instead of print.

Goblin does not require a main function. Statements at the top level run in order. Add a comment with # when you need to explain a line:

# A program may have more than one top-level statement.
var audience = "world"
print("Hello,", audience)

Run it directly

$ goblin run hello.goblin
Hello, world!

run parses and interprets the file. It is the usual command during development. If parsing, semantic checking, or execution fails, the command reports the source location and exits with an error.

Compile an executable

$ goblin build-exe hello.goblin
$ ./hello
Hello, world!

By default the output name is derived from the source file. Specify a path with -o when needed:

$ goblin build-exe -o bin/hello hello.goblin

build-exe requires a working Go toolchain because it invokes go build after generating Go source. The output path may be absolute or relative to the current directory.

Use the REPL

Goblin also includes an interactive REPL:

$ goblin repl
>>> print("Hello, world!")
Hello, world!

The REPL saves history. Its prompt changes to ... while you enter a multi-line function or block. Press Ctrl-D to exit.

Use the REPL for small experiments. Definitions stay available for the rest of the session:

>>> var answer = 42
>>> answer + 1
43