17.3.4 Installing a Language

► |  | The Racket Guide

1 | Welcome to Racket
2 | Racket Essentials
3 | Built-In Datatypes
4 | Expressions and Definitions
5 | Programmer-Defined Datatypes
6 | Modules
7 | Contracts
8 | Input and Output
9 | Regular Expressions
10 | Exceptions and Control
11 | Iterations and Comprehensions
12 | Pattern Matching
13 | Classes and Objects
14 | Units (Components)
15 | Reflection and Dynamic Evaluation
16 | Macros
17 | Creating Languages
18 | Performance
19 | Running and Creating Executables
20 | More Libraries
21 | Dialects of Racket and Scheme
22 | Command-Line Tools and Your Editor of Choice
| Bibliography
| Index

► | 17 | Creating Languages

17.1 | Module Languages
17.2 | Reader Extensions
17.3 | Defining new #lang Languages

▼ | 17.3 | Defining new #lang Languages

17.3.1 | Designating a #lang Language
17.3.2 | Using #lang reader
17.3.3 | Using #lang s-exp syntax/ module-reader
17.3.4 | Installing a Language
17.3.5 | Source-Handling Configuration
17.3.6 | Module-Handling Configuration

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##### 17.3.4`` Installing a Language

So far, we have used the reader meta-language to access languages like "literal.rkt" and "dollar-racket.rkt". If you want to use something like #lang literal directly, then you must move "literal.rkt" into a Racket collection named "literal".

There are two ways to create the "literal" collection (see also Adding Collections):

- You can create a directory either in the main Racket installation or in a user-specific directory. Use find-collects-dir or find-user-collects-dir from setup/dirs to find the directory:

  > > (require setup/dirs)
  > > (find-user-collects-dir)
  > #<path:/home/racketeer/.racket/5.3.6/collects>

  Move "literal.rkt" to "literal/lang/reader.rkt" within the directory reported by find-collects-dir or find-user-collects-dir. That is, the file "literal.rkt" must be renamed to "reader.rkt" and placed in a "lang" sub-directory of the "literal" collection.

  > .... (the main installation or the user’s space)
  > |- "collects"
  > |- "literal"
  > |- "lang"
  > |- "reader.rkt"

- Alternatively, move "literal.rkt" to "literal/lang/reader.rkt" for any directory name "literal". Then, in the directory that contains "literal", use the command line

  raco link literal

  to register the "literal" directory as the "literal" collection.

After moving the file, you can use literal directly after #lang:

> #lang literal
> Technology!
> System!
> Perfect!

> > > See raco: Racket Command-Line Tools for more information on using raco.

You can also package a collection for others to install by using the raco pack command-line tool:

raco pack --collect literal.plt literal

Then, others can install the "literal" collection using raco setup:

raco setup -A literal.plt

> > > See PLaneT: Automatic Package Distribution for more information about PLaneT packages.

Another approach is to distribute your language as a PLaneT package. A drawback of using a PLaneT package is that users must type #lang planet followed by a PLaneT path to access the language. The advantages are that the PLaneT package can be installed automatically, it can be versioned, and it co-exists more easily with other packages.

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