User Language: Difference between revisions

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'''User Language''' is the internal language of the <var class="product">[[Model 204]]</var> DBMS, a product of [http://www.rocketsoftware.com/m204 Rocket Software].  It's is a 4th Generation Language (4GL), which means it was designed to be a "high level" language, with a good deal of abstraction and power embedded in relatively simple programming directives.
'''User Language''' (renamed '''SOUL''' in version 7.5 of Model 204) is the internal language of the <var class="product">[[Model&nbsp;204]]</var> DBMS, a product of [http://www.rocketsoftware.com/m204 Rocket Software].  It is a 4th Generation Language (4GL), which means it was designed to be a "high level" language, with a good deal of abstraction and power embedded in relatively simple programming directives.


<var class="product">User Language</var> is characterized by its very easy, English-like syntax and its tight integration with the <var class="product">Model 204</var> DBMS. Programs begin with a "BEGIN" statement and end with "END".
<var class="product">User Language</var> is characterized by its very easy, English-like syntax and its tight integration with the <var class="product">Model 204</var> DBMS. Programs begin with a <var>BEGIN</var> statement and end with <var>END</var> (statements necessarily uppercased prior to version 7.5):
<p class="code">BEGIN
PRINT 'HELLO WORLD'
END  
</p>


BEGIN
Because it is tightly integrated into <var class="product">Model 204</var>, <var class="product">User Language</var> contains native instructions for manipulating data held in <var class="product">Model 204</var> files.  Records in a file are selected using variations on the <var>FIND</var> statement and can be looped over using a variety of structures, the main one being the <var>FOR EACH RECORD</var> loop.
PRINT 'HELLO WORLD'
<p class="code">BEGIN
END
X: IN FILE INVENTORY FIND ALL RECORDS FOR WHICH ITEMTYPE = 'BOOK'
 
  END FIND
Because it is tightly integrated into <var class="product">Model 204</var>, <var class="product">User Language</var> contains native instructions for manipulating data held in <var class="product">Model 204</var> files.  Records in a file are selected using variations on the '''FIND''' statement and can be looped over using a variety of structures, the main one being the '''FOR EACH RECORD''' loop.
  FOR EACH RECORD IN X
 
      PRINT TITLE AND AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER AND PRICE
BEGIN
X: IN FILE INVENTORY FIND ALL RECORDS FOR WHICH ITEMTYPE = 'BOOK'
    END FIND
    FOR EACH RECORD IN X
      PRINT TITLE AND AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER AND PRICE
    END FOR
END
 
In <var class="product">User Language</var>, variables begin with the percent sign (%) and native "functions" — which implement many complex features of the language — begin with a dollar sign ($) or a pound-sign in England, or Yen sign in Japan.
 
BEGIN
  %X IS FLOAT
  FOR %X FROM 1 TO 10
      IF $MOD(%X,2) THEN
        PRINT %X WITH ' IS ODD'
      ELSE
        PRINT %X WITH ' IS EVEN'
      END IF
   END FOR
   END FOR
END
END
 
</p>
In <var class="product">User Language</var>, variables begin with the percent sign (<tt>%</tt>), and native "functions," which implement many complex features of the language, begin with a dollar sign (<tt>$</tt>) &mdash; or a pound-sign in England or a Yen sign in Japan.
<p class="code">BEGIN
  %X IS FLOAT
  FOR %X FROM 1 TO 10
    IF $MOD(%X,2) THEN
        PRINT %X WITH ' IS ODD'
    ELSE
        PRINT %X WITH ' IS EVEN'
    END IF
  END FOR
END
</p>
A wide variety of variations are possible with the language, allowing novice coders to start using the language quickly, and expert users to learn the shortcuts and abbreviations.
A wide variety of variations are possible with the language, allowing novice coders to start using the language quickly, and expert users to learn the shortcuts and abbreviations.


Line 36: Line 34:
It is also possible to access <var class="product">Model 204</var> from external programs using Host Language Interfaces or <var class="product">Model 204</var>'s SQL capability but, because <var class="product">User Language</var> is so highly optimized, the majority of <var class="product">Model 204</var> applications are written in <var class="product">User Language</var>.
It is also possible to access <var class="product">Model 204</var> from external programs using Host Language Interfaces or <var class="product">Model 204</var>'s SQL capability but, because <var class="product">User Language</var> is so highly optimized, the majority of <var class="product">Model 204</var> applications are written in <var class="product">User Language</var>.


==Sirius Software extensions to User Language==
==User Language becomes SOUL==
Version 7.5 of Model 204, released shortly after the acquisition of [[Sirius Software]], provided [[Release_notes_for_Model_204_version_7.5#SOUL_.28User_Language.29_enhancements|significant enhancements]] to <var class="product">User Language</var>, perhaps the most prominent being Object-Oriented programming capabilities (motivating the name change from User language to SOUL) and support for mixed-case keywords and variable names:
<p class="code">Begin
print 'Hello World
End
</p>


Any <var class="product">Model 204</var> site with the <var class="product">[[Sirius Mods]]</var> linked in, gains a number of enhancements to <var class="product">User Language</var>, the most obvious one being [[Mixed-case User Language|mixed-case User Language]]:
The [[Object oriented programming in SOUL|Object-Oriented additions]] let you write sophisticated applications using a range of classes, some built in and others you create locally. Other V7.5 additions included a library of $functions; constructs like <var>[[Stringlist_class|Stringlists]]</var> and <var>[[Daemon class|Daemons]]</var> that offer new ways of programming and new possibilities for managing complex, in-memory data manipulation; the extensive [[Janus TCP/IP Base#The Janus family|Janus product set]], which allows access to <var class="product">Model&nbsp;204</var> via HTTP, sockets, Sybase Omni servers, FTP clients, and more; and the [[RKTools]] family of products, which help programmers and system administrators perform a wide variety of Model&nbsp;204 supporting tasks.


Begin
==See also==
print 'Hello World'
<ul>
End
<li>[[SOUL|SOUL documentation]] (the former <var class="book">User Language Reference Manual</var>)
 
Sirius has a host of Object-Oriented additions to <var class="product">User Language</var> that let you write sophisticated applications using a range of classes, some provided by Sirius and others that can be written locally.  The Object-Oriented additions to <var class="product">User Language</var> are contained in the <var class="product">[[Janus SOAP User Language Interface]]</var>.
 
For a non-exhaustive list of <var class="product">User Language</var> enhancements, some available throughout the <var class="product">Sirius Mods</var> and some exclusive to the <var class="product">Janus SOAP User Language Interface</var>, see [[Janus SOAP User Language Interface#Non-OO User Language enhancements|"Non-OO User Language enhancements"]].
 
Sirius also provides a large set of <var class="product">User Language</var> $functions.  At present, Sirius is not developing new functions, as its emphasis has evolved to the development of classes.  The $functions and classes provided by Sirius range from simple functions useful in the language (<var>[[$Parse]]</var> and <var>[[$ParseX]]</var>) to complex structures and constructs like <var>[[Stringlist_class|Stringlists]]</var> and <var>[[Daemon class|Daemons]]</var> that open up new ways of programming and new possibilities for managing complex, in-memory data manipulation.
 
In addition, many of the Sirius extensions to <var class="product">User Language</var> are in support of the [[Sirius Software product list#janus|Janus product set]], which provides access to <var class="product">Model 204</var> via HTTP, sockets, Sybase Omni servers, FTP clients, and more.


==References==
<li>Other <var class="product">Model 204</var> documentation:
<ul>
<ul>
<li><var class="product">Model 204</var> documentation, including the ''User Language Reference Manual'': http://www.cca-int.com/custsupp/documentation/catalog.html
<li>[[:Category:Commands|Commands]]
<li>Additional Sirius Software <var class="product">User Language</var> extensions: [[Janus SOAP User Language Interface#Other User Language enhancements|"Other User Language enhancements"]]
<li>[[List of Model 204 parameters|Parameters]]
<li>[[:Category:SOUL $functions|$functions]]
<li>[[:Category:Model 204 files|Model 204 files]]
<li>[http://docs.rocketsoftware.com/nxt/gateway.dll?f=templates$fn=default.htm Model 204 PDFs] (some [[Model 204 documentation#Standard Model 204 documents|converted]] to M204wiki)
</ul>
</ul>


[[Category:Overviews]]
[[Category:Overviews]]

Latest revision as of 18:36, 23 April 2018

User Language (renamed SOUL in version 7.5 of Model 204) is the internal language of the Model 204 DBMS, a product of Rocket Software. It is a 4th Generation Language (4GL), which means it was designed to be a "high level" language, with a good deal of abstraction and power embedded in relatively simple programming directives.

User Language is characterized by its very easy, English-like syntax and its tight integration with the Model 204 DBMS. Programs begin with a BEGIN statement and end with END (statements necessarily uppercased prior to version 7.5):

BEGIN PRINT 'HELLO WORLD' END

Because it is tightly integrated into Model 204, User Language contains native instructions for manipulating data held in Model 204 files. Records in a file are selected using variations on the FIND statement and can be looped over using a variety of structures, the main one being the FOR EACH RECORD loop.

BEGIN X: IN FILE INVENTORY FIND ALL RECORDS FOR WHICH ITEMTYPE = 'BOOK' END FIND FOR EACH RECORD IN X PRINT TITLE AND AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER AND PRICE END FOR END

In User Language, variables begin with the percent sign (%), and native "functions," which implement many complex features of the language, begin with a dollar sign ($) — or a pound-sign in England or a Yen sign in Japan.

BEGIN %X IS FLOAT FOR %X FROM 1 TO 10 IF $MOD(%X,2) THEN PRINT %X WITH ' IS ODD' ELSE PRINT %X WITH ' IS EVEN' END IF END FOR END

A wide variety of variations are possible with the language, allowing novice coders to start using the language quickly, and expert users to learn the shortcuts and abbreviations.

Model 204 provides its own terminal services, and User Language procedures are typically stored in Model 204 database files, so User Language programmers usually work directly inside the database environment, opening database files at the command level, editing User Language with Model 204's internal editor, and running programs with the "GO" directive from inside the editor.

It is also possible to access Model 204 from external programs using Host Language Interfaces or Model 204's SQL capability but, because User Language is so highly optimized, the majority of Model 204 applications are written in User Language.

User Language becomes SOUL

Version 7.5 of Model 204, released shortly after the acquisition of Sirius Software, provided significant enhancements to User Language, perhaps the most prominent being Object-Oriented programming capabilities (motivating the name change from User language to SOUL) and support for mixed-case keywords and variable names:

Begin print 'Hello World End

The Object-Oriented additions let you write sophisticated applications using a range of classes, some built in and others you create locally. Other V7.5 additions included a library of $functions; constructs like Stringlists and Daemons that offer new ways of programming and new possibilities for managing complex, in-memory data manipulation; the extensive Janus product set, which allows access to Model 204 via HTTP, sockets, Sybase Omni servers, FTP clients, and more; and the RKTools family of products, which help programmers and system administrators perform a wide variety of Model 204 supporting tasks.

See also

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