Getting Started with LilGuy

This guide will walk you through installing LilGuy and creating your first web application.

Installation

LilGuy is distributed as a single binary, making installation straightforward. Choose the installation method for your operating system:

Windows

1. Download the Windows installer (lilguy-installer.msi) from the releases page
2. Double-click the installer and follow the prompts
3. LilGuy will be added to your system PATH automatically

macOS

1. Download the macOS installer package (lilguy.pkg) from the releases page
2. Double-click the package and follow the installation prompts
3. LilGuy will be installed to /usr/local/bin

Linux

1. Download the appropriate binary for your architecture:
2. lilguy-linux-amd64 for 64-bit Intel/AMD systems
3. lilguy-linux-arm64 for 64-bit ARM systems (like Raspberry Pi)
4. Make the binary executable:

   chmod +x lilguy-linux-*
   

5. Move it to your PATH:

   sudo mv lilguy-linux-* /usr/local/bin/lilguy
   

Verifying Installation

Open a terminal or command prompt and run:

lilguy --version

You should see the version number printed to confirm successful installation.

LilGuy Commands

LilGuy comes with several built-in commands:

• lilguy new <project-name>: Create a new project
• lilguy serve: Run the development server
• lilguy shell: Start an interactive Lua shell
• lilguy run <function>: Execute a specific function
• lilguy query "SQL": Run SQL queries against the database

Creating Your First Project

1. Create a new project:

   lilguy new myapp
   cd myapp
   

2. Start the development server:

   lilguy serve
   

Your app will be available at http://localhost:8000

Project Structure

A new LilGuy project has this structure:

myapp/
├── app.lua        # Main application logic
├── assets/        # Static files (CSS, images, etc.)
│   └── pico.css   # Default styling
└── templates/     # HTML templates
    ├── index.html
    └── layout.html

Development Server Options

The serve command has several useful options:

lilguy serve --help
Options:
  -l, --listen <addr>  Address to bind to [default: 0.0.0.0:8000]
  --no-reload          Disable auto-reload on file changes
  -o, --open          Open browser automatically
  -i, --interactive   Start an interactive Lua shell

Basic Usage

Routes

Routes are defined in app.lua. Here's a simple example:

routes["/"] = function(req, res)
    res:render("index.html", {
        message = "Welcome to LilGuy!"
    })
end

routes["/about"] = function(req, res)
    res:render("about.html", {
        title = "About Us"
    })
end

Templates

Templates use Jinja2 syntax. Here's a basic template example:

{% extends "layout.html" %}

{% block content %}
<h1>{{ message }}</h1>
<p>This is a LilGuy app!</p>
{% endblock %}

Database

LilGuy uses SQLite for data storage. You can interact with the database in several ways:

1. Direct SQL queries:

   lilguy query "CREATE TABLE users (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT)"
   

2. From Lua code:

   routes["/users"] = function(req, res)
       database:query("SELECT * FROM users", function(users)
           res:render("users.html", { users = users })
       end)
   end
   

Next Steps

Now that you're familiar with the basics of LilGuy, you can:

• Learn about all available functions and features in the API Reference
• Check out the Examples for common usage patterns
• Join the community to get help and share your projects

Next: API Reference →

Common Commands Reference

Here's a quick reference of common commands you'll use:

# Create a new project
lilguy new myapp

# Start the development server
lilguy serve

# Start the server and open browser
lilguy serve --open

# Start server with interactive shell
lilguy serve --interactive

# Run SQL queries
lilguy query "SELECT * FROM sqlite_master"

# Start an interactive shell
lilguy shell