Getting Started

This site is organised for two kinds of readers:

• people who want to understand the Makrell family

• people who want to jump straight to one implementation or format

Recommended paths

If you are new to Makrell, start here:

1. Shared Concepts

2. MRON

3. MRML

4. MRTD

5. one implementation section: * MakrellPy * MakrellTS * Makrell#

If you already know what you want:

• use MakrellPy for the most mature language experience today

• use MakrellTS for the TypeScript reference track, browser work, and JavaScript interop

• use Makrell# for .NET and CLR integration

• use the VS Code extension for the current editor workflow across the family

• use MRON for structured data

• use MRML for markup and document-like trees

• use MRTD for simple tabular data

Editor-first start

If you want the most practical current entry point, start with VS Code Extension.

That path currently gives you:

• syntax highlighting and snippets across the Makrell family

• Run Current File for MakrellPy, MakrellTS, and Makrell#

• editor-visible diagnostics for MakrellPy, MakrellTS, Makrell#, MRON, MRML, and MRTD

• an optional makrell-langserver bridge for richer editor features while the broader TS-family tooling path is being built

Suggested first hour

If you want a simple way to get oriented without reading too widely, this is a reasonable first hour:

1. skim Family Overview

2. read Quick Start

3. read Quick Start

4. read MRTD Quick Start

5. choose one implementation: * Quick Start * Quick Start * Quick Start

Fast entry points

MakrellPy

pip install makrell
makrell

MakrellTS

bun add -g makrellts
makrellts hello.mrts

Makrell#

dotnet tool install --global MakrellSharp.Cli
makrellsharp hello.mrsh

What is shared across the family?

The common thread is MBF, the Makrell Base Format:

• bracketed forms

• operator-oriented structure

• syntax that stays compact but highly structured

• support for code, data, markup, and embedded sublanguages

That is why Makrell can support languages like MakrellPy and Makrell#, while also supporting formats like MRON and MRML.

Where to look for detail

Different parts of the site serve different purposes:

• tutorials for guided learning

• cookbook for short task-oriented examples

• implementation sections for practical host-specific usage

• reference for lookup material

• specs in the repo for more formal detail

Editor entry point

If your first question is “what is the current editor experience?”, start with:

• VS Code Extension

Quick orientation by section

Shared Concepts

The common model: MBF, operators, calls, pattern matching, quoting, macros, implementations, and feature differences.

MakrellPy

The Python-hosted implementation. Deep, practical, and still one of the best places to learn the language in action.

MakrellTS

The TypeScript reference track for ongoing language evolution, with browser and Node.js relevance.

Makrell#

The .NET-hosted implementation with CLR interop, MRON/MRML support, and compile/load workflows.

MRON

A lightweight structured data notation.

MRML

A lightweight markup and document notation.

MRTD

A lightweight tabular notation with typed headers.

MBF

The shared structural format beneath the family.