Get a test-ready copy of Bruster

This lesson gets the right program onto your computer. Take it one step at a time. Your goal is simple: run Bruster’s test help command and see a list of testing options.

1. Understand the tools you will use

A terminal is a window where you type an instruction and press Enter to run it. On Windows, we will use PowerShell. On a Mac, use Terminal. Linux usually has an application called Terminal too.

A source build turns a program’s source files into an application you can run. Bruster is written in the Rust programming language. You will install Rust’s build tools and use a tool called Cargo to build the existing project. You do not need to write Rust or edit Bruster’s source files.

Copy only the command itself from a code box. A terminal may display a prompt such as $ or PS C:\Users\Ada>. That is the terminal showing where it is ready for input; it is not part of the command.

2. Install the build tools for your computer

Open the section for your operating system. You only need to install these tools once, not before every test.

xcode-select --install

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install build-essential pkg-config libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev libgtk-3-dev xvfb xauth

In a new terminal window, run:

cargo --version

You should see a version line beginning with cargo. If the command is not found, finish the Rust installation and reopen the terminal before continuing.

3. Download the source and build it

1. Download the current Bruster source ZIP.
2. Extract the ZIP. Find the folder containing Cargo.toml; it is normally called bruster-main.
3. Open a terminal in that folder. In Windows File Explorer, open the folder, type powershell into its address bar, and press Enter. On a Mac, you can use the folder’s Services → New Terminal at Folder menu. Many Linux file managers have Open in Terminal.
4. Run the build command below and wait for it to finish.

cargo build --release --locked

The first build downloads dependencies—other software Bruster needs—and prints many lines of progress messages. A successful build ends with a “Finished” message. If the command reports that it cannot find Cargo.toml, the terminal is in the wrong folder.

4. Make a practice folder and check the program

Create a folder named bruster-practice in Documents. Inside the source folder, open target, then release. Copy the program named bruster on macOS/Linux, or bruster.exe on Windows, into your practice folder.

Open a new terminal in bruster-practice. The commands below mean “run the program in this folder and show its test help.”

./bruster test --help

.\bruster.exe test --help

Look for Usage: bruster test FILE.bru and options such as --visible and --output. That is your setup checkpoint. An ordinary Bruster help screen without the test command is not the same result.