Documentation Centre

This page contains links to the Dyalog APL 14.0 documentation plus selected on-line resources.

Accessing the pdfs linked to on this page requires Adobe Reader, which can be downloaded from here.

To enable access to the online help files downloaded from this page, right-click on each downloaded .chm file in Microsoft Windows explorer, select Properties from the drop-down menu and click Unblock.

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the information provided in these documents assumes a Microsoft Windows installation of Dyalog APL version 14.0 Unicode edition with ⎕ML set to 1.

Table of Contents

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Dyalog APL 101

New to APL? This is the place to start! The information provided in these documents introduces Dyalog APL to new APLers.

  • Dyalog APL Starter Guide (pdf)

  • This document is intended as an introduction to Dyalog APL for beginners. The information provided in this document is not a tutorial and does not go into detail on how to code using Dyalog APL; rather it introduces some of the concepts, conventions and terminology that should help a Dyalog APL novice when first starting out and when working through the remainder of the Dyalog APL documentation. The content of this document is not exhaustive and some of the subjects have been simplified to aid a Dyalog APL novice.

    It is assumed that the reader has a reasonable understanding of mathematics and possesses basic computer skills. No prior knowledge of Dyalog APL is required.

Core Documentation

These documents describe Dyalog APL in its entirety, including installation procedures, using the user interface, the minutiae of the language, efficient program construction and interfaces between Dyalog APL and Microsoft Windows.

  • Dyalog APL Installation and Configuration Guide (pdf)

  • This document covers the installation procedure and configuration options for Dyalog APL. It details the parameters that can be used to customise individual instances, the creation of executables and run-time applications, use of the command line and the Dyalog APL Dynamic Link Library, as well as describing the recovery process if a system error is encountered.

    It is assumed that the reader has xxx.
  • Dyalog APL Language Reference Guide (pdf) (olh)

  • This document details the individual elements that form the 'vocabulary' of the APL language. It explains every primitive function, primitive operator, system function, system variable, system command and error message in Dyalog APL.

    It is assumed that the reader has a reasonable understanding of both mathematics and Dyalog APL.
  • Dyalog APL Programmer's Reference Guide (pdf) (olh)

  • This document details the syntax that forms the 'grammar' of the APL language. It describes the viable values that can be used in expressions and explains how the individual language elements can be manipulated through defined functions and operators, control structures and object oriented programming, as well as the way in which multi-threading can be implemented.

    It is assumed that the reader has a reasonable understanding of both mathematics and Dyalog APL.
  • Dyalog APL User Guide (pdf)

  • This document introduces the Dyalog APL user interface. It describes the windows, menu options, built-in tools and customisation possibilities that are available and explains the programming techniques, file storage mechanisms, integrity checking features and error trapping concepts available with Dyalog APL.

    It is assumed that the reader has a basic understanding of software terminology and a reasonable knowledge of Dyalog APL.
  • Dyalog APL Object Reference Guide (pdf)

  • This document describes the complete set of objects, properties, events and methods through which Dyalog APL supports the creation of a Graphical User Interface. This document should be read in conjunction with the Dyalog APL Interface Guide.

    It is assumed that the reader has a reasonable knowledge of Dyalog APL.
  • Dyalog APL Interface Guide (pdf)

  • This document describes various interfaces between Dyalog APL and Microsoft Windows, including the Multiple Document Interface (MDI) and docking, the TCP/IP interface and the internet and the Component Object Model (COM) interface and other Microsoft Windows applications. It also describes the underlying concepts, implementation rules and graphical resources available when creating a user interface using Dyalog APL. This document should be read in conjunction with the Dyalog APL Object Reference Guide.

    It is assumed that the reader has xxx.
  • Dyalog APL DotNet Interface Guide (pdf)

  • This document describes the Dyalog APL interface to the Microsoft .NET Framework. The information provided in this document does not explain the features of the .NET Framework except in terms of their APL interfaces; rather it xxx.

    It is assumed that the reader has a working knowledge of Dyalog APL, familiarity with the .NET Framework and a basic understanding of OO methodologies.

UNIX-Specific Documentation

These documents cover the differences from the Core Documentation when running Dyalog APL on various UNIX platforms, for example, AIX or Linux distribution. The information provided in these documents supplements that given in the Core Documentation; in cases where the information given is different between these documents and the Core Documentation, these documents should be regarded as the definitive source for Dyalog APL on UNIX.

  • Dyalog APL for UNIX Installation and Configuration Guide (pdf)

  • This document covers the installation procedure and configuration options for Dyalog APL on a UNIX platform. It details the environment variables that can be used to customise individual instances, the requirements for using the PuTTY terminal emulator and the upgrade and uninstall procedures.

    It is assumed that the reader has a basic knowledge of UNIX and software terminology; a working knowledge of Dyalog APL is useful but not essential.
  • Dyalog APL for UNIX User Guide (pdf)

  • This document highlights specific differences between the behaviour of Dyalog APL under Microsoft Windows (as covered in the Core Documentation) and under UNIX platforms. It also describes the different input windows available and the keystrokes that can be used within them, how commands can be entered and the (configurable) keycode-keystroke mappings.

    It is assumed that the reader has a basic knowledge of UNIX and a working knowledge of Dyalog APL.
  • Dyalog APL for Raspberry Pi User Guide (pdf)

  • This document is intended for anyone who wants to run Dyalog APL on a Raspberry Pi. The information provided in this document supplements that given in the Dyalog APL for UNIX Installation and Configuration Guide and the Dyalog APL for UNIX User Guide. In cases where the information given is different between these documents, this document should be regarded as the definitive source for Dyalog APL on the Raspberry Pi.

    It is assumed that the reader has a basic understanding of Linux on the Raspberry Pi. No prior knowledge of Dyalog APL is required.

Tools Documentation

The tools described by these documents can be used to supplement Dyalog APL's core functionality; they can enable a developer to produce code more efficiently, provide an interface to other software/platforms or be integrated and deployed in an application.

  • Dyalog APL Causeway Reference Guide (olh)

  • This document is a complete guide to Causeway, the development environment that removes the administrative load of maintaining a user interface from the application programmer. It details the xxx.

    It is assumed that the reader has a reasonable understanding of Dyalog APL.
  • Dyalog APL Conga Reference Guide (pdf)

  • This document is a complete guide to Conga, Dyalog’s framework for TCP/IP communications. It describes the tools with which Conga can be used to create a variety of clients and servers using protocols based on TCP/IP, including HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, Telnet and SMTP. It covers Conga support for secure communications (using SSL/TLS) and communication between APL processes (allowing them to exchange native APL data directly). It also introduces the Conga workspace, which includes a comprehensive collection of samples showing the implementation of various types of servers and clients, and contains a technical reference of the namespaces, classes and functions provided with Conga.

    It is assumed that the reader has xxx.
  • Dyalog APL MiServer Reference Guide (pdf)

  • This document is a complete guide to MiServer, an APL open source web server that brings the power of APL to the web. It takes a user through the complete webpage creation process, from installation and configuration of MiServer to interacting with a completed website. In addition it covers customising the look and functionality of your website through the use of cascading style sheets (CSS) and a variety of Javascript/jQuery-based widgets. It also provides examples to use as the basis for a new website and contains a technical reference of the namespaces, classes and functions provided with MiServer.

    It is assumed that the reader has a reasonable understanding of Dyalog APL; a working knowledge of HTML is useful but not essential.
  • Dyalog APL NewLeaf Reference Guide (olh)

  • This document is a complete guide to NewLeaf, the frame-based publishing tool that enables high-quality printed output to be generated from simple APL arrays. It details the Designer user interface, syntax and page design elements that combine to allow complete customisation of the output and includes a tutorial that walks through the process of constructing progressively more sophisticated tables. It also explains the namespaces, objects and properties supplied with the NewLeaf workspace.

    It is assumed that the reader has a reasonable understanding of Dyalog APL.
  • Dyalog APL PEACH Reference Guide (pdf)

  • This document is a complete guide to the parallel workspace, which enables Dyalog application programmers to make use of multiple cores on one or more computers. It uses examples to show how performance can be enhanced, covers the way in which slave processes can be created and managed and describes the procedure for tuning and debugging within the parallel workspace. It also explains the namespaces, parallel operators and functions provided with the parallel workspace.

    It is assumed that the reader has a reasonable understanding of Dyalog APL.
  • Dyalog APL R Interface Guide (pdf)

  • This document is a complete guide to RConnect, the interface between APL and R, the integrated programming language and software environment for statistical computing and graphics. xxx.

    It is assumed that the reader has a reasonable understanding of Dyalog APL. No prior knowledge of R is required.
  • Dyalog APL SALT Reference Guide (pdf)

  • This document is a complete guide to SALT - the Simple APL Library Toolkit - and explains its functions, their syntax, modifiers and modifier values.

    It is assumed that the reader has a reasonable understanding of Dyalog APL.
  • Dyalog APL SAWS Reference Guide (pdf)

  • This document is a complete guide to SAWS, the Stand-Alone Web Service framework that facilitates the sharing of functionality developed in Dyalog APL using Web Services and enables the integration of functionality from external Web Services into an APL application. It describes how SAWS can be used to build and run a Web Service that can then be shared over a local network, intranet or the Internet. It also covers the way in which SAWS can be integrated with an application and explains the namespaces, functions and common data structures provided with SAWS.

    It is assumed that the reader has a basic knowledge of Web Services and a reasonable understanding of Dyalog APL.
  • Dyalog APL SQAPL Interface Guide (pdf)

  • This document is a complete guide to SQAPL, the interface between APL and database drivers that conform to the Microsoft ODBC specification. It describes the way in which SQAPL can be integrated with an application, details the objects and data types supported by SQAPL and explains the functions (both high-level and low-level) provided with SQAPL

    It is assumed that the reader has xxx and a reasonable understanding of Dyalog APL.
  • Dyalog APL User Commands Reference Guide (pdf)

  • This document is a complete guide to user commands. It describes how to create and implement new user commands and provides a summary of the user commands supplied with Dyalog APL.

    It is assumed that the reader has xxx.
  • Dyalog APL Application Tuning Guide (pdf)

  • This document describes the way in which the ⎕PROFILE system function and the associated ]PROFILE user command can be used to obtain a performance profile of an application. It describes both the graphical and textual output that can be obtained following data collection and shows how this data can be analysed and potential inefficiencies identified.

    It is assumed that the reader has a reasonable understanding of Dyalog APL.
  • Dyalog APL Workspace Transfer Guide (pdf)

  • This document describes the steps that are involved in moving code and data, either from a different dialect of APL to Dyalog APL or from one version of Dyalog APL to an earlier version. It also provides examples of importing workspaces created in APL2, APLX or APL+Win into Dyalog APL.

    It is assumed that the reader has xxx.

Cheat Sheets

These short (one or two pages) documents comprise brief summaries of some of the terminology, syntax and conventions used in Dyalog APL.

  • Nomenclature: Functions and Operators (pdf)
  • Component Files (pdf)
  • Native Files (pdf)
  • Nameclasses and Subclasses (⎕NC) (pdf)
  • SALT Functions: Syntax (pdf)
  • Binding Strengths (pdf)
  • Control Structures (pdf)
  • Error Codes (pdf)

Release Notes

These documents cover the changes made to Dyalog APL and some of its supported tools since the first release of Dyalog 13.2.

  • SALT version 2.40 Release Notes (pdf)

  • This document describes the changes and new features in SALT version 2.40 (released with the first release of Dyalog APL version 14.0) compared with SALT version 2.31 (released with the first release of Dyalog APL version 13.2).
  • User Commands version 1.33 Release Notes (pdf)

  • This document describes the changes and new features in User Commands version 1.33 (released with the first release of Dyalog APL version 14.0) compared with User Commands version 1.29 (released with the first release of Dyalog APL version 13.2).

Documentation Zip Files

introduction

  • All 14.0 documentation (zip)
  • Limited set of 14.0 documentation with white-on-black colour scheme (zip)

Previous Releases

Dyalog supports a limited number of previous releases of Dyalog APL; this section contains the links to the documentation for these releases.