turbo-editors/turbo-rust · getting-started.md

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📦 Turbo Rust   1# Tutorial: your first file in Turbo Rust
3By the end of this tutorial, you will have built the editor, written a small Rust program inside it, watched the keywords turn colour as you typed, saved the file, and run it. It takes about ten minutes.
5No prior knowledge of Turbo Rust is needed. You need Go 1.26 or later to build the editor, and Rust to run what you write in it.
7## Prerequisites
9Check that Go is there — the editor is written in Go, even though it is an editor for Rust:
12
15You should see something like:
18go version go1.26.5 linux/arm64
21If that command fails, install Go first: https://go.dev/dl/
23Check that Rust is there too:
26cargo --version
29You should see something like:
32cargo 1.97.1 (8bab26f4f 2026-07-14)
35If that command fails, install Rust from https://rustup.rs
37## Step 1 — Build the editor
39From the project directory, type:
42
45You should see a `go build` line, and then nothing more. Silence is success: Go says nothing when a build works.
47We now have an executable at `bin/turbo-rust`. Remember where it is, so we can start it from anywhere:
50export TURBO="$PWD/bin/turbo-rust"
53## Step 2 — Create a place to work
55Turbo Rust is at its best inside a crate, so let us make one:
58cd /tmp && cargo new hello && cd hello
61You should see:
64    Creating binary (application) `hello` package
67`cargo new` writes a `Cargo.toml` and a `src/main.rs` with a hello-world in it. We are going to replace that file's contents with our own.
69## Step 3 — Open the editor
71Start Turbo Rust on the file cargo made:
74$TURBO src/main.rs
77The screen fills with a blue desktop. You should see:
79- a **menu bar** across the top: `File  Edit  Search  Run  Code  Options  Window  Snippets  Rust  Help`
80- a **window** framed in a double line, titled `main.rs`
81- a **status bar** along the bottom: `F1 Describe  F2 Save  F3 Open …`
83The cursor is blinking at line 1, column 1 — the status bar says `1:1` on the right.
85We are inside the editor.
87## Step 4 — Clear the file and type a Rust program
89Press **Ctrl-A** to select everything cargo wrote, then **Delete** to remove it. The window is now empty and its title reads `main.rs *` — the star means there are unsaved changes.
91Type these two lines, pressing Enter at the end of each:
94fn main() {
95    let name = "Turbo Rust";
98Watch the colours as you type. `fn` and `let` turn **white and bold** the moment the word ends: they are keywords. `main` turns **yellow and bold** as soon as you type the `(` after it, because that makes it a function. `"Turbo Rust"` turns **green**: it is a string.
100(Those are Turbo Classic's colours, the ones the editor starts in. Step 8 changes them.)
102Press **Enter**. Look at the new line: the cursor is *already* indented to match the line above. Turbo Rust copied the indentation, which is what you want nine times out of ten.
104Type the next line:
107println!("Hello from {name}!");
110`println!` turns **aqua and bold**, with the `!` part of it: a macro is one name, and colouring the `!` separately would make it read as a negation.
112> When you type the `.` after a name, the status bar briefly shows a message about the language server. That is expected: completion needs `rust-analyzer`, which we have not set up. The [completion guide](../how-to/enable-completion.md) covers it later; ignore it for now.
114Press **Enter**, then **Shift-Tab** to take the indent back off, then type the closing brace:
120We have just written a complete Rust program, with the editor colouring it as we went.
122## Step 5 — Save it
124Press **F2**.
126The star disappears from the title, and the status bar says:
129Saved src/main.rs
132We have just written the file to disk.
134## Step 6 — Look at the file from outside
136Leave the editor by pressing **Alt-X**. The terminal comes back as it was.
138Check what we wrote:
141cat src/main.rs
144You should see:
147fn main() {
148    let name = "Turbo Rust";
149    println!("Hello from {name}!");
153## Step 7 — Run it
156
159You should see, after a line or two from cargo:
162Hello from Turbo Rust!
165That is a working Rust program, written entirely inside the editor.
167## Step 8 — Change the theme
169Open the file again:
172$TURBO src/main.rs
175Press **F10**. The `File` menu drops open. Press **→** five times: the menu walks along the bar to `Options`, whose first item, `Theme…`, is highlighted. Press **Enter**.
177A list of eleven appears, in alphabetical order, with the theme you are using already highlighted:
180borland-light
181
182catppuccin-frappe
183catppuccin-latte
186intellij-light
187monochrome-dark
188monochrome-light
189turbo-classic
190
193`turbo-classic` is the highlighted row, because that is the theme you are in. Press **↓** once to move to `turbo-dark`, then press **Enter**.
195The whole editor repaints in dark grey, and the status bar says `Theme: Turbo Dark`.
197Press **Alt-X** to leave.
199## What now?
201You have built the editor, written a Rust program in it, saved it, run it, and changed how it looks.
203- To do specific things — enable completion, write a theme of your own, search a file → see the [how-to guides](../how-to/)
204- To look up a key or a menu item → see the [reference](../reference/)
205- To understand how the colouring and the completion actually work → see the [explanation](../explanation/)

📦 Turbo Rust 713ea5c k33g 9h ago	1	# Tutorial: your first file in Turbo Rust
	2
	3	By the end of this tutorial, you will have built the editor, written a small Rust program inside it, watched the keywords turn colour as you typed, saved the file, and run it. It takes about ten minutes.
	4
	5	No prior knowledge of Turbo Rust is needed. You need Go 1.26 or later to build the editor, and Rust to run what you write in it.
	6
	7	## Prerequisites
	8
	9	Check that Go is there — the editor is written in Go, even though it is an editor for Rust:
	10
	11	```bash
	12	go version
	13	```
	14
	15	You should see something like:
	16
	17	```
	18	go version go1.26.5 linux/arm64
	19	```
	20
	21	If that command fails, install Go first: https://go.dev/dl/
	22
	23	Check that Rust is there too:
	24
	25	```bash
	26	cargo --version
	27	```
	28
	29	You should see something like:
	30
	31	```
	32	cargo 1.97.1 (8bab26f4f 2026-07-14)
	33	```
	34
	35	If that command fails, install Rust from https://rustup.rs
	36
	37	## Step 1 — Build the editor
	38
	39	From the project directory, type:
	40
	41	```bash
	42	make build
	43	```
	44
	45	You should see a `go build` line, and then nothing more. Silence is success: Go says nothing when a build works.
	46
	47	We now have an executable at `bin/turbo-rust`. Remember where it is, so we can start it from anywhere:
	48
	49	```bash
	50	export TURBO="$PWD/bin/turbo-rust"
	51	```
	52
	53	## Step 2 — Create a place to work
	54
	55	Turbo Rust is at its best inside a crate, so let us make one:
	56
	57	```bash
	58	cd /tmp && cargo new hello && cd hello
	59	```
	60
	61	You should see:
	62
	63	```
	64	Creating binary (application) `hello` package
65	```
66
67	`cargo new` writes a `Cargo.toml` and a `src/main.rs` with a hello-world in it. We are going to replace that file's contents with our own.
68
69	## Step 3 — Open the editor
70
71	Start Turbo Rust on the file cargo made:
72
73	```bash
74	$TURBO src/main.rs
75	```
76
77	The screen fills with a blue desktop. You should see:
78
79	- a menu bar across the top: `File Edit Search Run Code Options Window Snippets Rust Help`
80	- a window framed in a double line, titled `main.rs`
81	- a status bar along the bottom: `F1 Describe F2 Save F3 Open …`
82
83	The cursor is blinking at line 1, column 1 — the status bar says `1:1` on the right.
84
85	We are inside the editor.
86
87	## Step 4 — Clear the file and type a Rust program
88
89	Press Ctrl-A to select everything cargo wrote, then Delete to remove it. The window is now empty and its title reads `main.rs *` — the star means there are unsaved changes.
90
91	Type these two lines, pressing Enter at the end of each:
92
93	```rust
94	fn main() {
95	let name = "Turbo Rust";
96	```
97
98	Watch the colours as you type. `fn` and `let` turn white and bold the moment the word ends: they are keywords. `main` turns yellow and bold as soon as you type the `(` after it, because that makes it a function. `"Turbo Rust"` turns green: it is a string.
99
100	(Those are Turbo Classic's colours, the ones the editor starts in. Step 8 changes them.)
101
102	Press Enter. Look at the new line: the cursor is already indented to match the line above. Turbo Rust copied the indentation, which is what you want nine times out of ten.
103
104	Type the next line:
105
106	```rust
107	println!("Hello from {name}!");
108	```
109
110	`println!` turns aqua and bold, with the `!` part of it: a macro is one name, and colouring the `!` separately would make it read as a negation.
111
112	> When you type the `.` after a name, the status bar briefly shows a message about the language server. That is expected: completion needs `rust-analyzer`, which we have not set up. The [completion guide](../how-to/enable-completion.md) covers it later; ignore it for now.
113
114	Press Enter, then Shift-Tab to take the indent back off, then type the closing brace:
115
116	```rust
117	}
118	```
119
120	We have just written a complete Rust program, with the editor colouring it as we went.
121
122	## Step 5 — Save it
123
124	Press F2.
125
126	The star disappears from the title, and the status bar says:
127
128	```
129	Saved src/main.rs
130	```
131
132	We have just written the file to disk.
133
134	## Step 6 — Look at the file from outside
135
136	Leave the editor by pressing Alt-X. The terminal comes back as it was.
137
138	Check what we wrote:
139
140	```bash
141	cat src/main.rs
142	```
143
144	You should see:
145
146	```rust
147	fn main() {
148	let name = "Turbo Rust";
149	println!("Hello from {name}!");
150	}
151	```
152
153	## Step 7 — Run it
154
155	```bash
156	cargo run
157	```
158
159	You should see, after a line or two from cargo:
160
161	```
162	Hello from Turbo Rust!
163	```
164
165	That is a working Rust program, written entirely inside the editor.
166
167	## Step 8 — Change the theme
168
169	Open the file again:
170
171	```bash
172	$TURBO src/main.rs
173	```
174
175	Press F10. The `File` menu drops open. Press → five times: the menu walks along the bar to `Options`, whose first item, `Theme…`, is highlighted. Press Enter.
176
177	A list of eleven appears, in alphabetical order, with the theme you are using already highlighted:
178
179	```
180	borland-light
181	cappuccino
182	catppuccin-frappe
183	catppuccin-latte
184	cobalt
185	darcula
186	intellij-light
187	monochrome-dark
188	monochrome-light
189	turbo-classic
190	turbo-dark
191	```
192
193	`turbo-classic` is the highlighted row, because that is the theme you are in. Press ↓ once to move to `turbo-dark`, then press Enter.
194
195	The whole editor repaints in dark grey, and the status bar says `Theme: Turbo Dark`.
196
197	Press Alt-X to leave.
198
199	## What now?
200
201	You have built the editor, written a Rust program in it, saved it, run it, and changed how it looks.
202
203	- To do specific things — enable completion, write a theme of your own, search a file → see the [how-to guides](../how-to/)
204	- To look up a key or a menu item → see the [reference](../reference/)
205	- To understand how the colouring and the completion actually work → see the [explanation](../explanation/)