---
navhome: /docs/
navuptwo: true
next: true
sort: 6
title: Shell (Dojo)
---

# Shell (Dojo)

<div class="row">

<div class="col-md-8">

The Dojo is the place to quickly experiment with Urbit. On the
surface the Dojo is just a Hoon REPL. On the inside, the Dojo is a
system for operating on and transforming data in Urbit.

</div>

</div>

## Quickstart

Evaluate a hoon expression (whitespace matters):

    ~your-urbit:dojo> (add 2 2)
    ~your-urbit:dojo> %+  add  2  2

Tall form Hoon may require multiple lines:

    ~your-urbit:dojo> %+  add
    ~your-urbit:dojo<   2
    ~your-urbit:dojo< 2

Use `=var` to save a shell variable:

    ~your-urbit:dojo> =foo (add 2 2)

Use `=dir` to set the current working directory:

    ~your-urbit:dojo> =dir %/web

(`%` represents your current directory. For a complete explanation on urbit paths, see the [filesystem section](/docs/using/filesystem))

Generators (files in `/gen`) are run with `+`:

    ~your-urbit:dojo> +hello 'world'

Save output to a file in `%clay` with `*`:

    ~your-urbit:dojo> *some/file/path/hoon 'hello world'

Run system commands from `:hood`, like `reload`, using `|`:

    ~your-urbit:dojo> |reload %eyre

### Generators

**`+cat`** - Similar to Unix `cat`. Accepts a path.

    ~your-urbit:dojo> +cat /~talsur-todres/home/gen/curl/hoon


**`+curl`** - Similar to Unix `curl`. Accepts a `tape`.

    ~your-urbit:dojo> +curl "http://nyt.com"

**`+hello`** - Just prints the argument. Accepts a `@ta`.

    ~your-urbit:dojo> +hello 'mars'

**`+ls`** - Similar to Unix `ls`. Accepts a path.

    ~your-urbit:dojo> +ls %/web
    ~your-urbit:dojo> +ls /~talsur-todres/home/2/web/notes

**`+moon`** - Generate a random moon from a planet. No arguments.

    ~your-urbit:dojo> +moon

**`+solid`** - Compile the current state of the kernel and output a
noun. Usually downloaded to a file in unix. No arguments.

    ~your-urbit:dojo> .urbit/pill +solid

**`+ticket`** - Generate a ticket for an Urbit plot. Takes an Urbit name
(`@p`).

    ~your-urbit:dojo> +ticket ~talsur-todres-your-urbit

**`+tree`** - Generate a recursive directory listing. Takes a path.

    ~your-urbit:dojo> +tree %/web

### Hood

The hood is the system daemon. See `gen/hood` and `app/hood`.

**`|hi`** - Sends a direct message. Sort of like Unix `write`. Accepts
an urbit name (`@p`) and a string (`tape`, which is text wrapped with double-quotes).

    ~your-urbit:dojo> |hi ~binzod "you there?"

**`|link`** / **`|unlink`** - Link / unlink a remote app. Accepts an
Urbit name and an app name.

    ~your-urbit:dojo> |link ~talsur-todres %octo

**`|mass`** - Prints the current memory usage of all the kernel modules.
No arguments.

    ~your-urbit:dojo> |mass

**`|reload`** - Reloads a kernel module (vane) from source. Accepts any
number of vane names.

    ~your-urbit:dojo> |reload %clay %eyre

**`|reset`** - Reloads `hoon.hoon` and all modules. No arguments.

    ~your-urbit:dojo> |reset

**`|start`** - Starts an app. Accepts an app name.

    ~your-urbit:dojo> |start %curl

## Manual

<h3 class="first child">
Sources and sinks
</h3>

A dojo command is either a source or a sink. A source is just something
that can be printed to your console or the result of some computation. A
sink is an *effect*: a change to the filesystem, a network message, a
change to your environment, or typed message to an app.

Sources can be chained together, but we can only produce one effect per
command.

### Sinks

#### `=` - Set variable

Set any envronment variable:

    ~your-urbit:dojo> =foo 42
    ~your-urbit:dojo> (add 2 foo)

    44

(There are a few special variables that the dojo maintains. See below.)

#### `:` - Send to app

`:app` goes to a local `app`, `:~ship/app` goes to the `app` on `~ship`.

Send a `helm-hi` message to `hood`:

    ~your-urbit:dojo> :hood &helm-hi 'hi'

App usually expect marked data, so `&` is often used here.

#### `*` - Save in `%clay`

Save a new `md` file in `web`:

    ~your-urbit:dojo> *%/web/foo/md '# hello'

The last component of the path is expected to be the mark (or mime
type).

#### `.` - Export to Unix

Export a noun to Unix with `.`:

    ~your-urbit:dojo> .foo/bar/baz (add 2 2)

Which creates a file at `pier/.urb/put/foo/bar.baz`.

This is very often used with `+solid`:

    ~your-urbit:dojo> .urbit/pill +solid

Which outputs a new `urbit.pill` to `pier/.urb/put/urbit.pill`

### Sources

#### `&` - Mark conversion

Convert between marks using `&`:

    ~your-urbit:dojo> &html &md '# hello'
    :: produces
    '<html><head></head><body><div><h1 id="-hello">hello</h1></div></body></html>'

#### `_` - Run a function

Use `_` to run a gate (or function):

    :: assign an arbitrary function and pass data to it
    ~your-urbit:dojo> _|=({a/@} (mul a 3)) 3
    :: produces
    9
    :: use a function to get the status code from an http request
    ~your-urbit:dojo> _|=({p/@ud q/* r/*} p) +http://google.com
    :: produces
    301

#### `+` `-` - HTTP requests

`+http[s]://example.com` - sends a GET request

`+http[s]://example.com &json [%s 'hi']` - sends a POST request with the
JSON `"hi"` in the body.

`-http[s]://example.com &json [%s 'hi']` - sends a PUT request with the
JSON `"hi"` in the body.

Note that the first of these is a source while the last two are sinks.

#### `+` - Generators

Generators are simple hoon scripts loaded from the filesystem. They live
in `gen/`.

Create a random moon (from any planet):

    ~your-urbit:dojo> +moon
    :: produces
    "moon: ~docsun-tamtem-your-urbit; ticket: ~bartug-hodbyr-fognum-ralmud"

### Variables

You can use `=` to set an environment variable in Dojo, but there are
a few reserved names that have special uses.

#### `dir`

Current working `%clay` desk and revision. Read / write.

**Examples:**

    ~your-urbit:dojo> =dir %/web
    ~your-urbit:dojo> +ls %

    404/hoon docs/ dojo/hoon lib/ listen/hoon md static/md talk/ tree/main/

#### `lib`

Current set of libraries (`/lib`) in your environment. Can also be set
with `/+`. Read / write.

**Examples:**

    ~your-urbit:dojo> =lib ~[[%react ~]]
    ~your-urbit:dojo> ::  this also works:
    ~your-urbit:dojo> /+  react
    ~your-urbit:dojo> ::  now we can use arms from lib/react.hoon
    ~your-urbit:dojo> (react-vale:react %div)

#### `sur`

Current set of structures (`/sur`) in your environment. Can also be set
with `/-`. Read / write.

**Examples:**

    ~your-urbit:dojo> =sur ~[[%sole ~]]
    ~your-urbit:dojo> ::  this also works:
    ~your-urbit:dojo> /-  sole
    ~your-urbit:dojo> ::  now we can use arms in sur/sole.hoon
    ~your-urbit:dojo> `sole-effect:sole`[%bel ~]

#### `now`

The current (128-bit `@da`) time. Read-only.

**Example:**

    ~your-urbit:dojo> now
    :: produces
    ~2016.3.21..21.10.57..429a

#### `our`

The current urbit plot. Read-only.

**Example:**

    ~your-urbit:dojo> our
    :: produces
    ~your-urbit

#### `eny`

256 bits of entropy. Read-only.

**Example:**

    ~your-urbit:dojo> eny
    :: produces
    0v1o.m2vio.j5ieb.7tq84.5kcnp.gjn04.9gl2e.tkj5v.0oqk3.iugk8.rhu6o


## Troubleshooting

If you encounter `%dy-edit-busy` while entering commands, it is 
because your dojo is blocked on a timer or an http request. Type backspace
and your dojo will end the blocked command.