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— Using Natural —

Invoking and Terminating a Natural Session

A Natural session can be invoked for online or batch mode execution.

Starting a Natural Online Session

The way you invoke a Natural session depends on your local system environment. Ask your Natural administrator for details. If Natural Security is installed, the access to particular libraries as well as the use of Natural functions can be restricted.

Proceeding after Session Start

After starting Natural according to the procedures at your site, depending on the default settings in your environment, the Natural Main Menu, the NEXT command prompt or a user-defined startup menu appears.

When using the Natural Main Menu, you are guided through Natural development functions, environment settings, maintenance utilities and libraries that contain example programs. For information on the functions provided by the Natural Main Menu and its subordinate menus and instructions on invoking or closing the Natural Main Menu, refer to the section Natural Main Menu.

When using the NEXT command prompt, you continue with a Natural command or execute a Natural object of the type program. For detailed instructions, see Using Natural Commands.

Terminating a Natural Online Session

You can terminate a Natural session from the Natural Main Menu, a Natural command prompt or from a Natural object.

To terminate a Natural online session

Use one of the following methods:
- In the Natural Main Menu, choose PF3 (Exit), or select Exit Natural Session and choose ENTER.
- Or:
  In the command line (see Command Line), enter one of the following commands:
```
.
```
  (a period)
  
  or
```
FIN
```
  or
```
%%
```
  and choose ENTER.
- Or:
  At the NEXT prompt (see NEXT and MORE), enter one of the following commands:
```
FIN
```
  or
```
%%
```
  or
```
CLEAR
```
  and choose ENTER.
- Or:
  At the MORE prompt (see NEXT and MORE), enter one of the following commands:
```
FIN
```
  or
```
%%
```
  and choose ENTER.
- Or:
  From within a Natural object, execute a TERMINATE statement.

Starting and Terminating a Natural Batch Session

The Natural batch interface provides the option to execute a Natural command or a Natural object of the type program in batch mode.

To invoke a Natural session in batch

Proceed as described in Starting a Natural Session in the Operations documentation.

A Natural batch-mode session is terminated when one of the following is encountered during the session:

A FIN command in the input dataset CMSYNIN.
An end-of-input condition in the command input dataset CMSYNIN.
A TERMINATE statement in a Natural object that is being executed.