= pkl-core Library
include::ROOT:partial$component-attributes.adoc[]
:uri-pkl-core-maven-module: {uri-maven-docsite}/artifact/org.pkl-lang/pkl-core
:uri-pkl-core-main-sources: {uri-github-tree}/pkl-core/src/main/java/org/pkl/core
:uri-pkl-core-test-sources: {uri-github-tree}/pkl-core/src/test/kotlin/org/pkl/core
:uri-pkl-core-Evaluator: {uri-pkl-core-main-sources}/Evaluator.java
:uri-pkl-core-PModule: {uri-pkl-core-main-sources}/PModule.java
:uri-pkl-core-PklException: {uri-pkl-core-main-sources}/PklException.java
:uri-pkl-core-ValueVisitor: {uri-pkl-core-main-sources}/ValueVisitor.java
:uri-pkl-core-JsonRenderer: {uri-pkl-core-main-sources}/JsonRenderer.java
:uri-pkl-core-PcfRenderer: {uri-pkl-core-main-sources}/PcfRenderer.java
:uri-pkl-core-PListRenderer: {uri-pkl-core-main-sources}/PListRenderer.java
:uri-pkl-core-YamlRenderer: {uri-pkl-core-main-sources}/YamlRenderer.java
:uri-pkl-core-SecurityManagers: {uri-pkl-core-main-sources}/SecurityManagers.java
:uri-pkl-core-ModuleKeyFactories: {uri-pkl-core-main-sources}/module/ModuleKeyFactories.java

The _pkl-core_ library contains the Pkl parser, evaluator, REPL server, and xref:ROOT:standard-library.adoc[Standard Library].
It is the foundation for most of Pkl's other libraries and tools.
The library can also be used to embed Pkl in Java libraries and applications.

[[pkl-core-installation]]
== Installation

The _pkl-core_ library is available {uri-pkl-core-maven-module}[from Maven Central].
It requires Java 17 or higher.

=== Gradle

To use the library in a Gradle project, declare the following dependency:

[tabs]
====
Kotlin::
+
.build.gradle.kts
[source,kotlin,subs="+attributes"]
----
dependencies {
  implementation("org.pkl-lang:pkl-core:{pkl-artifact-version}")
}

repositories {
ifdef::is-release-version[]
  mavenCentral()
endif::[]
ifndef::is-release-version[]
  maven(url = "{uri-sonatype}")
endif::[]
}
----

Groovy::
+
.build.gradle
[source,groovy,subs="+attributes"]
----
dependencies {
  implementation "org.pkl-lang:pkl-core:{pkl-artifact-version}"
}

repositories {
ifdef::is-release-version[]
  mavenCentral()
endif::[]
ifndef::is-release-version[]
  maven { url "{uri-sonatype}" }
endif::[]
}
----
====

=== Maven

To use the library in a Maven project, declare the following dependency:

.pom.xml
[source,xml,subs="+attributes"]
----
<project>
  <dependency>
    <groupId>org.pkl-lang</groupId>
    <artifactId>pkl-core</artifactId>
    <version>{pkl-artifact-version}</version>
  </dependency>
ifndef::is-release-version[]
  <repositories>
    <repository>
      <id>sonatype-s01</id>
      <name>Sonatype S01</name>
      <url>{uri-sonatype}</url>
    </repository>
  </repositories>
endif::[]
</project>
----

== Usage

{uri-pkl-core-Evaluator}[`Evaluator`] is the core evaluator that exposes multiple methods of evaluation.

The main evaluation method is `evaluate`, which returns a Java representation of the Pkl module object.
If evaluation succeeds, a {uri-pkl-core-PModule}[`PModule`] object representing the fully evaluated module is returned.
Otherwise, an {uri-pkl-core-PklException}[`PklException`] with error details is thrown.

Let's look at an example:

[[config-evaluator-core-example]]
[source,java,indent=0]
----
include::{examplesdir}/CoreEvaluatorExample.java[tags=usage]
----
<1> Build an `Evaluator` with default configuration.
The evaluator should be closed once it is no longer needed.
In this example, this is done with a try-with-resources statement.
Note that objects returned by the evaluator remain valid after calling `close()`.
<2> Build a `ModuleSource` using the given text as the module's contents. Evaluate the given module source. Alternatively, it's possible to build a `ModuleSource` from a file, path, uri, and other sources.
<3> Get the module's `"pigeon"` property, which is represented as `PObject` in Java.
<4> Get the class name for this object. In this example, the class name is `pkl.base#Dynamic`.
<5> Get pigeon's `"diet"` property, which is represented as `List<String>` in Java.

[[value-visitor]]
Often, {uri-pkl-core-ValueVisitor}[`ValueVisitor`] is a better way to process a module.
See {uri-pkl-core-PcfRenderer}[`PcfRenderer`], {uri-pkl-core-JsonRenderer}[`JsonRenderer`], {uri-pkl-core-YamlRenderer}[`YamlRenderer`] and {uri-pkl-core-PListRenderer}[`PListRenderer`] for examples.

[[security-manager-spi]]
The (Pkl, not Java) security manager can be configured and customized using {uri-pkl-core-SecurityManagers}[`SecurityManagers`] and related classes.

[[module-loader-spi]]
Module loaders can be configured and customized using {uri-pkl-core-ModuleKeyFactories}[`ModuleKeyFactories`] and related classes.

== Further Information

Refer to the Javadoc and sources published with the library, or browse the library's {uri-pkl-core-main-sources}[main] and {uri-pkl-core-test-sources}[test] sources.
