Console Mode walkthrough

1. Download the console contribution for your platform: Win 32 bits, Win 64 bits, Mac OSX, Linux
   
2. Unziping the contribution file you should see the following:
   
   You can see s8vm.exe & s8x64.exe the two s8 virtual machines for 32 & 64 bit (this sample was done in Windows platform). Typically building a S8 project implies using s8vm.exe so you must operate with console commands to launch the compilation. You could have a build.bat file invoking s8vm.exe (or s8x64.exe) with a main director script (a javascript file) as argument.
   NOTE: Take care if you move s8vm.exe/s8x64.exe to other folders, please check Moving s8vm.exe to other location
   
   
3. Create a build.bat file:
   Code
   

   File: build.bat
   s8vm.exe --shell build.js

4. Create a main director script build.js file:
   Code

   File: build.js
   (function() {
      try	{
           print("// S8 - Console bootstrap.");
   	load("s8/boot.js");
   	load("s8/s8.image.js"); //load minimal S8 image
   	load("s8/initialize.js");
   	load("s8/initialize.st.js"); 
   	emmit("helloWorldSampleApp.st"); 
           //fileIn('build.st');        //fileIn source code (chunk format)
           //fileInJS('fileName.st.js');	// load compiled code (javascript)
   	smalltalk.Snapshot.outputToFile_("helloWorld.snapshot.js");
   	print('=====Build OK=====');
   	quit();	
   	}
      catch (err) {
   	print('====Error===='+err);
   	print(err.stack);
   	quit();
       }	
   })();
   

   First part of script loads S8 minimal image plus several related functionalities. This is a console sample application so s8.image.js is required, if you need to build a web application with UI8 + WI8 frameworks for application support and GUI widgets you should use ui8.image.js. More info about this in [web] Application startup
   The emmit statement compiles smalltalk chunk format code, in this case our hello world sample.
   The next two commented lines, shows you can file in code in building process (this aspect it will covered in next step). Last statement defines where all compiled source code will be integrated into a snapshot.
5. Change main director script build.js file to:
   Code

   File: build.js
   (function() {
      try	{
           print("// S8 - Console bootstrap.");
   	load("s8/boot.js");
   	load("s8/s8.image.js"); //load minimal S8 image
   	load("s8/initialize.js");
   	load("s8/initialize.st.js"); 
   	//emmit("helloWorldSampleApp.st"); 
           fileIn('build.st');        //fileIn source code (chunk format)
           //fileInJS('fileName.st.js');	// load compiled code (javascript)
   	smalltalk.Snapshot.outputToFile_("helloWorld.snapshot.js");
   	print('=====Build OK=====');
   	quit();	
   	}
      catch (err) {
   	print('====Error===='+err);
   	print(err.stack);
   	quit();
       }	
   })();
   

   You can control what is going to be emmited wihtout doing this in javascript context. Let's create the build.st file and define what is emmited:
   Code

   File: build.st
   self emmit:'helloWorldSampleApp.st'!
   

6. Create helloWorldSampleApp.st file:
   Code

   File: helloWorldSampleApp.st
   Object
      subclass: #HelloWorld
      instanceVariableNames: ''
      category: #TestConsole !
   
   ! HelloWorld class methodsFor: #launching !
   launch
   	" Private - Launch. "
   	self print: 'Hello world from console'! !
   

   At this point you should have four new files:
   
7. Just go to console and build the project:
   
8. At this point you shhould see a generated helloWorld.snapshot.js.
   Create run.bat file:
   Code

   File: run.bat
   s8vm.exe --expose-gc --shell helloWorld.snapshot.js
   

   Then executing
   
   you have done your first console development. Congratulations!