Running \crexx{} on Linux, macOS, and Windows

\crexx{} programs are compiled before they run. The compiler emits RXAS assembly, the assembler emits RXBIN bytecode, and a VM executable runs the bytecode.

For most users, the crexx driver is the simplest entry point.

A First Program

Create hello.rexx:

options levelb
import rxfnsb

say "hello cREXX world!"
say "today is" date("w")
return 0

Run it with:

crexx hello.rexx

The driver compiles, assembles, and executes the program. It keeps intermediate files by default so you can inspect the generated .rxas and .rxbin while learning or debugging.

Headerless Scripts

For small top-level scripts, crexx accepts a convenient headerless form:

say "hello cREXX world!"
say "today is" date("w")

Headerless top-level scripts are compiled as Level B with rxfnsb imported. Reusable libraries, tests, and examples should still write the explicit options levelb and import lines. That keeps source behaviour independent from driver convenience.

Running the Individual Tools

The equivalent explicit tool sequence is:

rxc hello.rexx
rxas hello.rxas
rxvme hello.rxbin

rxvme includes the standard library image used by common Level B programs. The base rxvm can also run bytecode, but programs that call library functions need the relevant library image or linked modules available.

You can pass program arguments after -a:

rxvme hello.rxbin -a first second third

The VM also accepts multiple bytecode files when a program is split across modules.

Imports and Libraries

Level B imports are explicit:

options levelb
import rxfnsb
import rxjson

At compile time, rxc -s adds source import roots and rxc -i adds binary import roots. With the crexx driver, -s[path] and -i[path] affect the compiler phase only. Runtime/native loading still uses the runtime library path controlled by -l.

Linked Images

For deployable bytecode, link the needed modules:

rxlink -o hello_linked.rxbin hello.rxbin library.rxbin
rxvme hello_linked.rxbin

The exact library image names depend on the build and packaging layout. The key point is that rxlink produces a compact shared-pool image that the VM can load as a normal RXBIN file.

Native Executables

The crexx driver can package a native executable:

crexx hello.rexx -native

Native packaging links the bytecode image, serializes it with rxcpack, and uses the platform C toolchain to build an executable. Optional plugins and platform libraries depend on build configuration, so test packaged binaries on the target platform before release.