A Raven project.
Your first run.

Install the matching tools.

The prebuilt preview supports macOS on Apple silicon. For the development tools, install .NET SDK 11.0.100-rc.1.26425.128, Python 3.9 or later, and VS Code.

neoCLR itself and programs running on neoCLR do not depend on .NET. The .NET requirement belongs to the surrounding tools: the Raven compiler, MSBuild, the import bridge and Raven Language Server. The VS Code extension uses that language server for editor features. Once a program is built and imported, running it with the neoCLR runtime and its matching runtime library does not require .NET.

Download these four assets from Preview 8’s downloads:

• neoclr-0.1.0-preview.8-osx-arm64.tar.gz — runtime, project and samples.
• raven-sdk-0.1.12-neoclr.15-osx-arm64.tar.gz — matching compiler tools.
• raven-vscode-0.1.12-neoclr.15.vsix — matching editor extension.
• raven-toolchain-notices.tar.gz — companion notices.

Extract the runtime and SDK archives into separate folders. In VS Code, open Extensions, use the ⋯ menu, choose Install from VSIX… and select the downloaded extension. Reload any open VS Code windows afterward.

Open a terminal in the extracted runtime folder. Replace the SDK path below with the actual extracted SDK directory:

python3 configure.py --sdk /absolute/path/to/extracted/raven-sdk
code msbuild-demo

If code is unavailable, use VS Code’s File → Open Folder and select msbuild-demo. Keep the bundle directories together; rerun configure.py if you move them.

Build, then run.

Open Main.rvn. Use Tasks: Run Build Task to compile and verify it. Use Tasks: Run Task → neoCLR: Run (MSBuild) to build and execute the program. Save edits before building.

The supplied program prints:

42
Saved
Completed
Overflow
Value found
42
Absent

From a terminal in the runtime bundle, the equivalent steps are:

dotnet msbuild msbuild-demo/Demo.rvnproj -p:RavenSdkRoot=/absolute/path/to/extracted/raven-sdk
./bin/neoclr run msbuild-demo/bin/neoclr/Debug/App.neoil --system msbuild-demo/bin/neoclr/Debug/System.neoil

Build checks the program and writes verified output; it does not execute it. The dedicated neoCLR task runs that output. The ordinary Raven toolbar is not this target’s run/debug pipeline.

Keep the project as the entry point.

The bundled Demo.rvnproj is small:

<Project DefaultTargets="Build">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <NeoCLRRoot>$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)..</NeoCLRRoot>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <Import Project="$(NeoCLRRoot)/build/NeoCLR.Raven.props" />
  <ItemGroup>
    <Compile Include="Main.rvn" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <Import Project="$(NeoCLRRoot)/build/NeoCLR.Raven.targets" />
</Project>

NeoCLRRoot locates the extracted runtime bundle. The imports supply runtime references and build steps. Compile lists your Raven files; add an entry for each additional source file. For a project outside the bundle, set NeoCLRRoot to its installed location.

Unlike a .NET SDK project, this project does not need Microsoft.NET.Sdk or a .NET TargetFramework. RavenSdkRoot selects the host compiler. The editor reads the project’s imported references and target contracts too.

To explore a library, open the bundle’s project-reference-demo/App folder. Its application references a separate Raven library and prints 42 and Library call. The preview supports one direct library ProjectReference; use the same bundle for both projects.

Change the program, keep the project.

Make a copy of msbuild-demo/Main.rvn, then replace it with a sample from the bundle’s tools/samples folder. Build and run the same Demo.rvnproj. Start with library-introspection-tour.rvn for type discovery, library-grapheme-strings.rvn for text, or library-calendar.rvn for dates. library-files.rvn creates or replaces its demo file in the working directory.

Meet the syntax on the Raven language page, then explore Option and Result or collection capabilities. Site examples describe their current implementation status; use the samples bundled with Preview 8 when running Preview 8.

If something does not work.

• Missing SDK: run dotnet --list-sdks and check the exact version above is installed.
• Missing references or completion: rerun configure.py with the matching SDK and reopen the project folder. Keep the compiler, extension and runtime bundle versions together.
• Build or importer error: read the first diagnostic. The importer accepts a bounded subset of Raven/CLI programs; unsupported input stops the build. A failed build invalidates earlier runnable output.
• No debugging: Raven source debugging on neoCLR is not implemented. Use the dedicated build/run tasks and printed output.

This preview always rebuilds. It has no package restore, incremental build, Clean/Rebuild targets or multi-level project graphs. Prebuilt Raven tools are validated for macOS arm64; source checks on other hosts do not establish equivalent binary support.