Rony led a comprehensive session on Zoom features and programming concepts, with a focus on the Rexx programming language and its various features such as functions, variables, and error handling. He also introduced new concepts like the 'parse' keyword statement and discussed the use of redirection and piping in operating systems. The team also discussed the creation of a programming course for novices, the potential of enhancing Rex on the mainframe, and the advantages and challenges of creating a Python bridge with Rex.

All participants to experiment with and write small Rex programs based on concepts covered in the session.

All participants to submit 2 short example programs from yesterday's session and 2 from today's session via the mailing list.

Charlotte to work with Mike on resolving installation issues, ensuring to unblock installation files before use.

Peter to continue assisting Kim with hands-on programming practice as needed.

Rony to send links to today's installment recordings to all participants.

All participants to review the recordings of today's session for better understanding of concepts.

Reggie to further explore the chaining of programs using the Requires directive.

All participants to prepare for tomorrow's session on object-oriented programming concepts.

Peter to install and familiarize himself with IntelliJ IDE.

Rony to consider creating a Rex external function package to bridge with Python in the future.

All participants to experiment with condition handling and user-defined conditions in Rex.

All participants to practice using the Parse keyword and its variations.

All participants to explore the use of standard files and redirection in Rex programs.

Steffi to clarify the format for submitting example programs if needed.

Kim to catch up on missed content using session recordings when feeling better.

Zoom Features and Programming Concepts

Rony led a session on Zoom features and programming concepts, with Charlotte and Milos in attendance and Peter and Steffi expected. Rony addressed technical issues, including an email distribution problem and difficulties with software installation, suggesting solutions and promising to discuss them further after Steffi's arrival. He also explained the use of labels and internal routines in programming, emphasizing their efficiency and ease of maintenance. Sharlet's question about the chat feature was clarified, and Rony encouraged participants to ask further questions.

Rex Programming Concepts and Return Code

Rony discussed the functionality of a program in Rex, emphasizing the importance of the exit statement to prevent infinite loops. He introduced the concept of functions in Rex, explaining how to call them and their return values. He also highlighted the significance of the Return Code in a program's interaction with the operating system, using the example of a backup command in Windows to illustrate this. Rony cautioned against using the variable 'result' for personal use as it might be automatically assigned the return value of the function.

Rexx Programming Language Overview

Rony provided an in-depth overview of the Rexx programming language, focusing on the use of variables, built-in functions, and the challenges of accessing relational databases. He also explained the search process for routines and functions, the concept of 'scope', and the use of stem variables. Rony emphasized the importance of understanding the language's limitations and best practices to ensure efficient and effective programming. He also demonstrated how to access built-in functions and highlighted the use of external function packages for database access.

Introducing Parse Keyword Statement in Recs

Rony introduced a significant conceptual shift in their approach by utilizing the 'parse' keyword statement in Recs. He demonstrated how this function can be used to parse strings into variables, emphasizing the importance of identifying and counting leading and trailing blanks. Rony showcased a modified program that can accurately count these positions and explained the functionality of the Parse keyword statement in a program. He also highlighted the versatility of the Parse keyword statement, demonstrating its use in parsing strings delimited by various characters, and its application to dynamic expressions and user input. The discussion aimed to familiarize the audience with the different uses of Parse and encouraged experimentation to better understand its capabilities.

Zoom Programs, Mailing List, and Presentation

Rony led a discussion about creating small programs and utilizing Zoom's chaptering feature for easy reference in recordings. He also addressed a technical issue with the mailing list, explaining that the "unverified" status was a common feature of Microsoft Outlook and not a certification issue. The team was asked to create and send assignments via the mailing list. Rony also shared his screen to begin the presentation, which was to cover the first installment of a topic using Reggie's features for the first time.

Rex Program Syntax and Error Handling

Rony explained the syntax and execution process of the Rex program, emphasizing the importance of understanding conditions and exceptions. He clarified various types of conditions, such as syntax errors, runtime errors, and user-defined conditions, and how they can be handled using the call and signal keyword statements. Rony also demonstrated how to activate syntax handling in a program and discussed the use of variables and their values, including the 'no value' condition. He provided examples of how to handle specific errors and conditions, and how to execute the program with different return codes.

Standard Error and Process Management in Programming

Rony discussed the significance and functionality of standard error in programming, using a 24/7 running program as an example to illustrate its error identification capabilities. He explained the creation of a process by the operating system when a program is run, and the three standard files (standard input, standard output, and standard error) that are automatically created for that process. Rony also detailed the concept of operating system processes, the redirection of standard files, and the use of piping to allow for more complex program chains. He emphasized the importance of understanding these concepts for effective programming.

Redirection, Rex Programs, and Sorting Data

Rony presented a detailed explanation of how to use redirection in combination with simple Rex programs to filter and sort data. He demonstrated how to use the pipe feature to chain multiple programs together, and how to use the sort command to sort filtered data. He emphasized the ease of programming and the potential for creating powerful filter programs with minimal effort. After the presentation, Rony took a short break and then resumed the meeting.

Rony's Rex Programming Language Overview

Rony discussed the functionality of redirection in operating systems and the standard file handling in the Rex programming language. He demonstrated how to handle syntax conditions and exceptions, and introduced the concept of Routine Directives for defining procedures and functions. He also explained how to use routines and directives in the program, including a routine called 'Check Age' that checks an age and raises a user error if it is smaller than 6. Lastly, he showed how to define additional user conditions and discussed changes made to the main program and the 'Check Age' routine.

Rex Programming Directives and Chain Functionality

Rony explained the functionality of the Routine Directive and the Requires directive in Rex programming. He demonstrated how the Requires directive allows a program to access public classes and routines defined in another program, thereby increasing the program's functionality. Rony also clarified the use of the 'Requires' directive in a chain of programs, causing all the programs in the chain to be loaded and processed, with the first output coming from the program 'Cmd 4'. Reggie sought clarification on how the directives and setup phases work, and Rony confirmed that all programs in the chain are in the setup phase due to the presence of directives.

Rex Language Overview and Intensive Course

Rony provided an in-depth explanation of the Rex language, emphasizing the importance of understanding its string-based nature and the concepts of 'object' and 'instance'. He encouraged the team to experiment with these concepts and to actively participate in learning. Rony also clarified the acceptable formats for submitting programming examples and addressed queries about installation. Additionally, there were discussions about a potential team departure and the challenges of a new, intensive course covering procedural programming and object orientation. Both Rony and Peter agreed that the course was challenging but looked forward to seeing how they would progress.

Programming Course Development and Rex Improvements

Peter and Rony discussed the creation of a programming course for novices, focusing on developing skills rather than a specific version of the Rex interpreter. They also explored the complexities of the Rex community and the potential of enhancing Rex on the mainframe. The conversation touched on the capabilities of Java and its potential to surpass other languages in terms of speed and efficiency, with Peter expressing interest in its potential for number crunching and graphics processing. Lastly, they considered the advantages and challenges of creating a Python bridge with Rex, agreeing to continue discussions on this topic.

AI-generated content may be inaccurate or misleading. Always check for accuracy.