---
name: "gforthmi-0.6.2"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "gforth"
version: "0.6.2-7.3"
release: "Debian 5.0 (Lenny)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/gforth"
---

# gforthmi-0.6.2(1)

a fast and portable Forth system

Part of [gforth(1)](/gforth/1.md).

## NAME

gforth, gforth-fast, gforthmi, gforth-itc - a fast and portable Forth system

## SYNOPSIS

`gforth` \[initialization options\] \[image-specific options\] `gforth-fast` \[initialization options\] \[image-specific options\]

`gforthmi` *filename* \[initialization options\] \[image-specific options\]

## DESCRIPTION

**GForth** is a fast and portable implementation of the Forth programming language. For details read the info manual.

## ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

`GFORTHPATH` contains the search path for source and image files.

`GFORTHD` gives the gforth executable used by `gforthmi` for creating the base images. It should be a double indirect threaded system.  Default: `gforth-ditc`.

`GFORTH` gives the gforth executable used by `gforthmi` for computing the relocatable image from the base images. Default: `gforth`.

`GFORTHHIST` gives the location of the history file used by gforth to allow command-line recall. Default: `$HOME`. (The history file is named `.gforth-history`).

## EXAMPLES

`gforth`

starts the system and goes into interactive mode.

`gforth file1 file2 -e bye`

loads and interprets the files `file1` and `file2`, then exits.

`gforth-fast`

is the same as `gforth`, except that it does not support accurate backtraces for signals, and is faster by up to a factor of 2. Use it for debugged, performance-critical programs such as benchmarks.

`gforthmi asm.fi -m 1M asm.fs`

creates an image `asm.fi` that has a default dictionary size of 1MB and has the file `asm.fs` loaded.

## OPTIONS

**--help**\

- **-h**

  Lists the available options, including some not described here (see also the manual).

- **--image-file** *file*

  - **-i** *file*

  Loads the Forth image *file* instead of the default `gforth.fi`.

- **--path** *path*

  - **-p** *path*

  Uses *path* for searching the image file and Forth source code files instead of the default in the environment variable `GFORTHPATH` or the path specified at installation time (typically `/usr/local/lib/gforth:.`. A path is given as a  **:**-separated list.

- **--dictionary-size** *size*

  - **-m** *size*

  Allocate *size* space for the Forth dictionary space instead of using the default specified in the image (typically 256K). The *size* specification consists of an integer and a unit (e.g., `4M`). The unit can be one of `b` (bytes), `e` (element size, in this case Cells), `k` (kilobytes), and `M` (Megabytes). If no unit is specified, `e` is used.

- **--data-stack-size** *size*

  - **-d** *size*

  Allocate *size* space for the data stack instead of using the default specified in the image (typically 16K).

- **--return-stack-size** *size*

  - **-r** *size*

  Allocate *size* space for the return stack instead of using the default specified in the image (typically 16K).

- **--fp-stack-size** *size*

  - **-f** *size*

  Allocate *size* space for the floating point stack instead of using the default specified in the image (typically 16K). In this case the unit specifier `e` refers to floating point numbers.

- **--locals-stack-size** *size*

  - **-l** *size*

  Allocate *size* space for the locals stack instead of using the default specified in the image (typically 16K).

- **--evaluate** *forth*

  - **-e** *forth*

  Evaluates the *forth* code. This option takes only one argument; if you want to evaluate more Forth words, you have to quote them or use several `-e`s.  To exit after processing the command line (instead of entering interactive mode) append `-e bye` to the command line. This is an image-specific option of the default image.

## FILES

```
.../gforth.fi	default Forth image
*.fi	Forth loadable image
*.fs	Forth source (sequential)
*.fb	Forth source (block)
*.fd	generated with makedoc.fs
*.i	C include files
*.ds	documentation source
*TAGS	etags files
```

## SEE ALSO

The Gforth manual - available in hypertext (Info, HTML) and printable (TeX, PS, ASCII) forms.

The ANSI document X3.215-1994 (i.e., the ANS Forth standard).

More information on Gforth (e.g., pointers to new versions, to the manual on the WWW and to papers about Gforth) is available through `http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/projects/forth.html`.

## AUTHORS

**Gforth** was written by Anton Ertl, Bernd Paysan, Jens Wilke and others.