Which Parser?

Regnus parsers are available for a variety of different platforms, which may make it confusing to choose which to use if you don't yet have a specific purpose in mind. This page is to help explain the differences between the different Regnus parsers.

If you are using Microsoft Windows...

For most Windows users who just want to run Regnus scripts rather than write their own, the best option is most likely the Regnus Parser for Java. This is a fully-featured Regnus parser which will happily run under Windows assuming you have the Java Runtime Environment installed (which most Windows users already will - and if not, it's a simple matter to download and install it).

For Windows users who have an interest in writing their own scripts as well as running other people's, or for Windows users who cannot install Java for some reason, there is also a Regnus Parser for Windows, which runs natively on the system, and has the added advantage of including a fairly capable script debugger to help you find the cause of problems in your scripts.

With the exception of the debugger, the parser is functionally very similar to the Regnus Parser for Java, but does currently suffer from the limitation of not being compatible with UTF-8 character sets, so if you want to use more exotic characters in your scripts, it may be best to use the Regnus Parser for Java instead.

The Regnus Parser for DOS will also happily work in Windows, and may be useful if you require output to be controlled in a console environment, or silently written to a file - for example if you want to use the Regnus parser as part of a command-line controlled automated process (such as an IRC bot). Or perhaps you just have a taste for retro console-mode applications? The Regnus Parser for DOS features a full interface as well as command-line-controlled silent mode, so it can just as happily be used as a text-mode alternative to the other parsers available for Windows.

If you are using Apple OSX, Linux, or Solaris...

For users of these operating systems, the Regnus Parser for Java will certainly be the best (indeed at present only) solution for running Regnus scripts on your local machine. You will, of course, need to ensure that you have installer the Java Runtime Environment in order to use the parser.

If you want to use Regnus on your website...

For web designers who want to use Regnus to easily generate or select random content for their websites, the Regnus Parser for PHP is ideal. If you have PHP installed on your web server, the parser comes as a single file which you can upload to your server in order to have fast, reliable Regnus parsing at your control. Alternatively, if you do not have access to a PHP installation, support is provided for calling our hosted copy of the parser to write content to your site either as text or images.

If you want to use Regnus in your forum signature...

This is again where the Regnus Parser for PHP comes into its own. The parser has the ability to write its output to an image, allowing you to simply place an image element sourced to the script in your signature at any forum which allows images in signatures. You are welcome to use our hosted copy of the parser for this purpose too, so you don't even need to have knowledge of PHP or webspace available to host the script (though please be aware that this can be quite heavy on our bandwidth, so if at all possible, we'd prefer you to host your own copy of the script for this purpose). Instructions are available on the Regnus Parser for PHP's page.

If you want to use Regnus in your own programs...

For programmers wanting to use Regnus scripts as part of their own programs, applications or games, Regnus parser modules are available for several programming languages. Full engine module source is available for the Regnus Parser for Java, and modules are also available for Visual BASIC 6 and even Quick BASIC 4.5. Modules may become available for other languages in future, and a forum for discussion of parser development also available if you would like to write your own ports for other languages or platforms.