View source for SYMPL

'''SYMPL''' is an obsolete programming language developed by the [[Control Data Corporation]] (CDC) for use on the [[CDC 6000 series]] computer systems in the 1970s and 1980s.  It was based on a subset of CDC's version of [[JOVIAL]], as an alternative to [[COMPASS|assembly language]].  A number of important CDC software products were implemented in SYMPL, including compilers, libraries, a full-screen editor, and major subsystems.
SYMPL is a [[compiled]], [[imperative programming|imperative]], and [[Procedural programming|procedural]] language.  Compared to the [[Fortran]] of the day, SYMPL supports:
* [[Strong typing|Strong data typing]]: All variables must be declared before use
* Boolean variables
* Variable bit width integers (both signed and unsigned)
* "Status" (enumerated integer) variables
* [[Data structures]] - Including "based" dynamically allocated structures
* [[Structured programming]] constructs
* [[nested function|Nested procedures]]
* In-fix "bead" (bit) and character manipulation
* A simple macro facility
A distinct feature of SYMPL, also found in JOVIAL tables, is that arrays of multi-item variables can be specified with either a "serial" or "parallel" memory layout.  A "serial" layout has array entries following one another in memory as is usual in most computer languages.  A "parallel" layout groups each of the individual items within each of the array entries together.  For example, if each array entry has items x, y, and z, a parallel layout would group x[0]...x[n] together in memory, followed by y[0]...y[n], and then z[0]...z[n].  This has the effect of potentially speeding up access to all the same items across the array - as they are all contiguous with one another.
Simplifications compared to [[JOVIAL]] include: no [[Fixed-point arithmetic|fixed point]] data type, no table structures, and no <code>COMPOOL</code> concept.  Though in lieu of <code>COMPOOL</code>s, a CDC-specific system text capability allows encapsulation of common data declarations.
==External links==
* [http://99-bottles-of-beer.net/language-sympl-1167.html Ninety-nine Bottles of Beer program - written in SYMPL]
* [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/cdc/cyber/nos/NOS_SYMPL_Coding_Standard_Jun83.pdf SYMPL coding standard]
* [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/cdc/cyber/lang/sympl/60496400F_SYMPL_Version_1_Reference_Jan80.pdf SYMPL Reference Manual]
* [http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/cdc/cyber/lang/sympl/60499800B_SYMPL_Version_1_Users_Guide_Apr78.pdf SYMPL Users Guide]
{{Control Data Corporation}}
[[Category:Procedural programming languages]]
[[Category:Systems programming languages]]
[[Category:Control Data Corporation mainframe software]]
[[Category:Programming languages created in the 1970s]]
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