Usage

Basic Usage

Create Your First Hulo Program

Create a file named hello.hl:

hello.hl

echo "Hello, Hulo!"

Compile and Run

# Compile to Bash script
hulo hello.hl -t bash

# Compile to PowerShell script
hulo hello.hl -t powershell

# Compile to VBScript
hulo hello.hl -t vbs

# Run directly (defaults to current platform script)
hulo hello.hl

Command Line Options

hulo [options] <file>

Options:
  -t, --target <platform>  Specify target platform (bash|powershell|vbs)
  -o, --output <file>      Specify output file
  -V, --version           Show version information
  -h, --help             Show help information
  --verbose              Show detailed compilation information

Project Structure

A typical Hulo project structure:

my-project/
├── src/
│   ├── main.hl         # Main program entry
│   ├── utils.hl        # Utility functions
│   └── config.hl       # Configuration files
├── tests/
│   └── test.hl         # Test files
├── dist/               # Compiled output directory
└── huloc.yaml         # Project configuration file

Project Configuration

Create a huloc.yaml configuration file:

main: main.hl # Main program entry point
targets: # Platforms to compile to
    - vbs
    - bash
out_dir: dist/ # Output path after compilation

Development Workflow

1. Write Code

src/main.hl

import "utils"

fn main() {
    utils.greet("World")
    echo "Program execution completed!"
}

2. Compile and Test

# Compile and test
hulo src/main.hl -t bash
./dist/main.sh

3. Debug

# Enable verbose output
hulo src/main.hl --verbose

# Check syntax
hulo src/main.hl --check

Best Practices

Code Organization

• Organize related functionality into modules
• Use meaningful file names and function names
• Add appropriate comments and documentation

Development Integration

Editor Support

• VS Code: Install Hulo extension for syntax highlighting and IntelliSense
• Vim/Neovim: Configure syntax highlighting and auto-completion
• Other editors: Support for generic syntax highlighting

Version Control

# Initialize Git repository
git init

# Add .gitignore
echo "dist/" >> .gitignore
echo "*.log" >> .gitignore

# Commit code
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

Deployment

Local Deployment

# Compile production version
hulo src/main.hl -t bash -o dist/app.sh

# Set execution permissions
chmod +x dist/app.sh

Cross-platform Distribution

# Compile for multiple platforms
hulo src/main.hl -t bash -o dist/app.sh
hulo src/main.hl -t powershell -o dist/app.ps1
hulo src/main.hl -t vbs -o dist/app.vbs

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How to specify a custom output directory?

A: Use the -o option: hulo main.hl -o /path/to/output/script.sh

Q: Which target platforms are supported?

A: Currently supports Bash, PowerShell, VBScript, with more platforms under development.

Q: How to handle dependency management?

A: Use the huloc.yaml configuration file to manage project dependencies and build settings.

Q: How to debug compilation errors?

A: Use the --verbose option to get detailed compilation information.