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# How to run code
This document is aimed at people just starting out with Carp, in particular if you want to try out the [examples ](../examples ).
## Prerequisites
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Make sure that you have [installed the Carp compiler and its dependencies ](Install.md ) and that you can start it without any error messages.
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Here's how it should look:
```text
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$ carp
Welcome to Carp X.Y.Z
This is free software with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
Evaluate (help) for more information.
鲤
```
The `鲤` character on the last line is the [REPL ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Read%E2%80%93eval%E2%80%93print_loop ) prompt, it means that Carp is waiting for you to enter a command.
## Running code from the REPL
You can load some code with:
```bash
鲤 (load "some_file.carp")
```
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The path to the file should be relative to where you started `carp` (or the file has to be in your [search-path ](Libraries.md ) path).
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It is also possible to paste a block of code (even multiple top-level expressions) into the REPL.
To build and run, first do:
```bash
鲤 (build)
```
And then:
```
鲤 (run)
```
## Running code from the terminal
If you don't want to work in the REPL and use a more classic "compile & run" setup, do this:
```bash
$ carp some_file.carp -x
```
Any files you list as arguments to `carp` will be loaded (this works when starting the REPL too).
The `-x` flag means that you want to compile and run the code immedately, exiting afterwards.
If you just want to build the executable, use `-b` instead:
```bash
$ carp some_file.carp -b
```