For those who are new to Reginald REXX, this is a primer for installing and using Reginald:

The latest version of Reginald, and any add-on support, can be found at:

http://home.roadrunner.com/~jgglatt/rexx/rexxuser.htm

First, you need to install Reginald itself. There are two versions you can download from the above page. Choose one of them. If you're new to the REXX language, or you don't have to run scripts that were written for older REXX interpreters, then install Reginald Lite. Reginald Lite simplifies REXX programming by getting rid of some of the archaic, legacy baggage of REXX to implement a variant of REXX that compares favorably with modern languages. The other version of Reginald supports legacy scripts, but is not as fine-tuned and simplified as Reginald Lite. It also doesn't have as uptodate support.

When you run the Reginald Lite installer, it will ask you where you wish to install some files on your hard drive. You can go with the suggested directory just by clicking on the Install button.

When the install window eventually disappears (without any error message), then Reginald is installed. You can now run any REXX script just by moving the mouse pointer over the icon for the script, and double-clicking the left button. In other words, you run a REXX script the same way you would run any executable program.

You do not need to install any other software, but you may choose to install other packages from the above web page because they add many additional features to the REXX language (such as the ability to create a graphical user interface), or help you write your own REXX scripts.

If you want to write your own scripts, you'll definitely want to install REXX Programmer Center (often referred to as simply RPC). RPC is a "development environment".

When you download RPC from the above web page, you get a ZIP file. (There's no installer for RPC). Simply unzip the contents of that ZIP file to the same directory where you installed Reginald.

You must also download the REXX GUI add-on DLL. Download and run its installer, which will automatically install REXX GUI in Reginald's directory.

Then to run RPC, just double-click on RexxCenter.exe (or create a shortcut to it on your desktop).

There are many other add-on packages available. For example, there is an add-on package to add features to access the internet from your REXX script, a package to add ODBC (ie, database) support, a package to speak text, MIDI support, etc.

You do not need to install these extra packages if you don't intend to use that extra support.

The documentation for each add-on package is separate from its installer, and there are links on the above web page for all the documentation. When you install the documentation for a package, then those pages can be brought up in RPC's help window.

For example, you'll download the REXX GUI add-on installer, and run that to install REXX GUI. Then you'll also need to download the documentation for REXX GUI. Like RPC, the documentation is packaged in a ZIP file. Simply unzip the contents to the same directory where you installed Reginald.

All the books are displayed, and read, via REXX Programmer Center (RexxCenter.exe). It has a "Books" window built into it, which lists all of the books, and you just click on a topic to have it displayed in a REXX Center window. REXX Center features online help.

REXX Center is a real IDE. You do pretty much everything from REXX Center -- reading documentation, writing your script, designing your windows/menus/controls, debugging your script, and even packaging it into an EXE if desired.

If you're completely new to REXX, then read "The REXX Reference" book from start to finish (well, up to the Function Reference anyway). That's about the REXX language itself, and also details some Reginald-specific extensions to REXX.

If you want to know how REXX Programmer Center itself works, read the "Programmer Center" book.

If you want to create programs with your own windows, menus, buttons, sliders, etc, (instead of a plain old DOS window like standard REXX) then you'll next read the "Graphical User Interface" book.