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diff --git a/doc/sphinx/introduction.rst b/doc/sphinx/introduction.rst index 75ff72c4d..c7bc69db4 100644 --- a/doc/sphinx/introduction.rst +++ b/doc/sphinx/introduction.rst @@ -1,3 +1,5 @@ +.. _introduction: + ------------------------ Introduction ------------------------ @@ -26,37 +28,35 @@ programs called *tactics*. All services of the |Coq| proof assistant are accessible by interpretation of a command language called *the vernacular*. -Coq has an interactive mode in which commands are interpreted as the +Coq has an interactive mode in which commands are interpreted as the user types them in from the keyboard and a compiled mode where commands are processed from a file. -- The interactive mode may be used as a debugging mode in which the - user can develop his theories and proofs step by step, backtracking - if needed and so on. The interactive mode is run with the `coqtop` - command from the operating system (which we shall assume to be some - variety of UNIX in the rest of this document). +- In interactive mode, users can develop their theories and proofs step by + step, and query the system for available theorems and definitions. The + interactive mode is generally run with the help of an IDE, such + as CoqIDE, documented in :ref:`coqintegrateddevelopmentenvironment`, + Emacs with Proof-General :cite:`Asp00` [#PG]_, + or jsCoq to run Coq in your browser (see https://github.com/ejgallego/jscoq). + The `coqtop` read-eval-print-loop can also be used directly, for debugging + purposes. - The compiled mode acts as a proof checker taking a file containing a whole development in order to ensure its correctness. Moreover, |Coq|’s compiler provides an output file containing a compact representation of its input. The compiled mode is run with the `coqc` - command from the operating system. - -These two modes are documented in Chapter :ref:`thecoqcommands`. + command. -Other modes of interaction with |Coq| are possible: through an emacs shell -window, an emacs generic user-interface for proof assistant (Proof -General :cite:`ProofGeneral`) or through a customized -interface (PCoq :cite:`Pcoq`). These facilities are not -documented here. There is also a |Coq| Integrated Development Environment -described in :ref:`coqintegrateddevelopmentenvironment`. +.. seealso:: :ref:`thecoqcommands`. How to read this book ===================== -This is a Reference Manual, not a User Manual, so it is not made for a -continuous reading. However, it has some structure that is explained -below. +This is a Reference Manual, so it is not made for a continuous reading. +We recommend using the various indexes to quickly locate the documentation +you are looking for. There is a global index, and a number of specific indexes +for tactics, vernacular commands, and error messages and warnings. +Nonetheless, the manual has some structure that is explained below. - The first part describes the specification language, |Gallina|. Chapters :ref:`gallinaspecificationlanguage` and :ref:`extensionsofgallina` describe the concrete @@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ below. of the formalism. Chapter :ref:`themodulesystem` describes the module system. -- The second part describes the proof engine. It is divided in five +- The second part describes the proof engine. It is divided in six chapters. Chapter :ref:`vernacularcommands` presents all commands (we call them *vernacular commands*) that are not directly related to interactive proving: requests to the environment, complete or partial @@ -77,42 +77,35 @@ below. *tactics*. The language to combine these tactics into complex proof strategies is given in Chapter :ref:`ltac`. Examples of tactics are described in Chapter :ref:`detailedexamplesoftactics`. + Finally, the |SSR| proof language is presented in + Chapter :ref:`thessreflectprooflanguage`. -- The third part describes how to extend the syntax of |Coq|. It - corresponds to the Chapter :ref:`syntaxextensionsandinterpretationscopes`. +- The third part describes how to extend the syntax of |Coq| in + Chapter :ref:`syntaxextensionsandinterpretationscopes` and how to define + new induction principles in Chapter :ref:`proofschemes`. - In the fourth part more practical tools are documented. First in Chapter :ref:`thecoqcommands`, the usage of `coqc` (batch mode) and `coqtop` (interactive mode) with their options is described. Then, in Chapter :ref:`utilities`, various utilities that come with the |Coq| distribution are presented. Finally, Chapter :ref:`coqintegrateddevelopmentenvironment` - describes the |Coq| integrated development environment. + describes CoqIDE. - The fifth part documents a number of advanced features, including coercions, canonical structures, typeclasses, program extraction, and specialized solvers and tactics. See the table of contents for a complete list. -At the end of the document, after the global index, the user can find -specific indexes for tactics, vernacular commands, and error messages. - List of additional documentation ================================ This manual does not contain all the documentation the user may need about |Coq|. Various informations can be found in the following documents: -Tutorial - A companion volume to this reference manual, the |Coq| Tutorial, is - aimed at gently introducing new users to developing proofs in |Coq| - without assuming prior knowledge of type theory. In a second step, - the user can read also the tutorial on recursive types (document - `RecTutorial.ps`). - Installation A text file `INSTALL` that comes with the sources explains how to install |Coq|. The |Coq| standard library A commented version of sources of the |Coq| standard library - (including only the specifications, the proofs are removed) is given - in the additional document `Library.ps`. + (including only the specifications, the proofs are removed) is + available at https://coq.inria.fr/stdlib/. |