TACL Reference Manual

Summary of Commands and Built-In Functions
HP NonStop TACL Reference Manual—429513-018
7-2
Built-In Functions
The :UTILS:TACL directory contains all the TACL commands, including command-
interpreter commands and additional commands, programs, and functions used by
TACL. For example, the :UTILS:TACL variable VOLUME refers to the command
named VOLUME that is executable by the TACL program. For more information about
directories, see Section 6, The TACL Environment.
Most :UTILS:TACL commands are available to every user. Some commands and
some utility programs, however, are restricted so that only certain users can execute
them. Restricted commands and programs can be used by these two groups:
•
Group managers (users who have a user ID of n,255)
•
Super-group users (users who have a user ID of 255,n)
(The terms “user ID” and “group ID” are described in the Guardian User’s Guide.) The
command descriptions in Section 8, UTILS:TACL Commands and Functions indicate
whether a command or program is restricted or not.
The super ID (a user who has the user ID 255,255) can execute any command or
program reserved for group managers or super-group users.
Built-In Functions
In addition to the :UTILS:TACL commands, TACL provides built-in functions and built-
in variables that can be used for the construction of macros and routines.
TACL built-in functions cannot be changed. Built-in functions provide the basic
elements of TACL on which all other features, including TACL commands, are based.
Where built-in functions and TACL commands provide the same functionality, built-in
functions provide more error information and are slightly faster than commands. Built-in
function names start with a number sign (#), ensuring that the names you choose for
your macros or routines do not conflict with the names of built-in functions and
variables. Examples include:
Built-in functions also provide flow control, such as loop control and exit mechanisms.
To view a list of built-in functions, use the #BUILTINS built-in function.
Some built-in functions must be used within routines. These built-in functions (for
example, #ARGUMENT, #MORE, and #REST) provide the mechanism by which
routines evaluate their arguments and return their results. Unlike a macro, the result of
a routine is not the text of the routine itself. A routine computes a result string to
replace its invocation. A routine invokes #RESULT one or more times to produce a
nonempty result.
#COMPAREV Compares one variable with another
#OUTPUT Writes data to an output file
#PROCESSINFO Returns information about a process