HP 3000 Manuals HP 3000 Manuals
How Programmers Use the CI
The CI contains a set of features that provides the key functions of a
programming language:
* Command files and user-defined commands--A mechanism for executing
multiple CI commands in a prescribed sequence, similar to a
procedure.
* Variables--User-defined and predefined variables that can be
accessed by the CI and application programs within the same
session.
* Expression evaluator--A command processing phase that resolves all
arithmetic, string, and boolean expressions.
* Language constructs--Command structures that simulate the
branching, looping, input, and output structures needed for
programmatic control.
* CI intrinsics--An interface mechanism providing programmatic
access to the CI from applications programs.
The programming capability of the CI can be used to simplify tasks.
Complicated routines requiring multiple commands can be made transparent
to users through the use of command files and user-defined commands
(UDCs).
Some programming tasks can be coded more simply and efficiently with CI
commands than with a standard application language. Routines can be
written with CI commands and accessed from application programs through
the intrinsic facility. Variables can be used by both CI routines and
application programs to pass information between routines.