Core Concepts

How the Alap expression language works — from simple tag queries to protocol filters and result refiners.

Page	What it covers
Expressions	Tags, operators (`+` `\|` `-`), parentheses, commas, the full grammar
Macros	Named queries with `@`, nesting, the bare `@`, Markdown escape hatch
Search Patterns	Regex search with `/pattern/`, field codes, age/sort/limit options
Protocols	Dimensional queries (`:time:30d:`, `:loc:args:`), handler contract, source chains
Refiners	Set-level shaping (`sort`, `limit:N`, `shuffle`), inline refiners, pagination
Styling	CSS custom properties, `::part()` selectors, dark mode, transitions, effects

Reading order

Start with Expressions — everything else builds on it. Macros is a natural follow-up. The rest can be read in any order as you need them.