- PL/I ("Programming Language One", pronounced "pee el one") is a computer programming language designed for scientific, engineering, and business applications. It is undoubtedly one of the most powerful programming languages that has ever been created. It has been used by various academic, commercial and industrial users since it was introduced in the early 1960s, and in fact is still actively used today.
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mytest:proc(cmdArgs, envBlk) options(main); dcl cmdArgs char(127) var, envBlk char(127); dcl (max, i, j) fixed bin, base_page_ptr ptr, 1 base_page based (base_page_ptr), 2 pad1 (32) fixed bin(15), 2 psp_seg fixed bin(15); dcl cmdLine_ptr ptr, cmdLine char(127) var based (cmdLine_ptr); dcl dateNow char(6), timeNow char(9); dcl junk_waffle fixed bin(7) static initial (20); dateNow = DATE(); timeNow = TIME(); put skip list (dateNow); put skip list (timeNow); put skip edit (substr(dateNow,3,2),'/',substr(dateNow,5,2),'/',substr(dateNow,1,2)) (a(2),a,a(2),a,a(2)); put skip edit (substr(timeNow,1,2),':',substr(timeNow,3,2),':',substr(timeNow,5,2),'.',substr(timeNow,7,3)) (a(2),a,a(2),a,a(2),a,a(3)); put skip list (''); unspec(cmdLine_ptr) = '0080'b4; put edit ('command line = ', cmdLine) (a); put skip list (''); unspec(base_page_ptr) = '0000'b4; put edit ('PSP segment = ', unspec(base_page.psp_seg),'h') (skip,a,b4(4),a); put skip list (''); i = length(cmdArgs); put edit ('cmdArgs = ', cmdArgs) (a); put skip list (''); put list ('env = ', envBlk); i = '12bc'b4; put edit ('i = ',unspec(i),'h') (skip,a,b4(4),a); return; /* just for aesthetics */ end; /* of main program */
LV Anyone know why this page was created? Generally someone adds a note giving us some context.escargo - I'm especially mystified because they got the name of the language wrong (it's PL/I). There is work being done on a PL/I front end to the GNU C compiler; I understand that they are looking for language samples to compile. - RS Thirty years ago, I did some PL/I (or, rather, the "student" subset SL/I) on an IBM 1130... but is PL/I any more than a museum piece today? Long time ago, it was praised as fusion of Fortran and Algol, with some COBOLity thrown in :^) KPV PL/I was the first real language I learned twenty five years ago. Don't remember much of the language except that I remember that C seemed trivial afterwards.escargo I was an operator for an 1130 more than 30 years ago. I always had a fondness for the card reader/punch. (Makes me wonder if there are any 1130 simulators out there somewhere.) - RS: see http://ibm1130.org/sim
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if then then then=else; else else=then;OTOH I must ask for wiki gnomes to delete this entire page! (I am too shy to do this myself)TP VK's example shows off PL/I's purposeful lack of reserved words. Not every PL/I compiler supported this feature, but it was certainly present in the PL/I compilers that I used (IBM PL/I Optimizing compiler & PL/I C). Instead of reserved words, the compiler parsed purely by context. Other interesting features that I remember using:
- a very elaborate pre-processor, really a mini-PL/I. Makes C's pre-processor look very anemic. if/then/else, do-while, etc. all in the pre-processor. Code that writes code? Hey, Tcl does that too!!
- variable labels. GOTO SOMELABEL could go here, there, or somewhere else depending on its value. Made maintaining code written by former assembler programmers very interesting.