| title | Getting Started |
|---|---|
| description | Install PRIK and build your first Python extension from Fortran or C code |
| audience | users |
| prerequisites | none |
| related | installation.md, verification.md |
| status | maintained |
| publication | reviewed |
This guide takes you from a fresh environment to your first working Python
extension. Choose Fortran or C for the native source; both paths generate a
semantic .pyi contract, build an extension, and call the same Python API.
Follow these pages in order:
- Installation — Install PRIK and the required native compilers.
- Verification — Check the package, headers, and your selected toolchain.
- Your First Function — Build the same scalar function from Fortran or C.
- Development Workflow — Repeat the edit → review → build → test loop.
The quickstart notebook runs this same loop in Colab, with nothing to install.
In Your First Function, you will create either
scale.f90 or scale.c. Both paths build a Python extension named scale
with the same call:
import numpy as np
import scale
result = scale.scale(np.float64(3.0), np.float64(2.5))
print(result) # 7.5After this first build, continue with the Fortran User Guide or the C User Guide. Fortran modules and their Python namespaces are covered in Wrapping Modules.
Ready? Start with Installation.