Version 4.2.6 for Mainframes (Update)
 —  First Steps  —

Hello World!

This document contains the following exercises:


Creating a Program

You will now write your first short program which displays "Hello World!". It will be stored in the library you have created previously.

Start of instruction setTo create a new program

  1. Make sure that you have logged on to the library named TUTORIAL.

  2. At the bottom of the Development Functions menu, enter the following information and press ENTER:

                       Code .. C    Type .. P                                      
                                    Name .. HELLO___________________________       
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
    Command ===>                                                                   
    Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF11--PF12---
          Help  Menu  Exit                                                  Canc

    "C" stands for the function Create Object, "P" stands for the object type program, and "HELLO" is the name of the program to be created.

    Tip:
    When you enter the function code C, you can also enter an asterisk (*) in the Type field. When you press ENTER, a list of all object types and the letters that correspond to these object types is shown.

    The program editor appears. It is currently empty.

  3. Enter the following code in the program editor:

    * The "Hello world!" example in Natural.
    *
    DISPLAY "Hello world!"
    END /* End of program

    Comment lines start with an asterisk (*) followed by at least one blank or a second asterisk. When you forget to enter the blank or second asterisk, Natural assumes that you have specified a system variable; this will result in an error.

    If you want to insert empty lines in your program, you should define them as comment lines. This is helpful, if you want to access your program from different platforms (Windows, mainframe, UNIX or OpenVMS). With the mainframe version of Natural, for example, the default is that empty lines are automatically deleted when you press ENTER.

    You can also insert comments at the end of a statement line. In this case, the comment starts with a slash followed by an asterisk (/*).

    The text that is to be shown in the output is defined with the DISPLAY statement. It is enclosed in quotation marks.

    The END statement is used to mark the physical end of a Natural program. Each program must end with END.

    When you press ENTER, it may happen that all of your lower-case characters are translated to upper-case characters. This behavior is defined in the editor profile (which is explained later).

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Running a Program

The system command RUN automatically invokes the system command CHECK which checks the program code for errors. If no error is found, the program is compiled on the fly and then executed.

Notes:

  1. CHECK is also available as a separate command.
  2. Natural also provides the system command EXECUTE which uses the stowed version of your program (stowing a program is explained later in this tutorial). In contrast to this, the RUN command always uses your latest modifications to the program.

Start of instruction setTo run a program

  1. In the program editor's command line, enter one of the following:

    RUN
    R

    System commands may be abbreviated. R is the abbreviated form of RUN.

    Depending on the definitions in your environment, the command line is located either at the top or bottom of the screen.

    
    > RUN                                   > +  Program     HELLO    Lib TUTORIAL 
    

    When your code is syntactically correct, the output contains the text you have defined.

    MORE                                                                           
    Page      1                                                  05-03-11  12:07:25
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
    Hello world!                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
  2. Press ENTER to return to the program editor.

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Correcting Program Errors

You will now create an error in your Hello World program and then run the program once more.

Start of instruction setTo correct an error

  1. Delete the second quotation mark in the line containing the DISPLAY statement.

  2. Run the program once more as described above.

    When the error is found, an error message is displayed.

    NAT0305 Text string must begin and end on the same line.                       
    >                                       > +  Program     HELLO    Lib TUTORIAL  
    All    ....+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+....6....+....7..
      0010 * The "Hello world!" example in Natural.                                
      0020 *                                                                       
    E 0030 DISPLAY "HELLO WORLD!                                                   
      0040 END /* End of program                                                                     
      0050                                                                         
      0060                                                                         
      0070                                                                         
      0080                                                                         
      0090                                                                         
      0100                                                                         
      0110                                                                         
      0120                                                                         
      0130                                                                         
      0140                                                                         
      0150                                                                         
      0160                                                                         
      0170                                                                         
      0180                                                                         
      0190                                                                         
      0200                                                                         
           ....+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+... S 4    L 1

    The statement line that contains the error is highlighted and marked with an "E".

  3. Correct the error, that is: insert the missing quotation mark at the end of the line.

  4. Run the program once more to find the next error.

    In this case, no more errors are found and the output is shown.

  5. Press ENTER to return to the program editor.

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Stowing a Program

When you stow a program, it is compiled and both source code and a generated program are stored in the Natural system file.

Like the RUN command, the system command STOW automatically invokes the CHECK command. A program is only stowed when it is syntactically correct.

Note:
If you want to save the changes to your program, even if the program contains a syntactical error (for example, if you want to suspend your work until the next day), you can use the system command SAVE.

Start of instruction setTo stow a program

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Displaying Information about a Program

The LIST command is useful to find out whether only the source code or both source code and a generated program are available for an object.

Start of instruction setTo display information about a program

  1. In the program editor's command line, enter one of the following:

    LIST DIR HELLO
    L DIR HELLO

    The following screen appears. The information provided with Cataloged on is only available when the object has been stowed.

    13:15:45               ***** NATURAL LIST COMMAND *****              2007-03-20
    User SAG                      - List Directory -               Library TUTORIAL
                                                                                   
    Directory of Program HELLO                     Saved on ... 2007-03-20 13:15:36
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Library .... TUTORIAL   User-ID ...... SAG       Mode ....... Structured       
    TP-System .. COMPLETE   Terminal-ID .. DAEFTCA9                                
    Op-System .. MVS/ESA    Transaction .. NATvr                                   
    NAT-Ver .... v.r.s                                                             
    Source size ..........................     100 Bytes                           
                                                                                   
    Directory of Program HELLO                     Cataloged on 2007-03-20 13:15:36
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Library .... TUTORIAL   User-ID ...... SAG       Mode ....... Structured       
    TP-System .. COMPLETE   Terminal-ID .. DAEFTCA9                                
    Op-System .. MVS/ESA    Transaction .. NATvr                                   
    NAT-Ver .... v.r.s                                                             
    Used GDA ...                                                                   
    Size of global data ...       0 Bytes  Size in DATSIZE ......     560 Bytes    
    Size in buffer pool ...    2620 Bytes                                          
                                                                                   
    Size of OPT-Code ......       0 Bytes                                          
    Initial OPT string ....                                                        
                                                                  ENTER to continue

    Note:
    In the above example, the notations vr and v.r.s stand for the current version number of Natural. See also the definition of Version in the Glossary.

  2. Press ENTER to return to the program editor.

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Displaying the Content of the Current Library

The LIST command can also be used to display a list of all Natural objects in the current library. This is helpful, for example, if you decide at some point during this tutorial that you want to delete one or more of your Natural objects in order to start again from the very beginning.

Start of instruction setTo display a list of Natural objects

  1. In the program editor's command line, enter one of the following:

    LIST *
    L *

    The following screen appears. It lists the program you have just created.

    13:34:27               ***** NATURAL LIST COMMAND *****              2007-03-20
    User SAG                 - LIST Objects in a Library -         Library TUTORIAL
                                                                                   
    Cmd  Name       Type         S/C  SM Version  User ID    Date        Time      
    ---  *________  *__________  *__  *  *______  *________  *__________ *________ 
    __   HELLO      Program      S/C  S  v.r.s    SAG        2007-03-20  13:15:36  
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                   1 Objects found 
    Top of List.                                                                   
    Command ===>                                                                   
    Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF11--PF12---
          Help  Print Exit  Sort        --    -     +     ++          >     Canc
  2. To find out which commands are available, enter a question mark (?) in the Cmd column next to your program.

    The following window appears.

    +-------- COMMANDS ---------+
    !                           !
    !   ED   Edit               !
    !   LI   List               !
    !   LD   List Dir           !
    !   PR   Print              !
    !   LE   List expanded      !
    !   RU   Run                !
    !   ST   Stow               !
    !   CA   Catalog            !
    !   DE   Delete             !
    !   RE   Rename             !
    !   .    End                !
    !                           !
    !                           !
    !                           !
    !                           !
    !                           !
    !   __ HELLO                !
    +---------------------------+
  3. Do not apply any changes right now. Press PF3 to close the window without specifying any command.

  4. Press PF3 once more to return to the program editor.

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Setting the Editor Profile Options

When working with the Natural program editor or data area editor, an editor profile can be defined per user. This tutorial uses the default settings of the editor profile named SYSTEM. Some important settings are mentioned below.

Start of instruction setTo check the editor profile options

  1. In the program editor's command line, enter the following:

    PROFILE

    The following screen appears.

    13:35:43                 ***** NATURAL EDITORS *****                 2007-03-20
                                 - Editor Profile -                                
                                                                                   
    Profile Name .. SYSTEM__                                                       
                                                                                   
    PF and PA Keys                                                                 
      PF1 ... HELP___________   PF2 ... _______________   PF3 ... EXIT___________  
      PF4 ... _______________   PF5 ... _______________   PF6 ... _______________  
      PF7 ... -______________   PF8 ... +______________   PF9 ... _______________  
      PF10 .. SC=____________   PF11 .. _______________   PF12 .. CANCEL_________  
      PF13 .. _______________   PF14 .. _______________   PF15 .. MENU___________  
      PF16 .. _______________   PF17 .. _______________   PF18 .. _______________  
      PF19 .. --_____________   PF20 .. ++_____________   PF21 .. _______________  
      PF22 .. _______________   PF23 .. _______________   PF24 .. _______________  
      PA1 ... _______________   PA2 ... SCAN___________   PA3 ... _______________  
                                                                                   
    Automatic Functions                                                            
      Auto Renumber .. Y   Auto Save Numbers .. 0__   Source Save into .. EDITWORK 
                                                                                   
    Additional Options .. N                                                        
                                                                                   
    Command ===>                                                                   
    Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF11--PF12---
          Help        Exit  AddOp Save  Flip                          Del   Canc

    When a user-specific editor profile does not exist, the default profile SYSTEM is displayed. This default profile can be used to create a user-specific profile. When a user-specific profile exists already, it is displayed instead of the SYSTEM profile.

  2. In the Additional Options field, enter "Y" and press ENTER.

    Or:
    Press PF4.

    The following window appears.

    +--------------------- ADDITIONAL OPTIONS ----------------------+
    !                                                               !
    !                                                               !
    !   +  Editor Defaults ......... N                              !
    !   +  General Defaults ........ N                              !
    !   +  Colour Definitions ...... N                              !
    !                                                               !
    !                                                               !
    !                                                               !
    !                                                               !
    !                                                               !
    +---------------------------------------------------------------+
  3. Enter "Y" in the fields Editor Defaults and General Defaults, and press ENTER.

    The following window appears for the editor defaults.

    +----------------------- EDITOR DEFAULTS -----------------------+
    !                                                               !
    !    Escape Character for Line Command .. .                     !
    !    Empty Line Suppression ............. Y                     !
    !    Source Size Information ............ N                     !
    !    Source Status Message .............. N                     !
    !    Absolute Mode for SCAN/CHANGE ...... N                     !
    !    Range Mode for SCAN/CHANGE ......... N                     !
    !    Direction Indicator ................ +                     !
    !                                                               !
    !                                                               !
    +---------------------------------------------------------------+

    You can see the escape character that has been defined for line commands. This tutorial assumes that the default character, which is the a period (.), is used.

    This tutorial also assumes that the option Empty Line Suppression is set to "Y". In this case, all blank lines in the program editor are automatically deleted when you press ENTER. They are not deleted when this option is set to "N".

  4. For this tutorial, you should make sure that all options are set as shown above. Press ENTER to display the next window.

    The following window appears.

    +---------------------- GENERAL DEFAULTS -----------------------+
    !                                                               !
    !    Editing in Lower Case .............. N                     !
    !    Dynamic Conversion of Lower Case ... Y                     !
    !    Position of Message Line ........... TOP                   !
    !    Cursor Position in Command Line .... N                     !
    !    Stay on Current Screen ............. N                     !
    !    Prompt Window for Exit Function .... Y                     !
    !    ISPF Editor as Program Editor ...... N                     !
    !    Leave Editor with Unlock ........... N                     ! 
    !                                                               !
    +---------------------------------------------------------------+

    When the option Editing in Lower Case is set to "Y" and the option Dynamic Conversion of Lower Case is set to "N", any source code remains as you enter it. This feature, however, also depends on system-environment-specific settings which may force an uppercase translation of all of your input; this cannot be influenced by Natural.

  5. If desired, change the above mentioned options for lowercase conversion and press ENTER. Press ENTER once more to return to the Additional Options window, and then press ENTER again to close this window.

  6. When a user-specific profile has not yet been created, overwrite the profile name SYSTEM with your user ID and press ENTER.

    When a user-specific profile exists already, proceed with the next step.

  7. Press PF5 to save your changes in the database and then press PF3 to exit the editor profile.

    Note:
    Instead of pressing a PF key, you can also enter the corresponding command in the command line. For example, in the above case, you can enter the commands SAVE and EXIT.

    Or:
    If you do not want to apply any changes, press PF3 to exit the editor profile.

    The exit function displays a window with different options. It even appears if you have just saved your changes.

    +----------- EXIT Function -----------+
    !                                     !
    !   _ Save and Exit                   !
    !   _ Exit without Saving             !
    !   _ Resume Function                 !
    !                                     !
    !                                     !
    +-------------------------------------+
  8. When you have saved your changes immediately before invoking the exit function, you can safely select the option Exit without Saving. Press ENTER to return to the program editor.

    Caution:
    If you have made further changes after pressing PF5 or issuing the SAVE command and now select the option Exit without Saving, your latest changes are only valid for the current session; they are not saved on the database.

    Your program is shown again. Any new settings will now be used in the program editor (and also in the data area editor which is explained later).

You can now proceed with the next exercises: Database Access.

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