Introduction

This manual is an introduction to and reference for the language of Glyphic Codeworks: Glyphic Script.  If you have not done the Glyphic Codeworks Tutorial, and have no familiarity with Glyphic Codeworks, then you should do the Tutorial before reading this document.  This is because this manual will direct you to try out examples with the system.

Glyphic Script is a modern, object oriented, language.  Glyphic Script has objects, message passing, inheritance and a unified object model.  While all these concepts may sound complicated, they actually combine to produce a simple, easy to use and understand system.  It is easier than languages like C or Basic because it is very consistent and has only a few concepts to learn.

This manual is in four sections.  The first section teaches each aspect of the language in turn.  In this section you will be writing and executing scripts and creating objects, so you should have a running version of the system with you as you read it.  The second section explains, with examples, each of the standard objects the language provides such as numbers, strings and groups.  You could read this section straight through, or come back to it as your interests and needs arise.  The third  section contains a number of separate advanced topics.  You can read these any time after mastering the basics of the language.  [This section of the manual is not yet written ].  The fourth section is a terse refernce to the language.

Typographic Conventions

Code examples in manual are set in a sans-serif font like this:

a := text count "e".

how many e’s are in the text?

In Glyphic Script, formatting is important.  When you see examples, enter them exactly as you see them, with bold and italics.  However, anything in italics is treated as comments and ignored by the system, so you don’t have to enter those.  See the Procedures Manual or the Quick Reference Card for special features Glyphic Codeworks has for entering formatted text.

In some code examples, the result of executing the code is shown on the right, after an arrow.  Only the text before the arrow is part of the expression that should by entered and executed:

3 + 4
ﬁ 7

!!
Paragraphs that contain important pointers or information to carefully follow are preceded by double exclamation points, like this paragraph.

»
Paragraphs that contain supplementary or more in depth information are preceded by double angle brackets, like this paragraph.  This information need only be read if interesting to you.

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