TAL Reference Manual

Language Elements

TAL Reference Manual—526371-001

2-2

Statements

Statements specify operations to be performed on declared objects. Statements are

summarized in Table 2-1 and described in Section 12, Statements.

Keywords

Keywords have predefined meanings to the compiler when used as shown in the

syntax diagrams in this manual. lists keywords that are reserved by the compiler. Do

not use reserved keywords for your identifiers.

Table 2-1. TAL Statements

Statement Operation

ASSERT Conditionally calls an error-handling procedure

Assignment Stores a value in a variable

CALL Calls a procedure or a subprocedure

CASE Selects a set of statements based on a selector value

CODE * Specifies machine codes or constants for inclusion in the object

code

DO Executes a posttest loop until a condition is true

DROP Frees an index register or removes a label from the symbol table

FOR Executes a pretest loop n times

GOTO Unconditionally branches to a label within a procedure or

subprocedure

IF Selects the THEN statement for a true state or the ELSE

statement for a false state

Move Copies a contiguous group of items from one location to another

RETURN Returns from a procedure or a subprocedure to the caller; returns

a value from a function, and can also return a condition code

value

RSCAN Scans data, right to left, for a test character

SCAN Scans data, left to right, for a test character

STACK * Loads a value onto the register stack

STORE * Stores a register stack value in a variable

USE Reserves an index register

WHILE Executes a pretest loop while a condition is true

* Not portable to future software platforms