What is Pliro?
Pliro is a programming language: a way to give a computer instructions. You can use it to write messages, draw pictures, make quizzes, and build games. Start with something small. A program does not have to be a huge game to be your own creation.
One idea, different languages
Think of a board game whose instructions are printed in different languages. The words change, but the rules of the game stay the same. Pliro works in a similar way: its English and Dutch keywords describe the same programming ideas.
You choose the source language at the top of your program. This choice concerns your code, not the language of the wiki or the words inside a message you print. Pliro’s syntax converter preserves your own names and message text.
Try a turtle drawing
Open a Pliro editor with a turtle preview, enter this complete program, and run it. The turtle is a drawing cursor: moving it with its pen down leaves a line.
# language: en
for side in [1, 2, 3, 4]:
forward 60
right 90
say "My first square!"
for repeats the indented instructions once for each item in the list. forward moves the turtle; right turns it. The number after right is an angle in degrees.
Predict, then run
Will there be four sides or five? Where will the turtle point at the end?
There are four equal sides. Four turns of 90 degrees make a full turn, so the turtle ends facing its original direction. The output panel also shows:
My first square!
Your challenge
Change 60 to 100. Predict whether the shape or only its size will change. Then try it. Make one change at a time so you know what caused the result.
A common mistake
Copying a Dutch command into an English source file can produce an unknown-name error. Follow the language directive and use the matching reference. A console-only runner can show the message without providing a visible turtle canvas; use a preview for the drawing.