Programming in REXX: Introduction and Workshop

REXX Language Structure

This session introduces the basic principles of the REXX language. Also we present mechanisms to invoke REXX Scripts (or EXECs) in the various REXX environments

Interactive Debugging

The first instructions will be presented together with the facilities that are available for problem determination and debugging

Control Flow

This chapter addresses the various REXX statements that are used for loop control and decision making

Parsing

One of the strongest features of the REXX language is its capability to easily analyze the contents of character strings via a single instruction, PARSE. This instruction has no real equivalent in any other programming language

String Manipulation

Not only does REXX allow easy analysis of character string, using its built-in functions it is also simple to change existing strings, or parts of them

Compound Variables

Another very useful feature of the REXX language is the use of associative arrays, or compound variables, which present many more functions than classical n-dimensional arrays

Working with numbers

In this chapter we handle the processing of decimal, hex, and binary numbers

Subprograms and Functions

REXX does not only provide a large set of built-in functions, it also allows the programmer to create his own functions and subroutines, which may be even external to the program and can be called by other REXX procedures as well

Stacks, Queues, and Buffers

When using multiple REXX programs in a complex environment it may not be allways desirable to pass function parameters on invocation. To allow more flexible inter process communication, the REXX language contains powerfull stack and pipe processing mechanisms which will be presented in this chapter

Processing files

REXX is surely not the language generally used in processing standard OS files, but there is no real reason for this. The language contains all elements needed to handle standard QSAM and BSAM files (aka flat files) and therefor can be used for many "batch like" processing functions as well