[loops] 1 Introduction

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# 1 Introduction

### Sections

1. Installation
2. Documentation
3. Test files
4. Feedback
5. Acknowledgement

LOOPS is a package for GAP4 whose purpose is to:

- provide researchers in nonassociative algebra with a powerful computational tool concerning finite loops and quasigroups,
- extend GAP toward the realm of nonassociative structures.

## 1.1 Installation

We assume that you have GAP 4.4 or newer installed on your computer. Download the LOOPS package from the distribution website

http://www.math.du.edu/loops

and unpack the downloaded file into the `pkg` subfolder of your GAP folder.

After this step, there should be a subfolder `loops` in your `pkg` folder. The package LOOPS can then be loaded to GAP anytime by calling

    LoadPackage("loops");

If you wish to load LOOPS automatically while starting GAP, open the file `loops/PackageInfo.g`, and change `Autoload:=false` to `Autoload:=true` in the file.

## 1.2 Documentation

The documentation is available is several formats: TeX, pdf, dvi, ps, html, and as an online help in GAP. All these formats have been obtained directly from the master TeX documentation file. Consequently, the different formats of the documentation differ only in their appearance, not in content.

All formats of the documentation except html can be found in the `doc` folder of LOOPS, while the html version is in the `htm` folder. You can also download the documentation at the LOOPS distribution website.

The online GAP help is available upon installing LOOPS, and can be accessed in the usual way, i.e., upon typing `?`command, GAP displays the section of the LOOPS manual containing information about command.

## 1.3 Test files

Test files conforming to the GAP standards are provided for LOOPS. They can be found in the folder `tst`. The command `ReadPackage("loops", "tst/testall.g")` runs all tests for LOOPS.

## 1.4 Feedback

We welcome all comments and suggestions on LOOPS, especially those concerning the future development of the package. You can contact us by e-mail.

## 1.5 Acknowledgement

We thank the following people for sending us remarks and comments, and for suggesting new functionality of the package: Muniru Asiru, Bjoern Assmann, Andreas Distler, Steve Flammia, Kenneth W. Johnson, Michael K. Kinyon, Frank Lübeck, and Jonathan D. H. Smith.

Gábor P. Nagy was supported by OTKA grants F042959 and T043758, and Petr Vojt\vechovský by the 2006 PROF grant of the University of Denver.

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