---
name: "storm"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "storm-lang"
version: "0.6.28-3+b1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/storm"
---

# storm(1)

a language system for extensible languages

## NAME

storm - a language system for extensible languages

## SYNOPSIS

**storm** \[*options*\] \[-l *language*\] \[*path*\] \[--\] \<*arguments*\>\
 Launch an interactive REPL.\
 **storm** \[*file/directory*\]\
 Import file as package, try to run *main*.\
 **storm** \[*options*\] -f *function*\
 Run a function and exit.\
 **storm** \[*options*\] -t/-T *package*\
 Run tests in the specified package and exit.\
 **storm** \[*options*\] -c *expr*\
 Evaluate the expression *expr* and exit.\
 **storm** --server\
 Start the language server.\
 **storm** --version\
 Print version information and exit.\
 **storm** --help\
 Print help on command-line options and exit.

## DESCRIPTION

Storm itself is a language system for extensible languages. It is bundled with two languages, the general purpose language Basic Storm and the syntax language for specifying context-free grammars. Normal usage of Storm is typically confined to the lanugage Basic Storm.

The easiest way to get started with Storm is to launch the interactive REPL:

$ **storm**\
 bs\> **"Testing: " + 1.toS**\
 \=\> Testing: 1

To write programs, create a file, *myprogram.bs* for example, and write code there. It can then be loaded as follows:

$ **storm myprogram.bs**\
 bs\> **use myprogram**\
 using myprogram\
 bs\> **main()**\
 ...

As the above example attempts illustrate, this loads the contents of the file into the package *myprogram*. That package may then be imported and functions may be executed from there. To execute the functions automatically, one can invoke storm as follows:

$ **storm myprogram.bs -f myprogram.main**

For larger programs, it is useful to put all files inside a directory and point storm to the directory rather than an individual file. In that case, the entire directory will be loaded as a package.

If the *-i* flag is not used to specify imports (as above), Storm will automatically try to execute the *main* function in the imported package(s). As such, the above example can be simplified further as follows:

$ **storm myprogram.bs**

If a double dash is present (*--*), then any parameters that appear after the double dash are treated as parameters to the Storm program, and are made available to the Storm program without further processing.

## OPTIONS

**storm** recognizes the following command-line options.

- **-l *language***

  Launch the interactive REPL for *language*. The default is to launch the *bs* REPL.

- **-f *function***

  Execute *function*. The function may not require any formal parameters.

- **-c *expr***

  Evaluate *expr* in the specified REPL.

- **-t *package***

  Execute all tests in *package*.

- **-T *package***

  Execute all tests in *package* and any sub-packages.

- **-i *path***

  Import the directory or file *path* as a package in the root namespace.

- **-I *name* *path***

  Import the directory *path* as a package with the name *name*.

- **-r *path***

  Use the directory *path* as the root of the namespace in Storm. By default /usr/lib/storm is used.

- **--version**

  Print version information.

- **--server**

  Launch the language server. Communicates with an editor using stdin/stdout using a binary protocol.

- **--help**

  Print a summary of command-line options.

## SEE ALSO

For further information about Storm, see: ⟨https://storm-lang.org/⟩