Pathmaker Reference Manual

PMADL Language Elements
Pathmaker Application Definition Language (PMADL)
067869 Tandem Computers Incorporated 2–5
PMADL Features The following is a summary of the features of PMADL:
FC Command
PMADL recognizes the standard FC command when it solicits input from the primary
input file, if the file is a terminal or process. You can use the FC command to correct
and reexecute the previous input line or to repeat the line after editing it. PMADL
does not maintain a history buffer.
BREAK Messages
PMADL responds to BREAK messages from the primary input file, if it is a terminal or
process. When PMADL receives a BREAK message, it aborts the current statement or
command and solicits input from the primary input file. If PMADL is processing one
or more nested SOURCE commands when it receives a BREAK message, it closes all of
the nested source files without processing them any further.
PMADL does not respond to a BREAK message when it solicits input from the
primary input file. Rather, PMADL allows the command interpreter to respond to a
BREAK message.
Input and Output
When the current input file differs from the current output file, PMADL echoes lines
read from its current input to its current output. Each line is preceded by its EDIT line
sequence number. The current input and output files are the same only when they are
the primary files, and the same terminal or process is specified for both.
If a primary or secondary input file is a terminal or process, PMADL prompts for input
from the file using a greater-than sign (>) character.
If a primary or secondary output file is a printer or spooler location, PMADL groups
all lines written to that file into pages. You can control the number of lines per page
with the PAGELENGTH command. Each page starts with a heading, which includes
the page number, the input file's name, the page title, and the current date and time.
User Interface Session
PMADL creates a Pathmaker user interface session associated with its primary input
file whenever it opens a Pathmaker catalog as a result of a CATALOG or PROJECT
command. The Pathmaker block-mode interface also creates a user interface session,
associated with your terminal, whenever you invoke the Pathmaker product.
One session can access only one catalog on a particular system and be associated with
only one particular terminal or file at one time. You can run several PMADL processes
to access catalogs on a system, but each process must have a distinct primary input
file. Also, you cannot run PMADL interactively from within a Pathmaker block-mode
user interface session because both interfaces would associate sessions with the same
terminal.