Running Programs: The Interpreter

The TADS 3 Interpreter is the application that executes a TADS 3 program.

The name of the interpreter varies by platform, and some platforms might have more than one interpreter. On Windows systems, for example, there are two versions: t3run, a plain-text version that runs in an MS-DOS console window; and htmlt3, a graphical version that includes support for full HTML display, including pictures and sounds. In the examples below, we'll show the name of the DOS interpreter; you should substitute the appropriate name for your platform.

Interpreter Command Syntax

For systems with a graphical user interface, you will usually start the TADS 3 interpreter by selecting an image file program in your system's desktop or other graphical interface. The exact method varies by system, so you should check your system-specific release notes for details.

For command-line systems, the interpreter accepts this command syntax:

t3run options imageName imageParams

The options, if present, let you modify the interpreter's default behavior. You don't have to specify any options, and options you do specify can be listed in any order, as long as they all preceded the name of the image file you want to run.

The imageName is the name of the program you want to run.

The imageParams are additional parameters that you wish to send to the image file program itself. The interpreter doesn't do anything with these parameters except pass them to the image file. The image file program interprets these parameters, so what you specify here depends entirely on the program you're running.

The interpreter options are: