Install and run

Install MatchBox with MVM, then run and compile a script on your own machine.

The browser is great for learning, but real projects live on your machine. This lesson installs MatchBox and runs the same script from a terminal.

Install with MVM

MVM is the MatchBox Version Manager. It installs releases side by side and switches between them. On Linux and macOS:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ortus-boxlang/matchbox-quick-installer/main/install/install.sh | bash

On Windows PowerShell:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ortus-boxlang/matchbox-quick-installer/main/install/install.ps1 | iex

Restart your shell, then install and activate the latest MatchBox:

mvm install latest
mvm use latest
matchbox --version

The last command prints the installed version and build information. If matchbox is not found, run mvm doctor. The installation page covers other options.

Run a script

Save this as hello.bxs. Press Run to try it here first.

function greet( name ) {
    return "Hello, #name#!";
}

println( greet( "world" ) );

Output:

Hello, world!

Then run it from your terminal:

matchbox hello.bxs

MatchBox parses the file, compiles it to bytecode and runs it, all in one step.

Compile to bytecode

You can compile once and run the result many times:

matchbox --build hello.bxs
matchbox hello.bxb

A .bxb file holds compiled bytecode. It is not a standalone program, so the machine that runs it needs a MatchBox of a compatible version. Lesson 9 shows how to build something that needs no install at all.

Try it

Run matchbox --version, then run your own script. If you get stuck, the quick start walks through the same steps.