The World of Computer Software/World_Of_Computer_Software-02-386-Vol-2of3.iso/v/vsnbl220.zip/DEMO.TXT

Text File | 1991-02-14 | 11KB | 283 lines

                       THE SNOBOL4 PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

If you ever have to work with textual data, the SNOBOL4 language lets you do
it quickly and easily.  Give us 10 minutes and we'll give you a quick tour of
the language and explain why reviewers call it the "standard for text
processing."

We've included a working version of SNOBOL4, a tutorial and reference manual
and many sample programs, so if you're intrigued by what you see, you can
immediately start learning and using the language in earnest.

About This Demo
----------------

SNOBOL4 is controlling this demo, so the sample statements and results you see
here are produced "live" by SNOBOL4.  After the demonstration, you'll have the
opportunity to enter your own practice statements.

The demo runs in text mode, and should run on any MS-DOS computer with a 25-
line monitor.

Ready to learn about SNOBOL4?
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                               LANGUAGE BASICS
Variables
---------

Like other languages, SNOBOL4 provides variables to hold values:

*    Game = 5
*    Score = "Love"

Unlike many other languages though, you don't have to declare the type of data
to be held in each variable.  SNOBOL4 adjusts the variable automatically,
depending upon what you store into it.  That means that a variable such as
Score can have a text string like "Love" at one moment, then hold an integer
sometime later:

*    Score = 15

For the technically minded, SNOBOL4 variables are "dynamically typed."
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Type Checking
-------------

Because SNOBOL4 remembers the type of data currently in each variable, all
operators and functions can check the values given them.  SNOBOL4 will
automatically convert any that are in the wrong form.  Suppose we try to add
the text string "30" to the value in Score:

>    Score = Score + "30"

The addition operator (+) automatically converts the string "30" to the
integer 30 before adding it to the integer 15 in variable Score.  Here we show
the result of the operation within parentheses.

Type checking eliminates many hidden program bugs, and automatic type
conversion greatly simplifies programming.
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String Concatenation
--------------------

SNOBOL4's real strength lies in its ability to manipulate textual data, or
"strings" of characters.  The simplest operation is "concatenation," which
involves appending one string to another.  In SNOBOL4, we do this simply by
writing the variables or literal strings to be concatenated one after the
other, with a space between each:

>    Test = "Quick" "Brown" "Fox"
>    State = "The score in game number " Game " is " Score

Here's another example of type conversion.  The integers 5 and 15 in the
variables Game and Score were converted automatically to strings so they could
be concatenated with the other strings in the second statement above.

Notice what you DON'T have to do in SNOBOL4:  explicitly manage memory stor-
age.  It happens automatically -- SNOBOL4 allocates space as needed, and
releases it when the data is no longer needed.  It's effortless, and it's
foolproof.
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Pattern Matching
----------------

There are other operations besides concatenation to manipulate strings, but
for brevity, we'll skip them and move on to SNOBOL4's most unique and powerful
feature, pattern matching.

Pattern matching examines a "subject" string for some combination of charac-
ters, called a "pattern."  The matching process may be very simple, or
extremely complex.  For example:

1. The subject contains several color names.  The pattern is the string
   "BLUE". Does the subject string contain the word "BLUE"?
2. The subject contains a record of data read from a file.  The pattern
   deciphers the field structure within the record, and stores the component
   pieces into variables.
3. The subject contains a paragraph of English text.  The pattern describes
   the spacing rules to be applied after punctuation.  Does the subject string
   conform to the punctuation rules?
4. The subject string represents the current board position in a game of Tick-
   Tack-Toe.  The pattern examines this string and determines the next move.
5. The subject contains a statement from a prototype language.  The pattern
   contains the grammar of that language.  Is the statement properly formed
   according to the grammar?
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A pattern is a unique data type in SNOBOL4, something that can be compiled and
stored in a variable.  For example,

*    Colors = "red" | "green" | "blue"

assigns to Colors a pattern that will match the string "red" OR the string
"green" OR the string "blue".  To use the pattern, we simply write the string
or variable to be tested, followed by the pattern.

*    "turn at the red house" Colors . Result

The period between Colors and Result says "take whatever matched on the left
side of the period, and assign it to the variable on the right."  Since the
"red" portion of Colors matched, SNOBOL4 assigned it to the variable named
Result.
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If the subject is a variable, we can replace just whatever matches:

*    Instruction = "turn at the red house"

       subject  pattern = replacement
       ───┬───  ───┬───   ──┬────────
          │        │        │
     ─────┴───── ──┴───   ──┴──
>     Instruction Colors = "BIG"
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The real power in pattern matching comes from two additional features:

1. Patterns can be more than simple literal strings.  They can specify the
   KIND of characters to be matched, such as a run of digits, or characters
   "up to" a punctuation mark, or to a fixed position in the subject, etc.

2. Patterns can be built using AND and OR combinations of other patterns.
   Patterns may even be defined in terms of themselves (recursive patterns).

Here are a few simple examples:

*    Vowel = any("aeiou")
*    DoubleVowel = Vowel Vowel
*    "vacuum" DoubleVowel . Result

*    Letters = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz"
*    Wordpat = break(Letters) span(Letters) . Result
*    Instruction Wordpat = ""
*    Instruction Wordpat = ""
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Program Structure
-----------------

Statements like the ones shown will "succeed" if the indicated operation can
be carried out, or "fail" if they cannot.  SNOBOL4 also provides all the
"testing" operations familiar from other languages, such as comparison of
strings or numeric values.  Comparisons also will "succeed" or "fail".

Normally, SNOBOL4 executes statements in sequence.  However the success or
failure of a statement can be tested, and program control passed to a differ-
ent statement instead.  Statements are identified by "statement labels" that
precede the statement:

*         Test = "sunspots and flares"
*Again    Test Wordpat = ""                  :S(Again)

This little program uses Wordpat to look for a word in the subject, Test.  If
found, it is replaced with an empty string, effectively deleting it from Test.
The pattern match succeeds, and the ":S" test sends the program back to the
same statement to get another word.  When the pattern match ultimately fails,
control proceeds to the next statement.
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Miscellaneous
-------------

There are lots of other goodies in SNOBOL4.  You can have arrays of data,
where each array element can hold data of a different type.  A Table is like a
one-dimensional array, except that its subscripts aren't limited to integers.
Any type of SNOBOL4 data can be used as subscripts.  Here's an example using
string subscripts:

*    Sound = table()
*    Sound["dog"] = "bark"
*    Sound["cat"] = "meow"

Tables expand automatically as you store things in them.  They're handy for
storing relationships and building indexes to data.

You also can define your own data types, redefine SNOBOL4's operators, and
create your own functions.  You can even compile new program statements while
your program is running (as this demo does).

It's a rich language, and the parts work harmoniously to let you express
complex ideas concisely.
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Where to Next?
--------------

The file README.DOC provides a road map to the files on this disk.

If you want to learn more about the SNOBOL4 language, the batch file
PRINTMAN.BAT will produce a language tutorial and reference manual.

If you want to transform a file by performing multiple line-by-line search-
and-replaces, we've included a pre-written SNOBOL4 program that does just
that.  It can replace literal strings, or use the full range of SNOBOL4
pattern matching.  Print the file GENTRAN.DOC for instructions.  You can run
GENTRAN at the DOS prompt by typing:

     >SNOBOL4 GENTRAN

If you want to contact SNOBOL4's authors, or ask about our enhanced versions
for MS-DOS, 386 systems, Unix, or Macintosh, here's how to reach us:

Catspaw, Inc.            Voice: 719-539-3884,  8 am-5 pm (GMT-7)
P.O. Box 1123            Fax: [phone]
Salida, Colorado 81201   Internet: cats![e-mail]
USA                      uucpnet: ...{uunet,allegra,noao}!arizona!cats!support
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Welcome to SNOBOL4!
-------------------

This concludes our brief tour of the SNOBOL4 language.

Would you like to type a few statements interactively, or return to DOS?  In
keeping with the spirit of this demo, we'll use a SNOBOL4 statement to read
and process your response to this question.

Enter "Y" to try out a few statements, or anything else to return to DOS.

*    Input ("Y" | "y")                       :S(next)F(end)
Interactive Statement Execution
-------------------------------

Here are some guidelines to get you started:

1. Begin all statements with blank or tab (to skip the label field).
2. Surround all operators (=, +, -, etc.) with a blank on both sides.
3. This Vanilla version of SNOBOL4 does not support real numbers.
4. You can display data by assigning values to the variable named Output.
5. You can read data from the keyboard by accessing the variable named Input.
6. Don't try to use statement labels or program Gotos at this time.  Just
   concentrate on writing simple statements.
7. SNOBOL4 is supposed to be fun, so don't get frustrated!  This demonstration
   can't substitute for reading the tutorial in the manual on the disk.

Here are some samples to get you started.  SNOBOL4 will prompt with a "?", and
will display "Success" or "Failure" after each statement.

?    Output = 3 + 4
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?    b = "blue" "bird"
?    output = b
?    b ("gold" | "blue") . Output ("fish" | "bird") . Output


OK!  You've got the helm.  Type END at the left margin to terminate, or type
Control-C.

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