Embedded scripting for real systems
Compact and quick Rapid Development scripting for systems.
Ficl is a compact, embeddable interpreter that integrates easily with C/C++ systems. It has a small memory footprint, ports quickly, and exposes host APIs without the baggage of a heavyweight runtime. Ficl's OO extensions make it easy to wrap host data structures.
Standard C, ANS Forth based, and battle tested in embedded and OS tooling.
- Under 100K Full console build footprint
- Fast porting Typically under two hours for new targets
- Interactive Rapid test and debug loops
Why Ficl
Minimal footprint
Keep your embedded images lean while still shipping a full scripting language.
Host friendly
Expose C functions to Ficl and call back into C with simple interfaces.
Threaded VM
Fast enough to stay interactive, with JIT compilation for key paths.
OO extensions
Wrap host data structures with a clean method and message system.
Quick start
1. Download the latest release and build with your preferred makefile.
2. Link libficl into your host program and initialize a system.
3. Add your own C words and start scripting interactively.
Documentation
Core documentation
Overview, features, and API reference.
Release notes
Version history and change details.
Parser extensions
Number syntax, prefixes, and parsing.
Debugger
Step debugging for colon definitions.
Local variables
Syntax and examples for locals.
Object oriented Ficl
OO model, methods, and message passing.
Ficl internals
VM structures and dictionary layout.
OO idioms in C
Design patterns for C interfaces.