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What Can RIDDL Do?

RIDDL is a specification language, and like any language, it needs tools to work with it. The primary tool is the open source compiler, riddlc.

The RIDDL Compiler: riddlc

The riddlc compiler is RIDDL's validation workhorse. It reads your specification files, checks them thoroughly, and reports any issues.

Input

The compiler takes a single .riddl file as input. This top-level file can include others hierarchically, letting you organize large specifications across multiple files while keeping a single entry point.

What It Validates

The compiler performs two levels of validation:

  • Syntax Validation — Ensures your specification follows RIDDL's grammar. Catches typos, missing keywords, and structural errors.

  • Semantic Validation — Checks that your specification makes sense as a whole. Verifies that references point to real definitions, types are used correctly, and the model is internally consistent.

Think of syntax validation as spell-checking and semantic validation as grammar-checking—both are essential for a well-formed specification.

Options

The riddlc program offers options to control:

  • Configuration sources (load settings from config files)
  • Logging verbosity (from terse error-only output to verbose debugging)
  • Warning levels and error handling

For detailed usage information, see the riddlc documentation.