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SOURCES OF DOCUMENTATION
This screen summarises the documentation available for Magma.
There are eight components to the Magma documentation:
- A first steps overview
("First Steps in Magma")
- An introduction ("Introduction")
- A full reference manual ("Handbook")
- A set of examples of solving problems with Magma
("Solving problems")
- An overview of the Magma system ("Overview document")
- An on-line Help system with a Browser
- A HTML version of the Help system, overview and the Magma Handbook
(htmlhelp, this document)
- A low-level on-line help facility for Categories and Intrinsics
The First Steps In Magma document (16 pages:
pdf version),
consists of a very quick overview of how to use Magma. It is suitable for
use in the early stages of learning the system.
The Introduction
(Files
pdf version)
provides a
gentle introduction to Magma. It does not assume familiarity either with
computer languages or computer algebra systems. It covers all the basics
of the Magma language and provides an introduction to the important
mathematical modules.
The Handbook (about 4500 pages in 13 volumes)
provides a
terse summary of the language and gives full descriptions of the facilities
provided for each of the mathematical modules. It constitutes the central
reference manual for the system. A large number of examples are included.
These examples are listed under a unique name in the Handbook and are included
as one of the libraries distributed with the system (see below). This allows
the reader to run any example appearing in the Handbook by typing
load "Name";
where "Name" is the name appearing at the head of the example in the
Handbook.
The problem-solving book
(Files:
pdf version)
offers a collection of substantial algebraic problems, solved using the Magma
language and intrinsics.
The Overview of Magma V2.14 Features
(Files:
pdf version)
contains an overview of all of the Magma categories and their operations.
Information about the on-line help system in Magma can be obtained by typing
?
at the Magma prompt.
The Magma HTML Help Document is this document.
-
On-line help for functions and operators
may be obtained within Magma as
follows:
ListCategories();
will produce a list of all "category" names;
ListSignatures(cat)
will list all operators and functions whose signatures involve the category
"cat";
<intrinsic> ;
will print all signatures for the intrinsic (function or procedure) having
name <intrinsic>, together with a synopsis of the semantics
of the function.
For example, typing:
Order;
will print all signatures for the intrinsic function 'Order' (note there
are no parentheses here). See the Introduction or Handbook for full details.
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