Description #
Dyalog APL is a modern dialect of APL (A Programming Language), known for its concise, symbolic notation and array-oriented programming model. It excels at mathematical and data-centric tasks.
History #
Dyalog APL was released in 1983 by Dyalog Ltd as an evolution of the original APL developed in the 1960s by Kenneth E. Iverson. It aimed to bring APL into modern programming environments with better IDE support and integration features while preserving APL’s expressive syntax.
Hello World Code #
'Hello, World!'Note: In Dyalog APL, simply typing a string displays it in the REPL.
How to Run #
Option 1: Online
https://tryapl.org/
Option 2: Local
Download from https://www.dyalog.com/download-zone.htm (free for non-commercial use)
After installation, open the Dyalog IDE and enter the code in the session window.
Key Concepts #
- Array-first programming model
- Uses special symbolic characters
- Dynamically typed and interpreted
- Supports functional and tacit (point-free) programming
- Powerful one-liner expressions
- Built-in operations for linear algebra and data manipulation
- REPL for interactive development
- Unique IDE and Unicode input support
- Strong support for concurrency and parallelism
- Popular in finance, analytics, and algorithmic problem solving
Try It Online #
Fun Facts #
- APL symbols are based on mathematical notation, requiring a special keyboard layout.
- APL was one of the first languages to embrace array-oriented programming.
- Dyalog APL supports modern tooling like Python interoperability and .NET integration.
Resources #
Official Site
TryAPL Online
Documentation
GitHub Examples
APL Orchard Chat
