| Title: Apache Velocity Engine - Getting Started |
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| ## Getting Started |
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| Velocity is easy to use! A quick way to get started is to skim the references below, then look at the examples and source provided in the distribution. *For developers writing web-based applications, the Web Application Guide is highly recommended!* |
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| + [User's Guide](user-guide.html) - explains how to write Velocity templates |
| + [Developer's Guide](developer-guide.html) - expains how to user Velocity inside Java programs |
| + [VTL Reference](vtl-reference.html) - concise syntax for Velocity Template Language (VTL) |
| + [Web Application Guide](webapps.html) - web-based application techniques and VelocityViewServlet tutorial |
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| The best place to start is with the examples provided in the distribution, and with the source code itself, which is included. |
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| ## Downloading Velocity |
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| You can download the latest release version of [Velocity Engine](/download.cgi#engine) or [Velocity Tools](/download.cgi#tools) from the main Apache Velocity download site. For Velocity itself, source is included with the binary download. |
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| If you want to download the [latest source](source-repository.html), you can do so via the git source control system. |
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| You can also find published snapshots on the [Apache Snapshot Repository](https://repository.apache.org/content/repositories/snapshots/org/apache/velocity/). |
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| Instructions for building Velocity from source can be found in the [Build](build.html) document. |
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| ## API Documentation |
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| Our API documentation is available [online](apidocs/), as part of the distribution package, an of course, you can generate it yourself from the included source code. |
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| If you would like to create a full set of detailed API documentation for Velocity, go to the `build` directory and run: |
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| :::shell |
| ant javadocs |
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| The docs will be found in the `/bin/apidocs/` directory. |
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| **Note:** Velocity uses the [Maven](http://maven.Apache.org) build tool for all code and documentation generation, so you will need to have it installed. |
