FAQ & troubleshooting

Frequently asked questions

Is AlgoLab free?

Yes, MIT licensed. Use, modify and redistribute freely, including commercially.

Does AlgoLab work offline?

Yes, fully. No internet connection required after installation.

Can I use AlgoLab in my classes?

Yes — that's exactly the point. Hand binaries to students, create .algo files as exercises, demo live with the VS Code extension.

Why are arrays 1-indexed?

Pedagogical choice consistent with most francophone algorithmics courses.

Difference between Caractere and Chaine?

None. Chaine is an alias of Caractere.

Are keywords case-sensitive?

No. Debut, DEBUT, debut are equivalent. Convention: PascalCase.

Does AlgoLab support comments?

Not yet in v0.1.0. Planned for a future version.

Troubleshooting

"command not found: algolab"

The executable is not in your PATH. Linux: reinstall the .deb. Windows: add the folder to PATH. macOS: move the binary to /usr/local/bin/.

Program hangs on Lire

Normal, Lire waits for input. In VS Code, use "Run AlgoLab" (which opens a terminal) rather than "Verify".

macOS permission error

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /usr/local/bin/algolab

Garbled characters

AlgoLab reads files as UTF-8. Convert your file if needed.