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Quickstart

This quickstart gets you into the OM Core interface and builds a tiny model in a few minutes.

Start OM Core

Clone the repository and run the start script:

git clone https://github.com/cloudcell/om-core.git
cd om-core
./start.sh

You can also start a specific mode:

./start.sh --gui      # graphical interface
./start.sh --tui      # terminal interface
./start.sh --runtime  # headless engine

Get help

Once OM Core is running, the first command to try is help. It lists all documented commands and their topics.

om> help

The output looks like this in the TUI:

OM Core help command

You can also ask for help on a specific command:

om> help rule
om> help calc

The interface

The first time you open the GUI, the workspace looks like this:

OM Core interface

The main areas are:

  • Model Browser (left) — lists dimensions, cubes, and views. This is the semantic structure of your model.
  • Matrix Grid (center) — the data grid. Rows and columns are dimension items, not cells like in a spreadsheet.
  • Rule Panel (bottom) — where you create and inspect rules. The tabs switch between rules, calculation flow, and circular reference diagnostics.
  • Timeline (right) — checkpoint and dump state for debugging and experimental workflows.

Build your first model

Create a file named hello.openm:

# Dimensions
dim Month Jan Feb Mar

# Cube
cube Sales Month

# View
view SalesView = Sales::Month

# Rules
# This example writes each month explicitly for clarity.
# A real time series model is more compact with a recurrence rule.
rule Sales::Month.Jan = 100
rule Sales::Month.Feb = Sales::[Month.Jan] * 1.1
rule Sales::Month.Mar = Sales::[Month.Feb] * 1.1

# Calculate
calc

In the REPL or TUI, source the script:

om> source hello.openm

Inspect the result

  • Open the SalesView in the Model Browser.
  • The Matrix Grid shows the Sales cube with one row per month.
  • The Rule Panel shows the rules you defined.
  • The Calculation Flow tab shows how values depend on each other.

What next