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Running the TLA+ Tools Standalone

Leslie Lamport

Last modified on 21 November 2018


The Tools

The TLA+ tools are described on the TLA+ Tools web page.  Most users run the TLA+ tools from the TLA+ Toolbox.  Instructions for running TLAPS, the TLA+ proof system, should be found on its web site.  This page describes how to run the other tools outside the Toolbox.  Those tools, and their current versions, are:
   SANY:    Version 2.1  of 23 July 2017
   TLC:     Version 2.13 of 18 July 2018
   PlusCal: Version 1.8  of 16 May 2018
   TLATeX:  Version 1.0  of 20 September 2017

Downloading and Installing the Tools

The distribution comes as a zip file or a jar file. They are available by following the link below.  Please thank Microsoft and HP for the open-source release of the code by reading the following agreement.

By installing, copying, or otherwise using this software, you agree to be bound by the terms of its license.   Read the license.

       -- DOWNLOAD THE TLA+ TOOLS --
       -- ALTERNATE DOWNLOAD SITE --

Separate directions for completing the installation on Windows and on Unix from the zip file are given below.

Windows       [show]

Unix       [show]

Running the Tools

To run the tools, you must have Java installed on your machine.   If you're running Unix, it is probably already there.   If you're running Windows, you can get Java here or here. After installing the tools and Java, you run them in a Windows Command Prompt window or in a Unix shell by typing the appropriate one of these commands
  java tlc2.TLC
  java tla2sany.SANY
  java pcal.trans
  java tla2tex.TLA
followed by the command arguments, which consist of zero or more switches followed by the name of a  .tla  file. (The extension  .tla  can be omitted when typing the file name.)