Encyclopaedia Index

2. The 1984 PIL

Preliminary remarks

The PHOENICS Input Language, here called PIL for short, is a simple language employed by the PHOENICS user for "conversing" with the SATELLITE program and for inserting instructions into Q1 files; and it is also used by EARTH for recording what instructions have been received, at the top of the RESULT file, when ECHO is set = T.

Like other languages, it is best learned by observation and practical exercise. However, the following summary will provide guidance as to what can most profitably be observed and practised; and the PHOENICS Encyclopaedia serves as a complete dictionary and grammar book.

PIL is a "command language"; and the various commands which it contains are best classified as:

These will be discussed, in turn, below. Before this, however it will be explained how "comments", ie NON-commands can also be entered.

Introducing comments into Q1 files

Statements for interpretation by the SATELLITE must begin in the first or second columns, thus, either of the following TEXT commands will be interpreted by SATELLITE:


    column 
    1
     2

    TEXT(SIMULATION OF HEAT EXCHANGER) or
     TEXT(SIMULATION OF HEAT EXCHANGER)

PIL ignores all other statements. Thus:



           THIS IS Q1 OF 7 OCTOBER.

can be inserted as a useful comment in a Q1 file without its being noticed by SATELLITE except as something to be copied faithfully into the COPY file, because it does not start in the first or second column.

If, during interactive (TALK = T) working, the user forgets to return the cursor completely to the left before he enters a command, and therefore starts typing in column 3 or beyond, SATELLITE will take no notice of what he types.

The variable-setting commands of PIL

The argument-setting commands of PIL

ABS COS EXP ACOS COSH
IABS SIN LOG ASIN SINH
SQRT TAN LOG10 ATAN TANH

For example:

after:
REAL(XX,YY,ZZ); INTEGER(II,JJ): XX=4.0
YY=SQRT(XX) is equivalent to YY=2.0
YY=2*6+(4/LOG10(100) is equivalent to YY=14.0
ZZ=COS(0) is equivalent to ZZ=1.0
II=IABS(3) is equivalent to II=3

Declaration commands

The data-display commands of PIL

The information-seeking commands of PIL

All help entries are placed in the POLIS Encyclopedia. Users wishing to know what a variable or command mean should look them in the alphabetical list. There are several ways of getting to the Encyclopaedia:

Termination commands of PIL

wbs