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authorJames FitzGibbon <jfitz@FreeBSD.org>1996-09-23 15:50:11 +0000
committerJames FitzGibbon <jfitz@FreeBSD.org>1996-09-23 15:50:11 +0000
commita7a7948bfaa7e6a89b551dbf8a7238e3e64ba19e (patch)
treef3febac5ff5a7507af4a5b721318124b25c1523b /lang/rexx-imc/pkg-descr
parentLook on the CDROM for patch files too. (diff)
Import of REXX/imc, a REXX interpreter for unix.
Reviewed by: matt@bdd.net
Notes
Notes: svn path=/head/; revision=3847
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+What is REXX ?
+==============
+
+REXX is a programming language designed by Michael Cowlishaw
+of IBM UK Laboratories. In his own words: "REXX is a
+procedural language that allows programs and algorithms to
+be written in a clear and structured way."
+REXX doesn't look that different from any other procedural
+language. Here's a simple REXX program:
+
+ /* Count some numbers */
+
+ say "Counting..."
+ do i = 1 to 10
+ say "Number" i
+ end
+
+What makes REXX different from most other languages is that
+it is also designed to be used as a macro language by
+arbitrary application programs. The idea is that
+application developers don't have to design their own macro
+languages and interpreters. Instead they use REXX as the
+macro language and support the REXX programming interface.
+If a REXX macro comes across an expression or function call
+that it cannot resolve, it can ask the application to handle
+it instead. The application only has to support the
+features that are specific to it, freeing the developer from
+handling the mundane (and time-consuming) task of writing a
+language interpreter. And if all applications use REXX as
+their macro language, the user only has to learn one
+language instead of a dozen.
+
+
+Differences between TRL (The REXX Language) and REXX/imc
+========================================================
+
+The following are all nonstandard features of REXX-imc
+
+ * Rejection of labels ending with dot (in case of confusion between
+ function.(args) and stem.(tail))
+ * Compound variable accesses of the form "stem.'string constant'" and
+ stem.(expression)
+ * Acceptance of any non-zero number for logical truth, rather than just 1
+ * "SAYN expression" to output lines without carriage return
+ * "SELECT expression" to switch on a value
+ * "END SELECT"
+ * "PARSE VALUE" with multiple strings separated by commas
+ * "PROCEDURE HIDE"
+ * The following functions: chdir getcwd getenv putenv system userid
+ plus these I/O functions: open close fdopen popen pclose fileno ftell
+ * error messages 80-210, -1 and -3.
+
+
+Good sources of REXX information on the web:
+============================================
+
+REXX/imc Home page
+ http://www.comlab.ox.ac.uk/oucl/users/ian.collier/Rexx/index.html
+
+IBM's REXX Language Page
+ http://rexx.hursley.ibm.com/rexx/
+
+REXX Tutorials Page
+ http://www2.hursley.ibm.com/rexxtut/
+