Chapter 3: Basic Components of M

Chapter 3: Basic Components of M

Note to Experienced Programmers

Although much of the material in this chapter is probably familiar to individuals who have programmed in other languages, there are some important differences in M. A summary of these features is provided at the end of the chapter. The experienced programmer is advised to read this summary and, if necessary, review pertinent sections of this chapter that amplify the specific language features.

All computer languages are made up of building blocks that take on special meanings within the syntax of the language. For every programming language, it is necessary to indicate what character code sets are permitted, how numbers and text are to be identified and stored, and what other special terms are used to enrich the capability of the language to perform useful operations on data.

In M, the building blocks are generally simpler than in most other languages, yet the power of the language to manipulate text-oriented data is as great as that of many far more complex languages. In this chapter we will consider the key building blocks used in M:


	?	The character set recognized by M


	?	M's representation of numbers


	?	M's representation of strings


	?	M conventions in naming variables


	?	M auxiliary aids: functions and special variables

We will see that, compared with many other languages, M is much simpler in its use of these language elements.

Character set

The M language uses the...

< Previous Excerpt Next Excerpt >

Purchase This Book

M Programming: A Comprehensive Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 3: Basic Components of M

Contact Preferences

This is embarrasing...

Customize Your GlobalSpec Experience

Select Your Free Newsletters

Industry Newsletters

Select Your Free Product Alerts

This is embarrasing...