README

		  Larch Shared Language Checker and Handbook
		  ------------------------------------------

			       December 9, 1999

     The Larch Shared Language (LSL) is a language for specifying properties of
abstract data types in multisorted first-order logic.  The LSL Checker is a
tool for checking LSL specifications for syntax and static semantic errors.
The LSL Handbook contains axiomatizations for a number of common datatypes.

     To use the LSL Checker and Handbook, you need to retrieve and install the
file lsl.tar.gz.

Obtaining LSL
-------------

     The file lsl.tar.gz is available both over the WWW and by anonymous ftp.
To obtain it over the WWW, read the document with URL

     http://www.sds.lcs.mit.edu/Larch/LSL/index.html

To obtain it by anonymous ftp, type the following commands.

     csh>       ftp ftp.sds.lcs.mit.edu
     Name:      anonymous
     Password:  your_email_address
     ftp>       cd pub/Larch/LSL
     ftp>       bin
     ftp>	get lsl.tar.Z
     ftp>	quit

Installing LSL
--------------

 o Unpack the distribution by typing the command "tar xfz lsl.tar.gz".  This
   will create a directory named "lsl3.1beta3".

 o Compile the checker by typing "make depend" and then "make" in the directory
   lsl3.1beta3/Code.

 o Copy the executable file, named "lsl", to some directory on your search
   path, for example, /usr/local/bin.

 o If possible, make /usr/local/lib/LSL a symbolic link to the directory
   lsl3.1beta3/LSL, or copy the contents of this directory to
   /usr/local/lib/LSL.

 o If possible, copy the man page for the checker, lsl3.1beta3/Doc/lsl.l, to
   /usr/man/manl.  This makes it possible for users to see the man page by
   typing "man l lsl".

Using LSL
---------

     To prepare to use the LSL Checker, issue the following shell command (or
put the following line in your .login file), with <d> replaced by the full path
name of the lsl3.1beta3 directory (or by "/usr/local/lib"):

          setenv LARCH_PATH .:<d>/LSL

     To check a trait named xxx, put it in a file named xxx.lsl and type the
command

          lsl xxx 

Any trait yyy referenced by xxx should be found in a file named yyy.lsl in one
of the directories on LARCH_PATH.  See the man page for more details.