AionDS Language Reference Guide

Aion Development System
Language Reference
PLATINUM technology, inc.
555 Twin Dolphin Drive, Suite 400
Redwood City, CA 94065
DC0429 (415) 591-8200

.................................................................................................................................
Title and publication number
Language Reference
DC0429
.................................................................................................................................
Product version
This manual accompanies the 7.0 Release of AionDS.
.................................................................................................................................
Copyright information
© 1991-1996 by PLATINUM technology, inc. All rights reserved.
.................................................................................................................................
Notices
No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express permission of
PLATINUM technology, inc.
RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGEND. Use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S.
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inc. (formerly Trinzic Corporation, formerly Aion Corporation/AICorp, Inc.) and, if
applicable, subpar. (c) (1) (ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause
at DFARS 252.227-7013 or subpars. (c)(1) and (2) of the Commercial Computer Software -
Restricted Rights clause at 48 CFR 52.227-19, as applicable. The contractor/manufacturer is
PLATINUM technology, inc., 555 Twin Dolphin Drive, Suite 400, Redwood City, CA
94065.
Additional copies of this document can be ordered from PLATINUM technology, inc.
Contact PLATINUM technology, inc. for prices on bulk orders and fees for reproduction
licenses.
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Trademarks
AION, Forest & Trees, and KBMS are registered trademarks, and InfoHub,
InfoPump, and INTELLECT are trademarks of PLATINUM technology, inc.
All other products or other names referenced are the trademarks, registered trademarks, or
products of the respective manufacturers.

Preface How To Use This Manual
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Type Definition Language
AionDS data types....................................................................................................... 1-2
Basic data types ............................................................................................. 1-3
Structured data types...................................................................................... 1-4
Lists and sets ..................................................................................... 1-4
Records.............................................................................................. 1-6
Files ................................................................................................... 1-7
Constrained data types ................................................................................... 1-8
User-input attributes .................................................................................................. 1-10
Checklength attribute .................................................................................... 1-12
Noempty attribute.......................................................................................... 1-13
Nomenu attribute .......................................................................................... 1-14
Notrim attribute .............................................................................................1-15
Nounknown attribute ..................................................................................... 1-16
Text attribute................................................................................................. 1-17
Uppercase attribute....................................................................................... 1-18
Masks........................................................................................................... 1-19
Date masks ...................................................................................... 1-21
Integer masks................................................................................... 1-23
Real masks ...................................................................................... 1-24
String masks .................................................................................... 1-25
Time masks...................................................................................... 1-26
User-input attribute examples........................................................................ 1-28
Output argument attribute.......................................................................................... 1-30
File attributes............................................................................................................. 1-31
Access method ............................................................................................. 1-32
Textual and non-textual files.......................................................................... 1-34
Variable length records ................................................................................. 1-35
Certainty information..................................................................................... 1-36
Table of Contents iii

iv Table of Contents
Textual file structures ................................................................................................ 1-37
Field and record sizes ................................................................................... 1-38
Booleans .......................................................................................... 1-39
Dates ............................................................................................... 1-40
Integers............................................................................................ 1-40
Lists and sets ................................................................................... 1-41
Real numbers................................................................................... 1-41
Strings.............................................................................................. 1-42
Times ............................................................................................... 1-42
Textual file example ...................................................................................... 1-44
Non-textual file structures .......................................................................................... 1-45
Field and record sizes ................................................................................... 1-46
Booleans .......................................................................................... 1-48
Dates ............................................................................................... 1-48
Integers............................................................................................ 1-48
Lists and sets ................................................................................... 1-49
Real numbers................................................................................... 1-49
Strings.............................................................................................. 1-49
Times ............................................................................................... 1-50
Numeric field attributes .................................................................................1-51
Fixed attribute .................................................................................. 1-51
Packed attribute ............................................................................... 1-52
Textual attribute................................................................................ 1-52
Unsigned attribute ............................................................................ 1-52
Zoned attribute ................................................................................. 1-53
No certainty information attribute...................................................................1-54
Non-textual file example................................................................................ 1-57

Chapter 2 TDL Syntax
Type Definition Language syntax................................................................................. 2-2
Boolean .......................................................................................................... 2-3
Date................................................................................................................ 2-5
File ................................................................................................................. 2-7
Integer .......................................................................................................... 2-10
Instance........................................................................................................ 2-13
List................................................................................................................ 2-14
Object_Pointer ..............................................................................................2-17
Pointer .......................................................................................................... 2-20
Real.............................................................................................................. 2-21
Record.......................................................................................................... 2-25
Set................................................................................................................ 2-27
String............................................................................................................ 2-30
Time ............................................................................................................. 2-33
Constraints in TDL..................................................................................................... 2-35
Numeric constraints ...................................................................................... 2-36
String constraints .......................................................................................... 2-37
TDL summary............................................................................................................ 2-38
Table of Contents v

Chapter 3 Knowledge Definition Language
Expressions and operators .......................................................................................... 3-2
Expressions .................................................................................................... 3-3
Boolean expressions .......................................................................... 3-3
Numeric expressions .......................................................................... 3-4
String expressions.............................................................................. 3-4
List and set expressions ..................................................................... 3-5
Record expressions............................................................................ 3-6
Pointer expressions............................................................................ 3-6
Relational operators........................................................................................ 3-7
Real number comparisons................................................................ 3-10
Arithmetic operators...................................................................................... 3-12
Logical operators .......................................................................................... 3-13
Selection operators ....................................................................................... 3-14
List and set operators ....................................................................... 3-14
File, record, and field operators ........................................................3-15
Class references .............................................................................. 3-16
Instance references.......................................................................... 3-17
Slot references ................................................................................. 3-19
Premise evaluation........................................................................... 3-21
Flow control............................................................................................................... 3-22
Inference rules...........................................................................................................3-23
Message passing....................................................................................................... 3-26
Agenda statements.................................................................................................... 3-28
Sourcing options for agenda statements........................................................ 3-30
Processing options for agenda statements ....................................................3-32
Combining sourcing and processing options.................................................. 3-34
Using agenda statements in rules and functions............................................ 3-36
Sourcing options for functions and independent states......................3-36
KDL in Facts and Default properties .......................................................................... 3-39
Constraints ...................................................................................................3-40
Assignments ................................................................................................. 3-42
vi Table of Contents

Chapter 4 KDL Statement Syntax
KDL statement syntax ................................................................................................. 4-9
& (Concatenate) ........................................................................................................ 4-16
* (Multiply) ................................................................................................................. 4-17
** (Exponent)............................................................................................................. 4-18
+ (Add)...................................................................................................................... 4-19
- (Subtract) ................................................................................................................ 4-20
/ (Divide).................................................................................................................... 4-21
/* */ (Comment) ......................................................................................................... 4-22
ABS........................................................................................................................... 4-23
Add ........................................................................................................................... 4-24
AES........................................................................................................................... 4-25
AES Abort ................................................................................................................. 4-26
AES Break ................................................................................................................ 4-27
AES Chain................................................................................................................. 4-28
AES Error.................................................................................................................. 4-30
AES Exitcode ............................................................................................................ 4-31
AES Profile................................................................................................................ 4-32
AES Title................................................................................................................... 4-33
AES Tracelevel.......................................................................................................... 4-34
AES Writelog............................................................................................................. 4-36
AES Writetrace.......................................................................................................... 4-37
AES_CF.................................................................................................................... 4-38
And ........................................................................................................................... 4-39
Append...................................................................................................................... 4-41
ArcTan ...................................................................................................................... 4-42
Ask............................................................................................................................ 4-43
ASort......................................................................................................................... 4-47
BestValue.................................................................................................................. 4-50
Bin............................................................................................................................. 4-51
Break ........................................................................................................................ 4-52
BreakIf ...................................................................................................................... 4-53
ByName .................................................................................................................... 4-54
Certainty.................................................................................................................... 4-56
CF............................................................................................................................. 4-57
Clear ......................................................................................................................... 4-58
CM ............................................................................................................................ 4-60
CM Add..................................................................................................................... 4-65
CM Beep ................................................................................................................... 4-68
CM Delete ................................................................................................................. 4-69
CM Error ................................................................................................................... 4-71
CM GetCoordinates................................................................................................... 4-73
Table of Contents vii

viii Table of Contents
CM GetCursor ........................................................................................................... 4-74
CM GetDimensions ................................................................................................... 4-75
CM GetInfo................................................................................................................ 4-76
CM GetObjectInfo...................................................................................................... 4-78
CM GetOutlineColor .................................................................................................. 4-79
CM GetPosition ......................................................................................................... 4-81
CM GetStatus............................................................................................................ 4-82
CM GetText............................................................................................................... 4-84
CM GetTextColor ...................................................................................................... 4-85
CM GetTitleColor.......................................................................................................4-87
CM GetTitlePosition................................................................................................... 4-89
CM GetWindow ......................................................................................................... 4-90
CM GetWindowList.................................................................................................... 4-93
CM GetWord ............................................................................................................. 4-94
CM PopUp................................................................................................................. 4-95
CM SetCursor ........................................................................................................... 4-97
CM SetDimensions.................................................................................................... 4-98
CM SetOutlineColor................................................................................................... 4-99
CM SetPosition........................................................................................................ 4-101
CM SetTextColor..................................................................................................... 4-102
CM SetTitleColor ..................................................................................................... 4-104
CM SetTitlePosition................................................................................................. 4-106
CM System ............................................................................................................. 4-107
COS........................................................................................................................ 4-111
Create ..................................................................................................................... 4-112
CSort....................................................................................................................... 4-115
CurrentDate............................................................................................................. 4-116
CurrentTime ............................................................................................................ 4-117
CurrentValue ........................................................................................................... 4-118
Date ........................................................................................................................ 4-119
Date (Integer) .......................................................................................................... 4-120
Date (Months) ......................................................................................................... 4-121
Date (Record).......................................................................................................... 4-122
Date (String)............................................................................................................ 4-123
Date (Weekday) ...................................................................................................... 4-124
Date (Yearday)........................................................................................................ 4-125
Date (Years)............................................................................................................ 4-126
DBMS ..................................................................................................................... 4-127
Delete (from list or set) ............................................................................................ 4-131
Delete (instance) ..................................................................................................... 4-133
Difference................................................................................................................ 4-135
DIV.......................................................................................................................... 4-136

DSort....................................................................................................................... 4-137
Exists ...................................................................................................................... 4-140
ExitState.................................................................................................................. 4-142
EXP......................................................................................................................... 4-144
FinalValue ............................................................................................................... 4-145
First......................................................................................................................... 4-146
For (class iteration).................................................................................................. 4-147
For (direct iteration) ................................................................................................. 4-149
For (explicit iteration) ............................................................................................... 4-151
For (implicit iteration) ............................................................................................... 4-153
ForwardChain.......................................................................................................... 4-155
Function .................................................................................................................. 4-157
Graph...................................................................................................................... 4-159
Group...................................................................................................................... 4-161
HEX ........................................................................................................................ 4-163
If.............................................................................................................................. 4-164
Ifmatch .................................................................................................................... 4-168
Includes................................................................................................................... 4-174
Index ....................................................................................................................... 4-175
Intersection.............................................................................................................. 4-176
Last......................................................................................................................... 4-177
Length..................................................................................................................... 4-178
LN ........................................................................................................................... 4-179
Loop........................................................................................................................ 4-180
Max......................................................................................................................... 4-181
Message ................................................................................................................. 4-182
Min.......................................................................................................................... 4-183
MOD ....................................................................................................................... 4-184
NameOf................................................................................................................... 4-185
Not .......................................................................................................................... 4-187
Num ........................................................................................................................ 4-188
Or............................................................................................................................ 4-189
Parameter ............................................................................................................... 4-191
Process................................................................................................................... 4-193
ReadStr................................................................................................................... 4-194
Report ..................................................................................................................... 4-199
Return ..................................................................................................................... 4-200
Round ..................................................................................................................... 4-202
Rule ........................................................................................................................ 4-203
SelectAll .................................................................................................................. 4-204
SelectOne ............................................................................................................... 4-205
Send (to class) ........................................................................................................ 4-207
Table of Contents ix

x Table of Contents
Send (to instance) ................................................................................................... 4-209
Send Up .................................................................................................................. 4-212
Set .......................................................................................................................... 4-214
SIN.......................................................................................................................... 4-215
Size......................................................................................................................... 4-216
Slot..........................................................................................................................4-217
SourceValue............................................................................................................ 4-219
SQR........................................................................................................................ 4-220
SQRT...................................................................................................................... 4-221
State ....................................................................................................................... 4-222
Str (from Booleans) ................................................................................................. 4-224
Str (from dates and times) ....................................................................................... 4-226
Str (from integers) ................................................................................................... 4-229
Str (from real numbers) ........................................................................................... 4-231
Str (with strings) ...................................................................................................... 4-234
Substring................................................................................................................. 4-236
Time........................................................................................................................ 4-237
Trunc....................................................................................................................... 4-238
Union....................................................................................................................... 4-239
Unknown ................................................................................................................. 4-240
With.........................................................................................................................4-242
WriteStr................................................................................................................... 4-243
XOR........................................................................................................................ 4-246
KDL syntax summary by data type .......................................................................... 4-247
Numeric, string, Boolean, date, and time data types.................................... 4-248
Integers and reals ....................................................................................... 4-249
Strings ........................................................................................................ 4-251
Booleans..................................................................................................... 4-252
Dates and times.......................................................................................... 4-253
Lists............................................................................................................ 4-254
Sets ............................................................................................................ 4-255
Certainty sets.............................................................................................. 4-256
Summary of additional KDL statement syntax.......................................................... 4-257
Control statements...................................................................................... 4-258
Agenda statements ..................................................................................... 4-259
Object processing statements ..................................................................... 4-260
Consultation monitor statements ................................................................. 4-261
AES statements.......................................................................................... 4-263
Other statements ........................................................................................ 4-264

Chapter 5 Type Substitution Language
Properties that accept TSL .......................................................................................... 5-2
Displaying plain text..................................................................................................... 5-4
Displaying simple parameter and slot values................................................................ 5-5
Associating text with parameters and slots...................................................... 5-7
String values................................................................................................... 5-9
Integer values ...............................................................................................5-11
Displaying numbers in hexadecimal and binary................................. 5-13
Real values................................................................................................... 5-15
Date values................................................................................................... 5-19
Time values .................................................................................................. 5-23
Boolean values ............................................................................................. 5-26
Associating Text With Booleans........................................................5-27
Displaying slot values ................................................................................................ 5-29
Displaying values from multiple instances.................................................................. 5-31
Using Boolean criteria to display instances.................................................... 5-33
Displaying pointer values........................................................................................... 5-34
Displaying slot values using pointers............................................................. 5-35
Displaying lists or sets of pointers .................................................................5-36
Displaying instances from multiple classes.................................................... 5-38
Displaying unknown pointers......................................................................... 5-39
Displaying lists and sets ............................................................................................ 5-40
Displaying entire lists and sets in default format ............................................ 5-41
Individual elements of lists and sets ..............................................................5-43
Multiple elements of lists and sets................................................................. 5-45
Lists or sets of lists, sets, and records........................................................... 5-47
Displaying records..................................................................................................... 5-49
Using a record field to index into a list or set ................................................. 5-51
Using functions in TSL............................................................................................... 5-52
Sending messages to classes and instances from TSL.............................................. 5-55
Setting up uniform defaults and headers.................................................................... 5-60
Summary of TSL substitution..................................................................................... 5-62
Simple parameter values............................................................................... 5-63
Slot values .................................................................................................... 5-64
Values from more than one instance ............................................................. 5-65
Pointer values............................................................................................... 5-66
Instances from multiple classes..................................................................... 5-67
Lists and sets................................................................................................ 5-68
Records ........................................................................................................ 5-69
Using functions ............................................................................................. 5-70
Sending messages........................................................................................ 5-71
Table of Contents xi

Chapter 6 TSL Commands
TSL command syntax.................................................................................................. 6-5
% (percent substitution operator) ................................................................................. 6-9
%AES_PAGENUM (current page number) ................................................................ 6-10
%CURRENT (current instance) ................................................................................. 6-11
%CURRENTCLASS (current class)........................................................................... 6-12
%CURRENTDATE (current date) ..............................................................................6-14
%CURRENTTIME (current time) ............................................................................... 6-15
%INDEX (element number in a list or set).................................................................. 6-16
Side-by-side display of list or set elements........................................ 6-17
%IS (substitution operator) ........................................................................................6-20
%NAMEOF (name of an instance)............................................................................. 6-22
%UP (method in parent class) ................................................................................... 6-24
&% (display percent sign) ..........................................................................................6-26
&& (display ampersand) ............................................................................................ 6-27
&( (display opening parenthesis)............................................................................... 6-28
&) (display closing parenthesis) ................................................................................ 6-29
&*/ (close comment) .................................................................................................. 6-30
&. (display period)...................................................................................................... 6-31
&/* (begin comment).................................................................................................. 6-32
&: (display colon)....................................................................................................... 6-33
&< (display opening angle bracket)............................................................................6-34
&> (display closing angle bracket) ............................................................................. 6-35
& BLK (mark a block of text)...................................................................................... 6-36
&BM (bottom margin) ................................................................................................6-37
&BR (line break) ........................................................................................................ 6-39
&C (center line) ......................................................................................................... 6-40
&DDF (date default format)........................................................................................ 6-41
&EMP (empty lists, sets, or classes).......................................................................... 6-44
&EMPTBL (empty table)............................................................................................ 6-45
&ESC (send escape sequence)................................................................................. 6-46
&FI (fill mode)............................................................................................................ 6-47
&FOOTER (set footer)............................................................................................... 6-49
&IDF (integer default format) ..................................................................................... 6-51
&INCLUDE (insert text from a file) ............................................................................. 6-54
&J (justify mode)........................................................................................................6-56
&LI (left indent).......................................................................................................... 6-58
&LM (left margin).......................................................................................................6-60
&LN (line numbers).................................................................................................... 6-61
&LT (text in the left margin) ....................................................................................... 6-63
&MSG (substitute a message)................................................................................... 6-65
&N (number pages) ................................................................................................... 6-66
xii Table of Contents

&PG (eject page).......................................................................................................6-67
&RDF (real default format)......................................................................................... 6-68
&RI (right indent) .......................................................................................................6-73
&RM (right margin) .................................................................................................... 6-74
&RT (text in right margin)........................................................................................... 6-75
&SEND (send a message to an object)...................................................................... 6-77
&SK (skip lines).........................................................................................................6-81
&SPC (insert spaces) ................................................................................................ 6-82
&SSPC (set spaces in fill, justify, and table modes) ...................................................6-83
&STAB (set tabs) ...................................................................................................... 6-84
&TAB (Move to next tab) ........................................................................................... 6-85
&TB (table mode) ......................................................................................................6-86
&TBL (table).............................................................................................................. 6-88
&TDF (time default format) ........................................................................................ 6-96
&TITLE (set title) ....................................................................................................... 6-99
&TM (top margin) .................................................................................................... 6-101
&UND (unknown values).......................................................................................... 6-103
&UNDPTR (unknown pointer).................................................................................. 6-105
Summary of TSL commands ................................................................................... 6-106
Predefined functions ................................................................................... 6-107
Special characters ...................................................................................... 6-108
Text modes................................................................................................. 6-109
White space................................................................................................ 6-110
Margins....................................................................................................... 6-111
Formatting tables ........................................................................................ 6-112
Developer-definable strings......................................................................... 6-113
Embedded text............................................................................................ 6-114
Message passing........................................................................................ 6-115
Default formats and masks.......................................................................... 6-116
Comments .................................................................................................. 6-117
Report commands....................................................................................... 6-118
Table of Contents xiii

Appendix A Certainty
xiv Table of Contents
Introducing certainty ....................................................................................................A-2
Certainty sets ..............................................................................................................A-4
Certainty factors ..........................................................................................................A-6
Certainty function............................................................................................A-8
CF function .....................................................................................................A-9
Certainty set operations.............................................................................................A-10
Testing a premise .........................................................................................A-11
Changing the system threshold .....................................................................A-14
Adding an element ........................................................................................A-16
Combining certainty factors...........................................................................A-18
Comparing certainty sets...............................................................................A-19
Comparing certainty set elements to Unknown..............................................A-21
Sorting certainty sets ....................................................................................A-22
Other set operations .....................................................................................A-23
TSL statements .........................................................................................................A-25
Setting TSL formatting criteria.......................................................................A-26
Setting TSL substitution criteria.....................................................................A-27
Unformatted substitution of certainty sets......................................................A-28
Formatted substitution of certainty sets .........................................................A-29
Displaying certainty sets in tables ..............................................................................A-31
Specifying certainty during consultations....................................................................A-32
Appendix B Reserved Words
Index

How to Use This Manual
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
What this manual is
about
The Aion Development System Language Reference manual describes the
Type Definition Language, Knowledge Definition Language, and Text
Substitution Language within the Aion Development System (AionDS).
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Who should read this
manual
You should be familiar with AionDS concepts.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
How to find
information
This manual is organized as follows:
Chapter Contents
1 Describes the Type Definition Language (TDL) that you use
to define data structures.
2 Describes the TDL syntax.
3 Explains the Knowledge Definition Language (KDL) that you
use to define knowledge base objects.
4 Describes the KDL syntax.
5 Describes the Text Substitution Language (TSL) for
formatting messages, reports, graphs, and other displays.
6 Describes the syntax of TSL commands.
A Describes the use of certainty, which allows you to define the
strength of belief about values in a knowledge base.
B Shows the list of reserved words.
How to Use This Manual xv

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
For more
information
xvi Language Reference
To build knowledge bases, you should have the following AionDS manuals:
General Reference
Language Reference
I/O Reference
Messages and Codes
User’s Guide (Character-Based)
Installation and Operation Guide for your platform
Application Programming Interface Guide for your platform
If you are building a knowledge base with a graphical user interface, you
should also have the following AionDS manuals:
Building GUI Applications: Reference
Building GUI Applications: Tutorial
User’s Guide
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Aion® product
abbreviations
The AionDS documentation set uses the following abbreviations for Aion®
products:
Aion® product Abbreviation
Aion® Development System AionDS
Aion® Execution System AionES
Component Aion® Execution System CAES
Multitasking Aion® Execution System MAES
Aion® Development System Application
Programming Interface
ADSAPI
Aion® High Performance Option HPO
Aion® Cooperative Processing Option CPO
continued

continued
Aion® product Abbreviation
Callable Aion® Building System CABS
Aion® Code Integration Option CIO
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Conventions
The AionDS documentation set uses the following conventions.
.............................................................................................................................................................................
Typeface
The AionDS documentation set uses these typeface conventions:
Style of type What it represents
Boldface new term and its definition
Italic ■ manual titles
■ syntax variables
■ emphasis
■ foreign language phrases
Monospace ■ code examples
■ prompts and messages
■ examples of user input (in procedures, for example)
How to Use This Manual xvii

xviii Language Reference
.............................................................................................................................................................................
Icons
The AionDS documentation set uses these icons:
Symbol Meaning
Alternative: identifies an alternative to the previous procedure
(choice is usually a matter of personal preference;
neither offers a distinct advantage)
Caution: helps you avoid mistakes that can produce
unexpected or undesirable results (runtime errors
and losing work, for example)
Exception: indicates an exception to common functionality
or behavior
For more information: identifies additional sources of information on a
particular topic
Important: stresses a point that can help you achieve greater
success with the AionDS product
Reminder: reminds you in passing of an important aspect
that was discussed previously
Tip: suggests a technique that can result in more
efficient use of the system
identifies a one-step procedure

.............................................................................................................................................................................
Syntax
The following conventions are used to define the AionDS syntax and
command formats in this manual.
■ You must type letters that are capitalized. You do not have to capitalize
these letters. Lowercase letters are optional. If a command or syntax
statement contains both capitalized and lowercase letters, you can type
only the capitalized letters:
RUn
For the above command, you can type the following letters:
ru
run
You cannot type the following letter:
r
Important: For AionDS running on UNIX platforms, AionDS
commands are not case sensitive. However, file names that exist in
UNIX (for example, knowledge base names) must be typed in uppercase
and lowercase exactly as displayed in UNIX.
■ Italics indicate a response that you must specify:
RUn kb_name
The expected response for an italicized word is indicated below the
command or syntax statement.
■ Brackets indicate an option:
ASORT (expr [ON key])
The ON key phrase is optional.
■ A bar indicates a choice:
List-objects [State st_name | Vocabulary vocab_nm]
In this case, you can type either the State choice or the Vocabulary
choice.
■ Braces indicate a required choice:
List-objects {State st_name | Vocabulary vocab_nm}
You must type a State choice or a Vocabulary choice.
How to Use This Manual xix

xx Language Reference
■ You must use other characters, such as parentheses and angle brackets,
exactly as specified:
EOF (fparam)
The parentheses are required.
■ An ellipsis (...) indicates that you can repeat a choice:
param IS FROM (stexpr, stexpr, [, stexpr ...])
You can repeat “, stexpr” as many times as you want.

Chapter 1
Type Definition Language
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Introduction
This chapter discusses the Type Definition Language (TDL), which you use
to describe data structures in AionDS. These data structures define the
format of parameters and slots. You also can use TDL to describe the data
structure of a type object, which is a template that you create for parameters
and slots that share the same data structure.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
In this chapter
Topic Page
AionDS data types 1-2
User-input attributes 1-10
Output argument attribute 1-30
File attributes 1-31
Textual file structures 1-37
Non-textual file structures 1-45
Type Definition Language 1-1

AionDS data types
AionDS data types
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
1-2 Language Reference
A data type defines the internal format of a parameter or slot. You must
specify a data type for each parameter or slot that you use. The Base Type
property defines the data type for a parameter or slot.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Basic and structured
data types
Data types are classified in one of two ways, as follows:
Data type Description
Basic data types are atomic. In other words, you cannot divide a
basic data type into sub-parts.
Structured data types are built from the basic data types.
An INTEGER data type is an example of a basic data type. If the Base Type
property of a slot contains INTEGER, the slot can contain only whole
numbers. A list of integers is an example of a structured data type. It is built
from the INTEGER basic data type. If the Base Type property of a slot
contains INTEGER_LIST, the slot can contain any number of integers.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Explicit and implicit
data types
You can define data types explicitly or implicitly. For example, you can
specify INTEGER explicitly in the Base Type property of a parameter. You
implicitly specify an data type when you specify a constraint, as in the
following Base Type a slot:
>0
The slot is constrained to positive integers, therefore, the implicit basic data
type is integer.
The following sections describe AionDS data types.

Basic data types
AionDS data types
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Base types
The following table shows the basic data types that you can use with a
parameter or slot.
Data type Description
Boolean A value representing true, false, or unknown
Date Any date after December 31, 1899
Integer A whole number between -2,147,483,648 and
2,147,483,647
Real A floating-point number between ±1.0E±306 on the PC
and between -5.3E-79 and 7.2E+75 on the mainframe
String A group of up to 65,512 characters, inclusive
Time Any time, to the nearest one hundredth second
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Boolean values
You can use BOOLEAN to represent the values TRUE and FALSE or YES and
NO. Boolean parameters are useful to hold information that can be answered
in as “yes” or “no,” such as “Is the company incorporated in Delaware?”
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Numeric values
Numbers are either REAL or INTEGER. You can use the DATE and TIME data
types to hold dates and times, respectively. The STRING data type holds
characters.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Using base types
When you create a parameter or slot, you choose a Base Type that
corresponds to the type of data that the parameter or slot must hold.
For example, if the parameter holds a monetary unit, you should define its
Base Type property as REAL, unless you want to ignore the fractional part of
the monetary unit. If the parameter does not hold fractional units, you can
define it as an INTEGER.
Type Definition Language 1-3

AionDS data types
Structured data types
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
Lists and sets
1-4 Language Reference
You can create structured data types from basic data types. The following
table shows the structured data types.
Data type Description
List An ordered collection of items
Set An unordered collection of items, in which each item is
unique
Certainty Set A set in which each item contains value and a certainty factor
Record A collection of data types to hold logically related values
File A collection of records in an external file
When you create a structured data type, you define it as a structure of a basic
data type or a structure of another structured data type. The following
sections describe structured data types.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
You can create a parameter or slot that holds more than one value by defining
the parameter or slot as a LIST or SET. When you specify a LIST or SET, you
must specify its base type. For example, if you have a parameter that is a list
of answers to a “true/false” multiple choice test, the basic data type of the list
is BOOLEAN. You specify the Base Type property of the parameter as follows:
list of boolean
In this example, the LIST data type is a structure of BOOLEAN values.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Certainty sets
A certainty set is a set that associates each element in a set with a relative
confidence that the element actually belongs in the set.

AionDS data types
For more information: See Appendix A, “Certainty,” for a discussion of
certainty sets.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Predefined lists and
sets
AionDS provides predefined structured data types for common kinds of lists
and sets. The basic data type of a predefined structured data type is implied
by the definition of the structured data type. The following table shows these
types.
Data type Description
INTEGER_LIST A list of integers
INTEGER_SET A set of integers
REAL_LIST A list of real numbers
REAL_SET A set of real numbers
STRING_LIST A list of strings
STRING_SET A set of strings
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Lists versus sets
Lists and sets are similar because both hold more than one value. They are
different, however, in the following ways:
■ AionDS maintains the order of elements used in a list. Sets are
unordered.
KDL provides functions that make use of the order of the elements in a
list, such as finding the first or last elements in a list.
■ The elements of a set must be unique. Duplicate elements are allowed in
lists.
If you add an element to a set and the element is already present in the
set, AionDS ignores the assignment. You can add the same element to a
list, however, as often as you want.
For example, a parameter with a Base Type of INTEGER_LIST can hold the
following elements at one time:
2, 3, 3, 45, 7905, 8999, 8999, ...
Type Definition Language 1-5

AionDS data types
Records
1-6 Language Reference
A parameter with Base Type of INTEGER_SET, however, cannot hold these
elements because the elements are not unique. Two elements contain the
same value, 8999.
For another example, the parameter SPECIAL_CUST with a Base Type
property of STRING_SET, can hold the following elements at one time:
'PLATINUM technology','IBM','Lotus Development
Corp.','Microsoft'
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
You can use records to group together a logical collection of items or data
elements. Within a record, each item is called a field. For example, you
might want to create a customer record containing the following information:
■ Customer number
■ Customer name
■ Payment history
■ Credit limit
■ Date of last update
A record starts with the keyword RECORD and ends with the keyword END.
You must specify a data type for each field in the record.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following example shows the definition of the CUST_REC record in a
type object.
record
cust_no is integer
cust_name is string
payment_hist is string
credit_limit is real
last_update is date
end

AionDS data types
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Nested records
Files
You can create record structures that contain other record structures. The
following example shows CUST_DATA, which is defined as a CUST_REC
record, nested in the record CUST_ADDR.
record
cust_data is cust_rec
addr_1 is string
addr_2 is string
city is string
area code is integer
tel_no is string
end
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
If you want to define a record structure that is also used externally to
AionDS, you must define a FILE data structure. For example, the following
Base Type property specifies a record that is used to transfer data between
AionDS and an external file:
file of record
cust_name is string(20)
cust_no is integer(4)
cust_addr is string(40)
cust_state is string(2)
cust_zip is string(5)
end
This is also an example of creating a structured data type, FILE, from another
structured data type, RECORD.
The size, in bytes, is specified for each of the fields in the record. You must
specify the size and other information about the record because the format of
the record must match the external data structure.
For more information: See the “File attributes” section on page 1-31,
“Textual file structures” section on page 1-37, and “Non-textual file
structures” section on page 1-45.
Type Definition Language 1-7

AionDS data types
Constrained data types
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
1-8 Language Reference
When you define a constraint, the constraint determines the data type for the
parameter or slot. In TDL, constraints are restricted to constants. You
cannot use a parameter or slot in the constraint. The following table shows
sample constraints and resulting data types.
Constraint Implied data type
>0 INTEGER
>0.0 REAL
IS FROM ('1','2') STRING
LIST OF >0 INTEGER_LIST
SET OF >0.0 REAL_SET
LIST OF FROM ('1','2') STRING_LIST
> DATE('1-JAN-90') DATE
> TIME('8:00', < TIME('18:00') TIME
For more information: See Chapter 2, “TDL Syntax,” for the syntax of
type object constraints.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Constraints in type
objects
Type objects are useful because you can create a single type object and use it
as the base type for several parameters. If you change the structure or
constraint for a group of similar parameters or slots, you only need to change
one type object. You do not have to change the characteristics of each
parameter or slot.
Consider the following example. Your application involves moving inventory
from one location to another. You have several parameters, such as
DEPART_AIRPORT and DEST_AIRPORT. You can constrain each parameter
to hold all airport codes, or you can define one type object to hold them.

AionDS data types
The following example shows the Type Definition property for the AIRPORT
type object. AIRPORT contains the allowable airports.
is from
('sfo','lax','jfk','hkg','mci','stl','bos','dfw',
'sea','por','cdg','zur','mex')
You define the Base Type property as AIRPORT for DEPART_AIRPORT,
DEST_AIRPORT, and other parameters that need the constraint. If you want
to change the constraint by adding an airport or removing one, you do not
need to change each parameter. You only need to change the AIRPORT type
object.
Type Definition Language 1-9

User-input attributes
User-input attributes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
1-10 Language Reference
You can specify attributes to control the following aspects of user input:
■ How AionDS asks for a value at run time
■ The values that AionDS allows the user to enter
■ The data manipulation that occurs after input
■ The format in which data must be entered
You can specify user-input attributes in the Base Type property of a
parameter or slot or in the Type Definition property of a type object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
List of attributes
The following table shows the user-input attributes:
User-input attributes Description
CHECKLENGTH Check the length of user input. This attribute must be
used with a numeric constant that specifies the length.
NOEMPTY Force the user to enter a string or an element of a list or
set.
NOMENU Allow the user to answer a question involving choices
without using a menu.
NOTRIM Do not trim leading or trailing blanks from input.
NOUNKNOWN Prevent the user from answering UNKNOWN to a
question.
TEXT Allow the user to enter multiple lines of text on the PC.
UPPERCASE Convert input to uppercase.
MASKS Allow user responses only in the specified format.

User-input attributes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
How to specify
attributes
The following entry in the Base Type property of a parameter shows the
input attribute NOUNKNOWN specified after the data type specification
INTEGER:
integer (nounknown)
You can specify any number of user-input attributes. Each user-input
attribute must be separated by a comma. For example, the following entry in
the Type Definition property of a type object shows the attributes NOMENU
and UPPERCASE specified after the CUST_NAME string:
record
cust_name is string (nomenu, uppercase)
age is integer
end
The following sections describe user-input attributes.
Type Definition Language 1-11

User-input attributes
Checklength attribute
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
1-12 Language Reference
The CHECKLENGTH attribute restricts the user response to the specified
length for STRING, STRING_LIST, and STRING_SET data types.
It is never necessary to define a size unless you want to check the size of a data
type, the quantity of input, or write the data to an external file. Internally,
AionDS data types can be any size. The CHECKLENGTH option is
particularly useful, however, when you want to check that the input data
matches the data definition for an external file.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
For example, the following entry in the Type Definition property of a type
object restricts the number of characters that a user can enter to ten
characters:
string (10, checklength)
The following entry restricts the elements of a set that the user can choose to
five strings:
string_set (5, checklength)
The following entry restricts the number of string lists that the user can enter
to 5 and the string size of each string to ten characters:
list (5, checklength) of string (10, checklength)

Noempty attribute
User-input attributes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
The NOEMPTY attribute constrains an answer during user sourcing in the
following ways:
■ The user cannot enter a null string; the user must enter at least one nonblank
character.
■ The user must enter at least one element of a list or set.
The NOEMPTY attribute allows the user to enter a value if the value is known,
or enter UNKNOWN.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
For example, you can specify the following line in the Base Type property of
the parameter NAME_PA:
string (noempty)
The user must enter a string for the parameter. AionDS does not accept
blanks or a null string. AionDS accepts the value UNKNOWN since the
NOUNKNOWN attribute is not specified.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Noempty and
Nounknown
You can use NOEMPTY and NOUNKNOWN together to require the user to
enter a value as in the following example:
string (nounknown, noempty)
For more information: See the “Nounknown attribute” section on page
1-16.
Type Definition Language 1-13

User-input attributes
Nomenu attribute
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
1-14 Language Reference
The NOMENU attribute suppresses the choice menu that normally appears for
Boolean, constrained string, and string set parameters or slots. The input is
still constrained to the available choices, however, the menu does not appear.
The user must type in the response during the consultation.
Important: NOMENU is ignored in a graphical knowledge base.
The NOMENU attribute is useful in the following cases:
■ The number of choices is larger than the answer window and you do not
want to require the user to scroll to a choice
■ The choices are easy to remember or are displayed in the prompt
■ You want to conserve the space on the screen, for example, you want to
display a form
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following example shows the first line of a form, in which a BOOLEAN
parameter is sourced.
Because the Answer window is a single line, the user must scroll to choose
NO. The example below shows the effect of using the NOMENU attribute.
The menu is suppressed. Scrolling is no longer required. The user still must
answer YES, NO, or UNKNOWN.

Notrim attribute
User-input attributes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
By default, AionDS terminates input strings at the first NULL value
encountered. When the NOTRIM attribute is used, the string is not truncated
at any NULL value. Also, all leading and trailing blanks are preserved.
Because all leading and trailing blanks are preserved, you might need to
increase the buffer size to accommodate the resulting string.
Caution: Specify the NOTRIM attribute when the string contains NULL
values before other valid values; otherwise the string is truncated incorrectly.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following Base Type property of a slot:
string (notrim)
In this example, when AionDS sources the slot, the string is not truncated at
any NULL value, and leading and trailing blanks are preserved.
Type Definition Language 1-15

User-input attributes
Nounknown attribute
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
1-16 Language Reference
The NOUNKNOWN attribute prevents the user from answering UNKNOWN
for a parameter or slot.
If the NOUNKNOWN attribute is not specified, the user can press F5 or PF5 to
specify UNKNOWN when asked for the parameter value in a character-based
consultation. The user can select Unknown from the system menu in a
graphical consultation.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
For example, you can specify the following line in the Base Type property of
the parameter NAME_PA:
string (nounknown)
The user must enter a string value. AionDS does not accept the value
UNKNOWN.

Text attribute
User-input attributes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
The TEXT attribute allows you to emulate mainframe input of parameters and
slots on the PC. On the mainframe, you can enter multiple lines of text by
pressing RETURN after each line. When you press ENTER, the entire answer
is transmitted to the mainframe.
A separate RETURN key does not exist on the PC. The ENTER key is used for
both purposes. Input is processed as soon as you press ENTER, unless you
specify the TEXT attribute to the parameter or slot.
When you specify the TEXT attribute, the ENTER key moves the cursor to a
new line, which emulates the action of the RETURN key on the mainframe.
On the PC, AionDS responds to the input when you press F8, which
corresponds to pressing ENTER on the mainframe.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
You can use the following Base Type property to allow input of multiple lines
of text:
string (text)
Type Definition Language 1-17

User-input attributes
Uppercase attribute
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
1-18 Language Reference
The UPPERCASE attribute converts lowercase or mixed-case user responses to
all uppercase characters. The UPPERCASE attribute is only valid for data types
that resolve to strings.
Use the UPPERCASE attribute when your application requires a standard
presentation of user responses for internal processing. For example, if you
know that the input is all uppercase, comparisons and other data
manipulation might be easier when you do not need to handle case
sensitivity.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following entry in the Type Definition property of a type object causes
all input to any parameter or slot that uses the type object to be converted to
uppercase characters:
string_set (uppercase)

Masks
User-input attributes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
A TDL mask specifies the format in which the user must enter data during a
consultation. You also can use masks in TSL to specify the format of the data
on output. Masks, however, do not determine the format of data transferred
between AionDS and an external file.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Consider the following entry in the Type Definition property of a type object
for a record:
record
name is string
age is integer
phone is string ('(999) 999-9999')
birthdate is date ('M2/DD/Y2')
end
Masks are associated with the PHONE and BIRTHDATE fields. If the user
enters data into a parameter with this type definition, they can enter the
following line in the PHONE field:
(415) 328-9595
The user must enter the data exactly as specified in the mask. Each of the
following attempted inputs for the PHONE field is invalid:
415 328-9595
328-9595
4153289595
The first entry lacks the specified parentheses. The second entry lacks the
parentheses and a number for the area code. The third entry lacks the
parentheses, a space between the area code and the number, and the dash.
The following entries are valid entries for the BIRTHDATE field of a parameter
that uses this type definition:
1/20/89
01/02/89
Type Definition Language 1-19

User-input attributes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Types of masks
1-20 Language Reference
You can create masks for the following data types:
■ Date
■ Integer
■ Real
■ String
■ Time
The following sections describe these masks.

Date masks
User-input attributes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
You can use the following symbols to define a date mask:
Dn specifies a one-digit or two-digit day of month on input.
DDn specifies a two-digit day of month on input.
Xn specifies ordinal representation of the day of month on
input.
Mn specifies a one-digit or two-digit month of year on input.
MMn specifies a two-digit month of year on input.
Nn specifies a three-character representation of the month on
input.
NNn specifies the complete name of the month on input.
Y2 specifies a two-digit year on input.
YYn specifies a two-digit year on input.
Z specifies a four-digit year on both input and output.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You can use at most one of each of the day, month, or year masks. On
input, you must use one of each kind of mask. You do not need to use
each kind of mask on output.
■ If you want to specify a mask symbol as a non-mask character, you must
precede it with an ampersand (&) character.
■ All two-digit year masks assume dates since 1900, inclusive.
Type Definition Language 1-21

User-input attributes
1-22 Language Reference
■ The n following the input mask specifies the use of the mask on output.
For D, DD, M, MM, Y, and YY, n specifies the following formats:
n Description
1 Display two digits or a leading blank and one digit
2 Display two digits
If n is not specified, leading zeros are suppressed.
For N and NN, and n specifies the following formats:
n Description
1 Uppercase first character only
2 Lowercase all characters
If n is not specified, all characters are uppercase.
For X, n specifies the following formats:
n Description
1 Lowercase ordinal
2 Lowercase ordinal
If n is not specified, the ordinal is uppercase.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Mask Valid values Invalid values
date('D2/N/YY2') 01/JUN/88
1/JUN/88
date('M-D, Z') 6-1, 1988
06-01, 1988
date('M1-D2-YY2') 06-21-88
6-21-88
01/06/88
01/JUN/1988
6/1,1988
06-21-1988
date('NN DX1, Z') June 1st, 1988 Jun 1,1988

Integer masks
User-input attributes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
You can use the following symbols to define an integer mask:
9 specifies a digit between 0 and 9.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You must enter the exact number of digits as specified by the mask.
■ You can enter a plus sign ( + ) or a minus sign ( - ) immediately before
the number to indicate the sign of the number. The sign is not part of
the mask and does not replace a digit.
■ If you do not enter a sign, the number is positive.
■ On output, a positive number is displayed without a sign. A negative
number is preceded by a minus sign.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Consider the following mask:
integer ('99999')
The following values are valid:
10000
+10000
-10000
00001
+00001
-00001
The following values are invalid:
1000
100000
10,000
+1000
-1000
Type Definition Language 1-23

User-input attributes
Real masks
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
1-24 Language Reference
You can use the following symbols to define a real mask:
9 specifies a digit between 0 and 9.
. specifies a decimal point.
* specifies any number of consecutive digits.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You must enter the exact number of digits as specified by the mask.
■ You can enter a plus sign ( + ) or a minus sign ( - ) immediately before
the number to indicate the sign of the number. The sign is not part of
the mask and does not replace a digit.
■ If you do not enter a sign, the number is positive.
■ On output, a positive number is displayed without a sign. A negative
number is preceded by a minus sign.
■ You can specify at most one decimal point.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Consider the following mask:
real ('999.99')
The following values are valid:
100.00
+100.00
-100.00
000.01
+000.01
-000.01
The following values are invalid:
1000.0
10000
1,00.00
+100,00

String masks
User-input attributes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
You can use the following symbols to define a string mask:
A specifies an alphabetic character.
9 specifies a digit between 0 and 9.
N specifies an alphabetic character or a digit.
X specifies any character, including punctuation and special symbols.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Any character that is not a mask symbol, including spaces, must be
entered exactly as specified. For example, hyphens are required after the
third and fifth digits in the following mask:
string('999-99-9999')
■ If you want to specify a mask symbol as a non-mask character, you must
precede it with an ampersand (&) character.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Consider the following mask:
string('A99&9NX')
The following values are valid:
x1293.
b2293q
The following values are invalid:
1239y.
x128y.
b229.q
Type Definition Language 1-25

User-input attributes
Time masks
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
1-26 Language Reference
You can use the following symbols to define a time mask:
Hn specifies a one-digit or two-digit hour on input.
HHn specifies a two-digit hour on input.
Jn specifies a 24-hour representation with a one-digit or two-digit
hour on input.
JJn specifies a 24-hour representation with a two-digit hour on
input.
Mn specifies a one-digit or two-digit minute on input.
MMn specifies a two-digit minute on input.
Sn specifies a one-digit or two-digit second on input.
SSn specifies a two-digit second on input.
Fn specifies a one-digit or two-digit one-hundredth second on input.
FFn specifies a two-digit one-hundredth second on input.
Xn specifies either AM or PM on input.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You can use at most one of each of the hour, minute, second, or onehundredth
second masks. You do not need to use each kind of mask.
■ On input masks, you must separate each mask with a non-mask
character.
■ If you want to specify a mask symbol as a non-mask character, you must
precede it with an ampersand (&) character.

User-input attributes
■ The n following the input mask specifies the use of the mask on output.
For all masks except X, n specifies the following formats:
n Description
1 Display two digits or a leading blank and one digit.
2 Display two digits
If n is not specified, leading zeros are suppressed.
For X, n specifies the following formats:
n Description
1 Lowercase AM or PM
2 Lowercase AM or PM
If n is not specified, AM or PM is uppercase.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following table shows sample masks with valid and invalid data:
Mask Valid values Invalid values
time('H:M2:S2') 04:30:01
4:30:01
04:30
16:30:01
time('J2 M2') 16 30 1630
16:30
1630:00
time('H:M2 X') 4:30 pm 4:30
4:30pm
Type Definition Language 1-27

User-input attributes
User-input attribute examples
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Combining attributes
1-28 Language Reference
User-input attributes can be used together in many combinations. The userinput
attributes follow the data type specification. The attributes are enclosed
in parentheses and each attribute is separated by a comma.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following example shows the Base Type property of a slot in which the
user input is used by an external file.
string(10,checklength,uppercase,noempty,nounknown)
The data type is STRING. Its length cannot exceed ten characters. The user
must enter a value and the value cannot be UNKNOWN. On input, the string
is converted to all uppercase characters.
The following example shows a record parameter. Each field contains userinput
attributes.
record
trans_date is date ('d/n/yy')
trans_time is time ('j:m:s')
acct_no is integer ('99999')
acct_code is string ('xa9999',uppercase)
amount is real ('*.99')
end
The TRANS_DATE field is a date. The mask specifies that one or two digits
can be entered for the day and month. Two or four digits can be entered for
the year. Slashes ( / ) separate the month, day, and year.
The TRANS_TIME field is a time. The mask specifies that one or two digits
can be entered for the hour, minutes, and seconds. Colons ( : ) separate the
digits.
The ACCT_NO field is an integer. The mask specifies that five digits must be
entered, including leading zeros if necessary.

User-input attributes
The ACCT_CODE field is a string. The mask specifies that the first character
can be any character. The second digit must be an alphabetic character. The
next four characters must be digits. Any lowercase characters are converted to
uppercase.
The AMOUNT field is a real number. The mask specifies that any number of
consecutive digits can precede the decimal point. The decimal point and two
digits following the decimal point must be entered.
Type Definition Language 1-29

Output argument attribute
Output argument attribute
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
1-30 Language Reference
To specify a function argument as an output argument, you must use the
output attribute. If you do not specify the output attribute, the function
argument is an input argument.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Output arguments identify the values returned by the function. You can
specify the output attribute in the Function Arguments property in a
function or the Type Definition property of a type that is specified in the
Function Arguments property. If you specify the output attribute in any
other object, the output attribute is ignored.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following example shows the name output argument in the Function
Arguments property.
name is string (output)

File attributes
File attributes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
When you specify a data structure for a file, you can specify four attributes, as
follows:
■ The access method
■ Whether the file is completely textual
■ Whether the records are variable length
■ Whether the records contain certainty information
The following sections discuss these attributes.
Type Definition Language 1-31

File attributes
Access method
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
1-32 Language Reference
An access method is the operating system software that performs record
access. You can specify the access method as an attribute of the file.
You can choose one of the following access methods for a file:
DBASE is the access method for databases that use DBASE.
DLI is an access method for DL/I databases.
QSAM is the Queued Sequential Access Method that allows
sequential access to records in a file.
SQL is an access method for relational databases that use SQL.
VSAM is the Virtual Storage Access Method that supports
sequential and direct access using key fields, relative
record numbers, or absolute addresses.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Options for each
environment
You must choose the access method that corresponds to the data management
system in which the data is stored. AionDS environments support the
following access methods:
Environment Access methods
AionDS/PC QSAM, SQL, DBASE
AionDS/Win QSAM, VSAM, SQL, DBASE
AionDS/2 QSAM, VSAM, SQL, DBASE
AionDS/AIX QSAM, VSAM, SQL
AionDS/HP-UX QSAM, VSAM, SQL
AionDS/Solaris QSAM, VSAM, SQL
AionDS/MVS QSAM, VSAM, SQL
AionDS/IMS QSAM, VSAM, SQL, DLI
AionDS/CICS QSAM, VSAM, SQL, DLI

File attributes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Defaults
QSAM is the default access method for all AionDS-supported platforms. In
AionDS/PC, AionDS/Windows, AionDS/2, AionDS/HP-UX,
AionDS/Solaris, AionDS/AIX, you can use a custom access method, PCAM
(PC access method), to sequentially or directly access records in PC and
UNIX files. To use PCAM, specify the QSAM access method.
For more information: See the AionDS I/O Reference manual on external
data access methods.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following Base Type property specifies VSAM for a file of CUST_REC
records:
file (vsam) of cust_rec
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
PC access method
AionDS provides a custom access method that allows both sequential access
and direct access to records in MS-DOS or OS/2 files on the PC or to records
on UNIX workstations. This is called the PC access method.
For compatibility with other AionDS environments, AionDS recognizes all
access method keywords. For example, you can create a knowledge base in
AionDS/PC or AionDS/2 that uses the VSAM access method and port it to
AionDS/MVS for execution.
If you specify an access method that is not available on the PC, however, the
PC access method controls input and output operations. A consultation error
occurs when you attempt an I/O operation that is not supported by the PC
access method.
Type Definition Language 1-33

File attributes
Textual and non-textual files
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
1-34 Language Reference
You can specify whether the data in the file is completely textual. Textual
data is character data, which can be displayed without conversion. On the
PC, textual data is in ASCII characters. On the mainframe, textual data is in
EBCDIC characters. One advantage of textual files is that you can move
them between the PC and mainframe easily.
If any part of the data is non-textual, such as binary or packed decimal
numbers, you should not specify TEXTUAL. If a non-textual file contains
records with textual fields, you can specify TEXTUAL for the individual fields.
For more information: See the “Non-textual file structures” section on
page 1-45.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
If the file is completely textual, you specify the TEXTUAL file attribute, as
follows:
file (textual) of cust_rec
The default file format is non-textual. An example of a non-textual file
definition is as follows:
file of cust_rec

Variable length records
File attributes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
You can specify whether the records in a file are variable length. Variable
length records are supported only for QSAM, VSAM, and DL/I files on the
mainframe.
If you use variable length records, the last field specified in the Type
Definition property must be a STRING that contains the variable length
portion of the record. The size of the string must be larger than the longest
variable portion of any record in the file. You can use the READSTR and
WRITESTR KDL statements to interpret the contents of the string field.
For more information: See Chapter 4, “KDL Statement Syntax,” about
READSTR and WRITESTR.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following Base Type property of a parameter:
file (vsam,noattr,variable) of record
emp_no is integer(4)
name is string(20)
rec_type is integer(2)
var_fields is string(74)
end
The parameter defines a VSAM file. The file does not contain certainty
information. (See the next section.) The VARIABLE attribute defines the file
as a variable length file.
The first three fields in the record define the fixed portion of the record. The
last field, VAR_FIELDS, specifies the variable portion of the record. The
maximum record length is 100 bytes, which is the sum of all the fields. The
minimum record length is 26 bytes, which is the sum of the fixed portion of
the record.
The REC_TYPE field defines the kind of record, which allows you to interpret
the contents of the variable portion of the record, VAR_FIELDS. You can use
the READSTR and WRITESTR KDL statements to transfer a parts of the
VAR_FIELDS string into parameters or slots with the appropriate data type,
based upon the contents of REC_TYPE.
Type Definition Language 1-35

File attributes
Certainty information
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
1-36 Language Reference
You can specify whether the data contains certainty information. If you
maintain certainty information about parameters or slots, AionDS writes
attribute bytes to the file that contain certainty information. If you do not
need to keep certainty information, you can specify the NOATTR attribute,
which eliminates reading and writing of certainty information to the file.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
For example, the following Base Type property specifies a file of CUST_REC
in which certainty information is not maintained:
file (noattr) of cust_rec
If you maintain certainty information, the file is non-textual since the
attribute bytes are binary. Typically, only files created by AionDS contain
attribute bytes.
If you want to maintain certainty information for some fields but not for
others, you can specify NOATTR for the individual fields.
For more information: See the “Non-textual file structures” section on
page 1-45.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Defaults
The default non-textual file format contains certainty information. The
default textual file format does not contain certainty information.

Textual file structures
Textual file structures
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
Textual files are files in character format. They are particularly useful for
moving data from one environment to another environment because
conversion of fixed-length records in character format is generally
straightforward.
Textual files contain the keyword TEXTUAL as a file attribute. For example,
the following entry in the Type Definition property of a type object specifies
that the file is a textual file:
file (textual) of record
.
.
.
end
Type Definition Language 1-37

Textual file structures
Field and record sizes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
1-38 Language Reference
Size information is defined for each field. The size is the number of
characters or bytes allowed for the field. Because the file is textual, each digit
of a number is one byte, including a decimal point and sign if present.
The sizes are defined after the data type, such as integer, string, or real, or a
data type of a constraint.
On the mainframe, the record size is the total size of all the separate fields.
On the PC, the record size is the total size of all the separate fields plus two
bytes. On the PC, the following two characters are appended to the end of
each textual record:
■ A carriage return (decimal 13)
■ A line feed (decimal 10)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following example:
file (textual) of record
int_field is integer (8)
str_field is string (20)
real_field is real (10:2)
end
The INT_FIELD field is eight bytes. The STR_FIELD field is 20 bytes. The
REAL_FIELD field is ten bytes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Defaults
For textual files, you should always explicitly specify each field size. If you do
not explicitly specify the size, AionDS uses the following defaults:
Data type Default (bytes)
Integer 4
Real 8
continued

Booleans
continued
Data type Default (bytes)
Time 4
Date 4
Boolean 1
String 255
List 0
Set 0
Textual file structures
By default, lists and sets are not transferred between AionDS and an external
source.
The following sections describe the storage of data in textual files.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Profile options
You can specify any size for a Boolean. The FILE-YES-STRING and FILE-NO-
STRING profile options control the translation of Boolean values that are
transferred between AionDS and external textual files.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Defaults
If you do not specify values for the profile options, by default AionDS expects
the first byte to be one of the following characters:
Character Value
T True or Yes
F False or No
blank Unknown
The remaining positions in the field must be blank.
Type Definition Language 1-39

Textual file structures
Dates
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Profile option
1-40 Language Reference
The FILE-DATE-MASK profile option controls the translation of dates that are
transferred between AionDS and an external file.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Defaults
Integers
If you do not specify a value for this profile option, by default, the date field
must be 11 characters if AionDS writes to an external file. The following
date is an example of the 11-character format:
13-aug-1987
AionDS can read a default date in either 9 or 11 characters. The following
date is an example of the nine-character format:
13-aug-87
AionDS translates the year into 1987. A nine character date must be leftjustified
in the field. In the default format, you cannot write a nine-character
date.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Size
An integer field should be large enough to hold the number as one digit per
character, including a sign if required. Integers are stored right-justified in
the field. AionDS accepts a leading plus ( + ) or minus ( - ) sign on input
and writes a minus sign in front of negative numbers.
Numbers are stored in a file right-justified and padded with blanks on the
left. Leading zeros are accepted on input.

Lists and sets
Textual file structures
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Storage
Real numbers
Elements of lists and sets are stored consecutively within the field. The basic
data type of the list or set determines the storage of individual elements.
For more information: See the “Textual file structures” section on page 1-
37.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Size
A real number contains two pieces of size information. The first piece
identifies the total number of characters to reserve for the field within the
record. The number following the colon ( : ) indicates the precision, or the
number of digits to the right of the decimal point to keep with the field in
the file.
AionDS always writes a decimal point when the TEXTUAL attribute is
specified. You should make the size of the field large enough to hold the
decimal point. You should also make the field large enough to hold the sign
if the field must hold negative values.
When AionDS reads a real number, it looks at the contents of the field and
converts it into a real number. For example, the following values can be
stored in a real number with size (8:2):
99999999
-9999999
-9999.99
.9999999
In the case of the first two numbers, AionDS uses a precision of .00. In the
last case, AionDS rounds the number to 1.00.
Numbers are stored in a file right-justified and padded with blanks on the
left. Leading zeros are accepted on input.
Type Definition Language 1-41

Textual file structures
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Strings
1-42 Language Reference
Consider the following definition for the field CREDIT_LIMIT:
file (textual) of record
credit_limit is real(8:2)
...
end
The size of CREDIT_LIMIT is eight bytes. There are two bytes after a byte that
contains the decimal point. The range of the data that can be stored in
CREDIT_LIMIT is -9,999.99 to 99,999.99.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Storage
Times
Strings are left-justified and padded with blanks on the right. On input,
AionDS terminates input strings at the first NULL value encountered;
consequently, trailing blanks are removed. If you want to preserve trailing
blanks on input, you can specify the NOTRIM attribute.
Caution: Specify the NOTRIM attribute when the string contains NULL
values before other valid values; otherwise the string is truncated incorrectly.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Profile options
The FILE-TIME-MASK controls the translation of times that are transferred
between AionDS and an external file.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Default
If you do not specify this profile option, by default the time field must be 11
characters if AionDS writes to an external file. The following time is an
example of the 11 character format:
09:08:56.40
In the example, the time is 9:08 a.m., fifty-six and forty hundredths seconds.

Textual file structures
AionDS can read a time in any number of characters. For example, the
following input fields all represent 10:00 a.m. in default format:
1
10
10:0
10:00
...
Type Definition Language 1-43

Textual file structures
Textual file example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
1-44 Language Reference
The following example shows a file type object called CUST_REC_FILE in
textual format.
file (textual) of record
cust_no is >0 10
cust_name is string (checklength,30)
payment_hist is from ('under 30 days',
'not under 30 days') (17)
credit_limit is >=0,

Non-textual file structures
Non-textual file structures
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
If you do not specify the TEXTUAL attribute for the FILE statement, the file is
by default a non-textual file. Data in non-textual files are represented in the
binary format supported by the operating system.
Type Definition Language 1-45

Non-textual file structures
Field and record sizes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
1-46 Language Reference
The following table shows data types, possible sizes, precision, and the default
size and precision for fields that you can store in a file. An “n.a.” in the
precision column indicates that the precision is not relevant for the data type.
Data type Size
(bytes)
Precision
(digits)
BOOLEAN 1, 2, or 4 n.a. 1
BOOLEAN (PACKED) 1 - 16 n.a. 1
BOOLEAN (ZONED) 1 - 32767 n.a. 1
DATE 1, 2, or 4 n.a. 4
DATE (PACKED) 1 - 16 n.a. 4
DATE (ZONED) 1 - 32767 n.a. 4
INTEGER 1, 2, or 4 n.a. 4
INTEGER (PACKED) 1 - 16 n.a. 4
INTEGER (ZONED) 1 - 32767 n.a. 4
LIST 0 - 65535 n.a. 0
REAL 4 or 8 n.a. 8
REAL (FIXED) 2 or 4 0 - 5 or 0 - 10 none
REAL (PACKED) 1 - 16 1 - size 8:2
REAL (ZONED) 1 - 32767 1 - size 8:2
SET 0 - 32767 n.a. 0
STRING 1 - 65536 n.a. 255
TIME 1, 2, or 4 n.a. 4
TIME (PACKED) 1 - 16 n.a. 4
TIME (ZONED) 1 - 32767 n.a. 4
Default
(size:precision)

Non-textual file structures
The size for list and set data types specifies the number of elements in the list
or set.
You should specify a size for the following data types:
■ SET
■ LIST
■ REAL with FIXED attribute specified
AionDS does not read LIST or SET data types with the default size from the
file or write it to the file. A default real using the FIXED attribute generates a
consultation error when you access the record.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following example shows the CUST_REC_FILE in a non-textual format.
file of record
spec_type is boolean
cust_no is integer
cust_name is string
amount_owed is real
amount_paid is real
end
The default field sizes for the records in CUST_REC_FILE file are as follows:
Field Size in bytes
SPEC_TYPE 1
CUST_NO 4
CUST_NAME 255
AMOUNT_OWED 8
AMOUNT_PAID 8
Total 276
The following sections describe storage for non-textual data types.
Type Definition Language 1-47

Non-textual file structures
Booleans
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Storage
Dates
1-48 Language Reference
A Boolean is stored as a value between -100 and 100, inclusive. A value of
-100 is FALSE, a value of 100 is TRUE, and a value of 0 is UNKNOWN.
The way in which a Boolean is stored depends upon whether it is stored as a
binary number, or as a packed or zoned number. The default is binary,
which allows the number to be stored in one, two, or four bytes. The default
size is one byte.
For more information: See the “Numeric field attributes” section on page
1-51 on PACKED and ZONED attributes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Storage
Integers
A date is stored as the number of days from January 1, 1900.
The way in which a date is stored depends upon whether it is stored as a
binary number, or as a packed or zoned number. The default is binary,
which allows the number to be stored in one, two, or four bytes. The default
size is four bytes.
For more information: See the “Numeric field attributes” section on page
1-51 on PACKED and ZONED attributes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Storage
The way in which an integer is stored depends upon whether it is stored as a
binary number, or as a packed or zoned number. The default is binary,
which allows the number to be stored in one, two, or four bytes. The default
size is four bytes.
For more information: See the “Numeric field attributes” section on page
1-51 on PACKED and ZONED attributes.

Lists and sets
Non-textual file structures
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Storage
Elements of lists and sets are stored consecutively within the field. The basic
data type of the list or set determines the storage of individual elements.
For more information: See the “Non-textual file structures” section on
page 1-45 for more information.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Attributes
Real numbers
You can specify the following attribute for lists and sets:
WRITELENGTH Write the number of elements.
If you specify the WRITELENGTH attribute, AionDS writes a two-byte integer
that contains the number of elements in the list or set immediately in front of
the first element of the list or set. On input, AionDS reads only elements
that are part of the original list or set. If you do not specify WRITELENGTH,
AionDS reads the maximum number of elements into the list or set and the
non-original elements become UNKNOWN.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Storage
The way in which a real number is stored depends upon whether it is stored
as a binary number, or as a fixed, packed, or zoned number. The default is
binary, which allows the number to be stored in four or eight bytes. The
default size is eight bytes.
For more information: See the “Numeric field attributes” section on page
1-51 about FIXED, PACKED, and ZONED attributes.
Strings
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Storage
Strings are represented in the internal character set of the computer. The
character set on the PC is ASCII. The character set on the mainframe is
EBCDIC.
Type Definition Language 1-49

Non-textual file structures
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Attributes
Times
1-50 Language Reference
You can specify the following attributes for strings:
WRITELENGTH Write the length of the string.
NOTRIM Do not truncate the string at the first NULL value.
If you specify the WRITELENGTH attribute, AionDS writes a two-byte integer
that contains the length of the string immediately in front of the string. On
input, AionDS reads only the number of characters that are specified. If you
do not specify WRITELENGTH, AionDS does not keep any trailing blanks,
even if they were part of the original string.
By default, AionDS terminates input strings at the first NULL value
encountered. When the NOTRIM attribute is used, the string is not truncated
at any NULL value. Also, all leading and trailing blanks are preserved.
Because all leading and trailing blanks are preserved, you might need to
increase the buffer size to accommodate the resulting string.
Caution: Specify the NOTRIM attribute when the string contains NULL
values before other valid values; otherwise the string is truncated incorrectly.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Storage
A time is stored as the number of one-hundredth seconds from midnight.
The way in which a time is stored depends upon whether it is stored as a
binary number, or as a packed or zoned number. The default is binary,
which allows the number to be stored in one, two, or four bytes. The default
size is four bytes.
For more information: See the “Numeric field attributes” section on page
1-51 about PACKED and ZONED attributes.

Numeric field attributes
Non-textual file structures
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
List of attributes
Fixed attribute
AionDS provides attributes that allow you to specify additional characteristics
of numeric fields in non-textual files. The following example shows the
attributes that you can specify.
Attributes Descriptions
FIXED Represent real numbers in fixed-point notation.
PACKED Represent numbers in packed-decimal format, which is
two digits per byte.
TEXTUAL Represent numbers in character format.
UNSIGNED Interpret integers as positive numbers without a sign bit.
ZONED Represent numbers in zoned-decimal format, which is
similar to character format.
The following sections discuss each of the numeric attributes in detail.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
The FIXED attribute causes AionDS to interpret a real number in fixed-point
notation as a two-byte or four-byte integer in a file. You can specify fixed for
any REAL number field.
You can specify a size of either 2 bytes with a precision of 0 to 5 digits,
inclusive, or a size of 4 bytes with a precision of 0 to 10 digits, inclusive.
You must specify a size for real data types with the FIXED attribute. The
default size for real data types with the FIXED attribute generates a
consultation error when you access the record.
Type Definition Language 1-51

Non-textual file structures
Packed attribute
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Textual attribute
1-52 Language Reference
The packed attribute causes AionDS to interpret a number as a string of
digits, two digits per byte. You can specify a size of between 1 and 16 bytes,
inclusive, which allows a number to be 32 digits.
For real numbers, you can specify a maximum precision of the number of
digits that the bytes can hold. The default size is eight bytes and a two-digit
precision.
For integers, the default size is four bytes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
If a number is stored in character format, you can specify that the field is
TEXTUAL. The way in which the number is stored depends on the basic data
type of the number.
For more information: See the “Textual file structures” section beginning
on page 1-37.
Unsigned attribute
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
The UNSIGNED attribute causes AionDS to interpret a number as a positive
value without a sign bit.
For example, a field in a record defined as INTEGER(2) can hold integer
values between -32,768 and 32,767, inclusive. If the UNSIGNED attribute is
specified, as in the following example, the sign bit is interpreted as part of the
value and the field can hold values between 0 and 65,535, inclusive:
file of record
air_type is string
range is integer(2, unsigned)
end

Zoned attribute
Non-textual file structures
Integers and real numbers in ZONED or PACKED representation can be
UNSIGNED. Integer data includes Booleans, dates, and times.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
The ZONED attribute causes AionDS to interpret a number as zoned-decimal,
which is similar to a character display format. The size of the number is
between 1 and 32,767 bytes, inclusive.
For real numbers, the maximum precision is the number of bytes. The
default size is eight bytes, with 2-digit precision.
For integers, the default size is four bytes.
Type Definition Language 1-53

Non-textual file structures
No certainty information attribute
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
1-54 Language Reference
The attribute NOATTR cancels the reading or writing of certainty
information. Ordinarily, AionDS keeps certainty information about each
field in a file. You might not want to keep certainty information, particularly
if the file is used by non-AionDS software.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Omitting NOATTR
If you do not specify NOATTR, AionDS keeps a one-byte certainty attribute
with each field, and with each higher-level element in the record. For
example, consider the following file definition:
file of record
set1 is set (10) of string (10)
int1 is integer(2)
details is record
str1 is string(10)
bln1 is boolean(1)
r1 is real (8:2)
end
end
The field sizes in the record total 121 bytes. There is an attribute byte for
each of the following items:
■ The record itself
■ Each of the 10 strings in SET1
■ SET1
■ INT1
■ The DETAILS record
■ STR1
■ BLN1
■ R1
There are 17 attribute bytes in the record. The record size, therefore, is 138
bytes.

Non-textual file structures
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Using NOATTR for
entire structure
You can use the NOATTR attribute at an outermost level of the data structure
to suppress the attribute bytes for the entire data structure. The following
example shows suppression of all attribute bytes:
file (noattr) of record
set1 is set (10) of string (10)
int1 is integer(2)
details is record
str1 is string(10)
bln1 is boolean(1)
r1 is real (8:2)
end
end
In this case, the record contains no attribute bytes and the record length is
121 bytes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Using NOATTR at
field level
You can suppress the attribute byte for individual fields, by specifying
NOATTR on the field. Consider the following example:
file of record
set1 is set (10) of string (10, noattr)
int1 is integer(2)
details is record
str1 is string(10, noattr)
bln1 is boolean(1)
r1 is real (8:2)
end
end
The attribute byte for each of the 10 strings in SET1 is suppressed, along with
the attribute byte for STR1. The attribute byte for SET1, however, remains.
To remove the attribute byte for SET1, specify the following type definition:
file of record
set1 is set (10, noattr) of string (10, noattr)
int1 is integer(2)
details is record
str1 is string(10, noattr)
bln1 is boolean(1)
r1 is real (8:2)
end
end
Type Definition Language 1-55

Non-textual file structures
1-56 Language Reference
In this example, the record contains 5 attribute bytes, one for each of the
following items:
■ The record itself
■ INT1
■ The DETAILS record
■ BLN1
■ R1

Non-textual file example
Non-textual file structures
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following example shows the Base Type property of a VSAM file
parameter.
file (vsam,noattr) of record
cust_no is integer (6,textual)
cust_name is string (24)
credit limit is real (packed,4:2)
last_update is date (2,unsigned)
purchases is list (10,writelength) of
real (fixed,4:2)
end
The file is a VSAM file. No certainty information is kept within the file. It
is a non-textual file since the TEXTUAL attribute is not specified with the file
specification.
For more information: See the “File attributes” section on page 1-31
about file attributes.
The CUST_NO field is a 6-byte integer stored one digit per byte. It is stored
in ASCII on the PC and EBCDIC on the mainframe. The CUST_NAME is a
24-byte string, which is also stored in ASCII on the PC and EBCDIC on the
mainframe.
The CREDIT_LIMIT field is a real number, stored as a packed-decimal
number in four bytes. It can hold an 8-digit number, of which two digits
represent the fraction.
The LAST_UPDATE field is a date, stored as a 2-byte unsigned integer.
Because the sign bit is treated as data, the field can hold values from 1900
through 2079 (65,536/365 = 179 years).
The PURCHASES field is a list of ten or fewer real numbers in fixed-point
notation. Each value is stored in a 4-byte integer. Two digits of each
number represent the decimal point. The WRITELENGTH attribute causes
AionDS to place at the beginning of the list a 2-byte field that contains the
number of elements in the list.
Type Definition Language 1-57

Non-textual file structures
1-58 Language Reference
The record size is 78 bytes. The record size is determined by the field sizes,
which are as follows:
Field Size in bytes
cust_no 6
cust_name 24
credit_limit 4
last_update 2
purchases 42
Total 78

Chapter 2
TDL Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Introduction
This chapter describes the complete syntax for the Type Definition Language
(TDL). You use TDL to specify the data type of slots and parameters. You
can use TDL in the following places:
■ Base Type property of slots and parameters
■ Type Definition property of type objects
■ Function Arguments, Local Variables, and Return Value properties of
functions.
■ Class Definition property of classes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
In this chapter
Topic Page
Type Definition Language syntax 2-2
Constraints in TDL 2-35
TDL summary 2-38
TDL Syntax 2-1

Type Definition Language syntax
Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
2-2 Language Reference
The following sections describe the syntax of each data type. The syntax for
constraints follows the data type sections.
The following data types are supported:
■ Boolean ■ Pointer
■ Date ■ Real
■ File ■ Record
■ Integer ■ Set
■ Instance ■ String
■ List ■ Time
■ Object-Pointer
For more information: See Chapter 1, “Type Definition Language,” for
general information on the use of TDL.

Boolean
Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
Use the following syntax for BOOLEAN data types:
{BOOLEAN | [library::]type_ref} [( [size | attrib] [,
attrib ... ] )]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the type object exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate type names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
type_ref
is a type object that resolves to a Boolean data type.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
size
is the length, in bytes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
attrib
is one or more of the following attributes:
NOATTR Data does not include a certainty byte.
NOMENU Do not display a menu of choices.
NOUNKNOWN Do not allow UNKNOWN input.
OUTPUT Identifies a function argument as an output argument.
PACKED Represent data in packed-decimal format, two digits per
byte.
TEXTUAL Data is in character format.
UNSIGNED Data is non-negative.
ZONED Represent data in zoned-decimal format, which is
character display format.
TDL Syntax 2-3

Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
2-4 Language Reference
■ You can specify size and attrib in any order.
■ It is only necessary to specify size if the Boolean is used in an external file
or is passed into or out of AionDS using API.
■ If the Boolean is a field in a non-textual file, the default size is one byte.
■ The PACKED, ZONED, and TEXTUAL attributes are mutually exclusive.
■ If the Boolean is a field in a textual file, the FILE-YES-STRING and FILE-
NO-STRING profile options control the format of the field in the file.
For more information: See Chapter 1, “Type Definition Language,” for
more information about field specifications, attributes, and masks.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following Base Type property specifies that the data type of the slot is a
Boolean:
Boolean (2,nomenu,noattr)
Two bytes of data are transferred between AionDS and the external data
structure, either TU or FA. No attribute byte is transferred with the data. A
menu is not presented during user sourcing.
If the Boolean is only used within AionDS, you do not need to specify size or
attributes information, such as NOATTR. The following Base Type property
is sufficient in this case:
Boolean (nomenu)
If the nomenu Boolean type exists in the Global included library, you would
specify the following in the Base Type property of a slot:
Boolean (Global::nomenu)

Date
Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
Use the following syntax for DATE data types:
{ DATE | [library::]type_ref | constraint }
[(size | attrib [, attrib ... ])]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the type object exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate type names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
type_ref
is a type object that resolves to a date data type.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
constraint
is a numeric constraint.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
size
is the length, in bytes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
attrib
is one or more of the following attributes:
NOATTR Data does not include a certainty byte.
NOUNKNOWN Do not allow UNKNOWN input.
OUTPUT Identifies a function argument as an output argument.
PACKED Represent data in packed-decimal format, two digits per
byte.
TEXTUAL Data is in character format.
UNSIGNED Data is non-negative.
TDL Syntax 2-5

Type Definition Language syntax
2-6 Language Reference
ZONED Represent data in zoned-decimal format, which is
character display format.
mask is a date mask.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Internally, AionDS stores a date as a positive integer. The value
represents the number of days from January 1, 1900.
■ You can specify size and attrib in any order.
■ It is only necessary to specify size if the date is used in an external file or
is passed into or out of AionDS using API.
■ If the date is a field in a non-textual file, the default size is four bytes.
■ The PACKED, ZONED, and TEXTUAL attributes are mutually exclusive.
■ If the Boolean is a field in a textual file, the FILE-DATE-MASK profile
option controls the format of the field in the file.
For more information: See Chapter 1, “Type Definition Language,” for
more information about field specifications, attributes, and masks.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following Base Type property specifies a date that cannot be entered as
UNKNOWN:
date (nounknown)
The following Base Type property specifies that the parameter or slot only
contains dates between 10-OCT-65 and 1-JAN-2000, inclusive:
>= date ('10-oct-65'),

File
Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
Use the following syntax for FILE data types:
FILE [( [attrib] [, attrib ... ] )]
OF [library::]rec_type
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the type object exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate type names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
attrib
is one or more of the following attributes:
DBASE is the access method for databases that use dBASE.
DLI is the access method for DL/I databases.
ESDS is a VSAM dataset organization.
KSDS is a VSAM dataset organization.
NOATTR Data does not include a certainty byte.
OUTPUT Identifies a function argument as an output argument.
QSAM is the Queued Sequential Access Method that allows
sequential access to records in a file. On non-mainframe
platforms, QSAM is implemented using the flat file
access services for the host environment.
RRDS is a VSAM dataset organization.
SQL is an access method for relational databases that use
SQL.
TEXTUAL Data is in character format.
TDL Syntax 2-7

Type Definition Language syntax
2-8 Language Reference
VARIABLE Records are variable length.
VSAM is the Virtual Storage Access Method that supports
sequential and direct access using key fields, relative
record numbers, or absolute addresses.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
rec_type
is a data type or type object that resolves to a record.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You must choose the access method that corresponds to the data
management system in which the data is stored. AionDS environments
support the following access methods:
Environment Access methods
AionDS/PC QSAM, SQL, DBASE
AionDS/Win QSAM, SQL, DBASE, VSAM
AionDS/2 QSAM, SQL, DBASE, VSAM
AionDS/MVS QSAM, VSAM, SQL
AionDS/IMS QSAM, VSAM, SQL, DLI
AionDS/CICS QSAM, VSAM, SQL, DLI
AionDS/HP-UX QSAM, SQL
AionDS/Solaris QSAM, SQL
AionDS/AIX QSAM, SQL
■ The DBASE, DLI, QSAM, SQL, and VSAM attributes are mutually
exclusive.
■ If you do not specify an access method attribute, AionDS assumes QSAM.
■ You cannot use FILE data types in the Return Value property of a
function.
■ The attributes ESDS, KSDS, and RRDS are valid only with the VSAM
access method. These attributes are ignored if the VSAM access is local or
the CICS transaction driver returns the dataset organization. You can
specify the dataset organization following VSAM or you can omit VSAM.

Type Definition Language syntax
If the VSAM data resides in a File Owning Region (FOR) that is separate
from the Application Owning Region (AOR), you must specify a VSAM
dataset organization.
■ AionDS/Win and AionDS/2 can access VSAM, DL/I and DB2 data on
the mainframe when used with the Cooperative Processing Option.
■ A file parameter cannot be resolved by backward chaining and cannot
initiate forward chaining. You must use a record or instance to hold the
data from the file and reference the record or instance in the rules in
order to perform inferencing on the data read from the file.
For more information: See Chapter 1, “Type Definition Language,” for
more information about attrib.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following Type Definition property specifies a type object for a VSAM
file:
file (vsam,noattr) of cust_rec
The following Type Definition property specifies the contents of the record:
file (vsam,noattr) of record
cust_no is integer(2)
cust_name is string(20)
cust_addr is string(20)
cust_city is string(20)
cust_state is string(2)
cust_zip is string(5)
cust_phone is string(10)
end
TDL Syntax 2-9

Type Definition Language syntax
Integer
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
2-10 Language Reference
Use the following syntax for INTEGER data types:
{ INTEGER | [library::]type_ref | constraint } [(size |
attrib [, attrib ... ])]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the type object exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate type names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
type_ref
is a type object that resolves to an integer data type.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
constraint
is a numeric constraint.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
size
is the length, in bytes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
attrib
is one or more of the following attributes:
NOATTR Data does not include a certainty byte.
NOUNKNOWN Do not allow UNKNOWN input.
OUTPUT Identifies a function argument as an output argument.
PACKED Represent the number externally in packed-decimal
format, two digits per byte.
TEXTUAL Represent the number externally is in character format
(with leading spaces or zeros).
UNSIGNED Data is non-negative.

Type Definition Language syntax
ZONED Represent the number externally in zoned-decimal
format, which is similar to storing the digits as display
characters (with leading zeros).
mask is an integer mask.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ An integer can hold a whole number from -2,147,483,648 to
2,147,483,647, inclusive.
■ You can specify size and attrib in any order.
■ It is only necessary to specify size if the integer is used in an external file
or is passed into or out of AionDS using API.
■ If the integer is a field in a non-textual file, the default size is four bytes.
■ The PACKED, ZONED, and TEXTUAL attributes are mutually exclusive.
■ If the integer is a field in a textual file read into AionDS, the number
should be right-justified with either leading zeros or spaces. A sign can
appear immediately to the left of the first digit. AionDS always writes
textual integers as right-justified with leading spaces.
For more information: See Chapter 1, “Type Definition Language,”
about field specifications, attributes, and masks.
TDL Syntax 2-11

Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
2-12 Language Reference
The following Base Type property specifies an integer that cannot be entered
as UNKNOWN:
integer (nounknown)
The following Base Type property specifies a positive non-zero integer that
cannot be entered as UNKNOWN:
>0 (nounknown)
The following Base Type property specifies an integer that is transferred
between AionDS and an external data source:
integer(2,noattr)
The data is stored externally as a 2-byte integer, without certainty
information.

Instance
Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
Use the following syntax for INSTANCE data types:
INSTANCE OF [library::]{ class | type_ref }
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class or type object exists.
The library name is only required when duplicate class or type names exist in
any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
class
is a class name.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
type_ref
is a type object that resolves to an instance data type.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
You can only use INSTANCE in an input or output argument to a function.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement shows the Input Arguments property for a function:
instance of credit
CREDIT is the name of a class.
TDL Syntax 2-13

Type Definition Language syntax
List
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
2-14 Language Reference
Use the following syntax for LIST data types:
LIST [( size | attrib [, attrib ... ] )]
OF [library::]res_type
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
size
is the maximum number of elements.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
attrib
is one or more of the following attributes:
CHECKLENGTH Check the length of input data.
NOATTR Data does not include certainty information.
NOEMPTY Require at least one value to be entered.
NOUNKNOWN Do not allow UNKNOWN input.
OUTPUT Identifies a function argument as an output argument.
TEXTUAL Data is in character format.
WRITELENGTH A two-byte length field exists before the data.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the type object exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate type names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
res_type
is a data type or type object that resolves to a Boolean, string, integer, real,
date, time, set, list, pointer, record, or constraint.

Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ A list is an ordered collection of elements.
■ All elements have the same base type and the base type of the elements
specify the base type of the list.
■ A list can hold 32,767 elements.
■ The following list data types are predefined:
Data type Description
INTEGER_LIST A list of integers
REAL_LIST A list of real numbers
STRING_LIST A list of strings
If you use one of these data types instead of LIST, do not specify OF
res_type.
■ You can specify size and attrib in any order.
■ Unless the CHECKLENGTH attribute is used, specify size if the list is used
in an external file or is passed into or out of AionDS using API. The size
specifies the maximum number of elements that the list can contain.
The default is zero elements, which causes AionDS to ignore the list
during input and output.
■ You cannot use LIST data types in the Return Value property of a
function.
■ You cannot specify a list of records in the Base Type property of a slot.
■ If you specify WRITELENGTH for a non-textual file, AionDS writes a
two-byte field at the beginning of the list that contains the number of
elements. On input, AionDS reads only elements that are part of the
original list. If you do not specify WRITELENGTH, AionDS reads in the
maximum number of elements into the parameter or slot and the nonoriginal
elements become UNKNOWN. For TEXTUAL files,
WRITELENGTH is ignored.
For more information: See Chapter 1, “Type Definition Language,”
about field specifications, attributes, and masks.
TDL Syntax 2-15

Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
2-16 Language Reference
The following Base Type property specifies a list of Boolean values, for which
at least one value must be entered during user sourcing:
list (noempty) of Boolean
The following Base Type property specifies a list of integers, for which at least
one value must be entered during user sourcing:
integer_list (noempty)
The following Base Type property specifies a list of positive non-zero integers,
for which at least one value must be entered during user sourcing:
> 0 (noempty)
The following Base Type property specifies a list of positive non-zero real
numbers, for which at least one value must be entered during user sourcing:
> 0.0 (noempty)
The following Base Type property specifies a list of constrained strings:
list of from ('red','white','blue')
The following Base Type property specifies a list of pointers to class
CUSTOMER:
list of pointer to customer
The following Base Type property specifies a list of records:
list of record
cust_no is integer
cust_name is string
end

Object_Pointer
Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
OBJECT_POINTER is used to efficiently represent a link to an object within
the knowledge base. Its use is restricted to the attachment schema of the
window interface and DDE classes (WINLIB). That is, this data type is only
used with graphical knowledge bases.
A parameter or slot that is of type OBJECT_POINTER contains an internal
representation of another object in the knowledge base. This internal
representation allows the system to quickly locate and manipulate the object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
Use the following syntax to define OBJECT_POINTER data types:
OBJECT_POINTER
Use the following syntax to define values for an object of the
OBJECT_POINTER type:
objecttype { ( [library::]contextname
([library::]objectname) ) | ([library::] objectname) }
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
objecttype
is one of the AionDS object types:
MESSAGE
PARAMETER
SLOT
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the context or object exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate context or object names exist in
any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
TDL Syntax 2-17

Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
contextname
2-18 Language Reference
is the name of the context that owns the object. The context name is
optional.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
objectname
is the name of the object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
For example, an object with the data type OBJECT_POINTER could have a
value as follows:
message (Results)
parameter (Main (LoginName))
slot (Problem(Problem_0001).ProblemNumber)
The base type of these objects would be OBJECT_POINTER in each case.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Modifying and
comparing
If you need to set or compare the value of an OBJECT_POINTER parameter,
use the same syntax for all cases except for slots.
.............................................................................................................................................................................
Syntax
For slots, use the following syntax:
slot ( [instance_ref.] slotname)
instance_ref is a reference to a specific instance. It may have
one of these forms:
class_name(instance_name)
instance_pointer->
static_instance_name
instance_ref. may be omitted if you are
referring to a slot in the current instance.
slotname is the name of the desired slot.

Type Definition Language syntax
.............................................................................................................................................................................
Examples
For example, if you have a text window called MY_TW, you can see if the
message MSG1 is attached to it:
if my_tw.attachedobject = message(msg1)
then ...
If you have a pointer to an instance (in the parameter PTR), you could refer
to the slot NAME in the following way:
slot(ptr->.name)
TDL Syntax 2-19

Type Definition Language syntax
Pointer
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
2-20 Language Reference
Use the following syntax for POINTER data types:
POINTER TO [library::]class | [library::]type_ref
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate class names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
class
is a class name.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
type_ref
is a type object that resolves to a pointer data type.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following Base Type property specifies a pointer to the class CREDIT:
pointer to credit
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You use a pointer to reference instances in a class.
■ You can use a pointer to reference instances in the specified class or any
of its subclasses. However, you cannot use a pointer to a parent class to
reference slots or methods in a subclass that do not exist in the parent
class.

Real
Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
Use the following syntax for REAL data types:
{ REAL | [library::]type_ref | constraint }
[(size[:precision] | attrib [, attrib ... ])]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the type object exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate type names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
type_ref
is a type object that resolves to a real data type.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
constraint
is a numeric constraint.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
size
is the length, in bytes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
precision
is the number of digits to the right of an implied decimal point.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
attrib
is one or more of the following attributes:
FIXED Represent the number externally in fixed-point notation
as a two-byte or four-byte integer.
NOATTR Data does not include a certainty byte.
NOUNKNOWN Do not allow UNKNOWN input.
OUTPUT Identifies a function argument as an output argument.
PACKED Represent the number externally in packed-decimal
format, two digits per byte.
TDL Syntax 2-21

Type Definition Language syntax
2-22 Language Reference
TEXTUAL Represent the number externally in character format
(with leading spaces or zeros).
UNSIGNED Data is non-negative.
ZONED Represent the number externally in zoned-decimal
format, which is similar to storing the digits as display
characters (with leading zeros).
mask is a real mask.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The default real number is floating-point number between ±1.0E±306
on the PC and between -5.3E-79 and 7.2E+75 on the mainframe.
■ FIXED, PACKED, ZONED, and TEXTUAL are mutually exclusive. If you
do not specify one of these attributes, AionDS assumes that external data
is in floating-point notation.
■ You can specify size and attrib in any order.
■ It is only necessary to specify size if the real is used in an external file or is
passed into or out of AionDS using API. If the FIXED attribute is
specified, you must specify size.
■ You can specify the total size and precision of a real data type. The
following table shows the kind of real, the size, precision, and default.
When the size and precision are not specified for a real, the size and
precision defaults are used.
Data type Size
(bytes)
Precision
(digits)
REAL (floating) 4 or 8 n.a. 8:2
REAL FIXED 2 or 4 0 - 5 or 0 - 10 none
REAL PACKED 1 - 16 1 - size 8:2
REAL ZONED 1 - 32767 1 - size 8:2
Default
(size:precision)
The notation “n.a.” indicates that the precision is not relevant when
storing and transferring values with this data type. In the Precision
column, the notation “size” indicates that the precision can be up to the

Type Definition Language syntax
size that you specify, which must be less than or equal to the value for
size shown in the Size column.
■ Precision follows the size and is preceded by a colon. Precision indicates
the number of digits to the right of the decimal point. For example, 8:2
after REAL PACKED indicates that the total size of the data is 8 bytes and
the precision is in hundredths (10 -2 ). Precision is used when the number
is translated into a textual format.
■ If the real number is a field in a textual file read into AionDS, the
number should be right-justified with either leading zeros or spaces. A
sign can appear immediately to the left of the first digit. You should
make the field large enough to hold a decimal point and, if applicable,
the minus ( - ) sign for negative values. AionDS always writes textual
real numbers as right-justified with leading spaces.
For more information: See Chapter 1, “Type Definition Language,”
about field specifications, attributes, and masks.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following Base Type specifies a real data type, for which UNKNOWN is
not allowed during user sourcing:
real (nounknown)
The following Base Type specifies a real data type that is greater than one, for
which UNKNOWN is not allowed during user sourcing:
>1.0 (nounknown)
The following Base Type specifies a real data type for a floating point number
that is stored externally to AionDS:
real (8, noattr)
The length of the external data is eight bytes. It does not include a certainty
byte.
The following Base Type specifies a real data type for a fixed point number
that is stored externally to AionDS:
real (4:2, fixed, noattr)
TDL Syntax 2-23

Type Definition Language syntax
2-24 Language Reference
The length of the external data is four bytes. The precision is two digits. It
does not include a certainty byte.
The following Base Type specifies a real data type for a packed decimal
number that is stored externally to AionDS:
real (16:4, packed, noattr)
The length of the external data is sixteen bytes. The precision is four digits.
It does not include a certainty byte.
The following Base Type specifies a real data type for a zoned number that is
stored externally to AionDS:
real (40:8, zoned, noattr)
The length of the external data is forty bytes. The precision is 8 digits. It
does not include a certainty byte.

Record
Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
Use the following syntax for RECORD data types:
RECORD [( attrib [, attrib ... ] )]
field_name [(dl1_alias)] IS [library::]res_type
[field_name [(dl1_alias)] IS [library::]res_type ...] END
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
attrib
is one or more of the following attributes:
NOATTR Data does not include certainty information.
OUTPUT Identifies a function argument as an output argument.
TEXTUAL Data is in character format.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the type object exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate type names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
res_type
is a data type or type object that resolves to a Boolean, string, integer, real,
date, time, set, list, pointer, record, or constraint.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
field_name
is the name of the AionDS record field.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
dl1_alias
is the name of the DL/I field that corresponds to the AionDS field.
TDL Syntax 2-25

Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You cannot use RECORD data types in the Return Value property of a
function.
2-26 Language Reference
■ You can nest records. See Chapter 1, “Type Definition Language,” for
more information.
■ You cannot specify a record in the Base Type property of a slot.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following Base Type property defines a record in AionDS:
record
cust_no is integer
cust_name is string
cust_balance is real
end
The following Base Type property defines a record format that is used by an
external data structure:
record (textual,noattr)
cust_no is integer(8)
cust_name is string(24)
cust_balance is real(10:2)
end
In a TEXTUAL record, each character position is a character or digit. The
record is 42 bytes long.
You can nest records. The following Base Type property of a parameter
shows CUST_ADDR as a nested record:
record
cust_no is integer
cust_name is string
cust_addr is addr_rec
cust_balance is real
end
The Type Definition property of the ADDR_REC type object is as follows:
record
addr_line1 is string
addr_line2 is string
city is string
state is string
zip is integer
end

Set
Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
Use the following syntax for SET data types:
[[MULTIPLE] CERTAINTY] SET [(size | attrib
[, attrib ... ])] OF [library::]res_type
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
size
is the maximum number of elements.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
attrib
is one or more of the following attributes:
CHECKLENGTH Check the length of input data.
NOATTR Data does not include certainty information.
NOEMPTY Require at least one element to have a value.
NOMENU Do not display a menu of choices.
NOUNKNOWN Do not allow UNKNOWN input.
OUTPUT Identifies a function argument as an output
argument.
TEXTUAL Data is in character format.
WRITELENGTH A two-byte length field exists before the data.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the type object exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate type names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
res_type
is a data type or type object that resolves to a Boolean, string, integer, real,
date, time, set, list, pointer, record, or constraint.
TDL Syntax 2-27

Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
2-28 Language Reference
■ A set is an unordered collection of items in which each item is unique. A
certainty set is a set that contains pairs of values and certainty factors.
■ All elements have the same base type and the base type of the elements
specify the base type of the set.
■ A set can hold 32,767 elements.
■ The following set data types are predefined:
Data type Description
INTEGER_SET A set of integers
REAL_SET A set of real numbers
STRING_SET A set of strings
If you use one of these data types instead of SET, do not specify OF
res_type.
■ You can specify size and attrib in any order.
For more information: See Appendix A about certainty sets.
■ Unless the CHECKLENGTH attribute is used, specify size if the set is used
in an external file or is passed into or out of AionDS using API. The
size specifies the maximum number of elements that the set can contain.
The default is zero elements, which causes AionDS to ignore the set
during input and output.
■ You cannot use SET data types in the Return Value property of a
function.
■ You cannot specify a set of records in the Base Type property of a slot.
■ If you specify WRITELENGTH for a non-textual file, AionDS writes a
two-byte field at the beginning of the set that contains the number of
elements. On input, AionDS reads only elements that are part of the
original set. If you do not specify WRITELENGTH, AionDS reads in the
maximum number of elements into the parameter or slot and the nonoriginal
elements become UNKNOWN. For textual files, WRITELENGTH
is ignored.

Type Definition Language syntax
For more information: See Chapter 1, “Type Definition Language,”
about field specifications, attributes, and masks.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following Base Type property specifies a set of Boolean values, for which
at least one value must be entered during user sourcing:
set (noempty) of Boolean
The following Base Type property specifies a set of integers, for which at least
one value must be entered during user sourcing:
integer_set (noempty)
The following Base Type property specifies a set of positive non-zero integers,
for which at least one value must be entered during user sourcing:
> 0 (noempty)
The following Base Type property specifies a set of positive non-zero real
numbers, for which at least one value must be entered during user sourcing:
> 0.0 (noempty)
The following Base Type property specifies a set of constrained strings:
set of from ('red','white','blue')
The following Base Type property specifies a set of pointers to class
CUSTOMER:
set of pointer to customer
The following Base Type property specifies a set of records:
set of record
cust_no is integer
cust_name is string
end
TDL Syntax 2-29

Type Definition Language syntax
String
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
2-30 Language Reference
Use the following syntax for STRING data types:
{ STRING | [library::]type_ref | constraint }
[(size | attrib [, attrib ... ])]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the type object exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate type names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
type_ref
is a type object that resolves to a string data type.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
constraint
is a string constraint.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
size
is the length, in bytes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
attrib
is one or more of the following attributes:
CHECKLENGTH Check the length of input data.
MEMO String value maps to a dBASE memo file.
NOATTR Data does not include a certainty byte.
NOEMPTY Require a value to be entered.
NOMENU Do not display a menu of choices.
NOTRIM Preserve leading and trailing spaces on input.
NOUNKNOWN Do not allow UNKNOWN input.
OUTPUT Identifies a function argument as an output argument.

TEXT Allow multiple lines of text input.
TEXTUAL Data is in character format.
UPPERCASE Convert input data to uppercase.
Type Definition Language syntax
WRITELENGTH Write a two-byte length field before the data.
mask is a string mask.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ A string can hold up to 65,512 bytes, inclusive.
■ You can specify size and attrib in any order.
■ Unless the CHECKLENGTH attribute is used, specify size if the string is
used in an external file or is passed into or out of AionDS using API.
The default size is 255 bytes.
■ If you specify WRITELENGTH for a non-textual file, AionDS writes a
two-byte field at the beginning of the string that contains the actual size
of the string before it is padded with trailing blanks. On input, the pad
characters are removed and the string becomes its original length again.
If you do not specify WRITELENGTH, AionDS does not keep any trailing
blanks, even if they were part of the original string. For textual files,
WRITELENGTH is ignored.
For more information: See Chapter 1, “Type Definition Language,”
about field specifications, attributes, and masks.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following Base Type property specifies a string that cannot be entered as
UNKNOWN:
string (nounknown)
The following Base Type property specifies a constrained string that cannot
be entered as UNKNOWN:
is from ('red','white','blue') (nounknown)
The following Base Type property specifies a string that is transferred
between AionDS and an external data source:
string(20,noattr,checklength,writelength)
TDL Syntax 2-31

Type Definition Language syntax
2-32 Language Reference
The data is stored externally as a 20-byte string, without certainty
information. The CHECKLENGTH attribute prevents transfer of more than
20 characters. The WRITELENGTH attribute specifies that a two-byte field
exists in front of the string that contains the actual length of the data within
the 20 characters. The total size of the string is 22 bytes.

Time
Type Definition Language syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
Use the following syntax for TIME data types:
{ TIME | [library::]type_ref | constraint }
[(size | attrib [, attrib ... ])]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the type object exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate type names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
type_ref
is a type object that resolves to a time data type.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
constraint
is a numeric constraint.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
size
is the length, in bytes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
attrib
is one or more of the following attributes:
NOATTR Data does not include a certainty byte.
NOUNKNOWN Do not allow UNKNOWN input.
OUTPUT Identifies a function argument as an output argument.
PACKED Represent data in packed-decimal format, two digits per
byte.
TEXTUAL Data is in character format.
UNSIGNED Data is non-negative.
TDL Syntax 2-33

Type Definition Language syntax
2-34 Language Reference
ZONED Represent the number externally in zoned-decimal
format, which is similar to storing the digits as display
characters.
mask is a time mask.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Internally, AionDS represents time as an integer. The value is the
number of one-hundredth seconds from midnight.
■ You can specify size and attrib in any order.
■ It is only necessary to specify size if the time is used in an external file or
is passed into or out of AionDS using API.
■ If the time is a field in a non-textual file, the default size is four bytes.
■ The PACKED, ZONED, and TEXTUAL attributes are mutually exclusive.
■ If the time is a field in a textual file, the FILE-TIME-MASK profile option
controls the format of the field in the file.
For more information: See Chapter 1, “Type Definition Language,”
about field specifications, attributes, and masks.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following Base Type property specifies a time that cannot be entered as
UNKNOWN:
time (nounknown)
The following Base Type property specifies that the parameter or slot only
contains times between noon and 10:10 p.m., inclusive:
>= time ('12:00'),

Constraints in TDL
Constraints in TDL
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
There are two kinds of constraints, as follows:
■ Numeric constraints
■ String constraints
In TDL, constraints are restricted to constants. You cannot use a parameter
or slot in a TDL constraint.
TDL Syntax 2-35

Constraints in TDL
Numeric constraints
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
2-36 Language Reference
Use the following syntax to specify a constraint for an integer, date, time, or
real number:
{ { > | >= } num_ref [, { < | = 0, < 100
>= date ('10-oct-65'), = time ('12:00'),

String constraints
Constraints in TDL
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
Use the following syntax to specify a constraint for a string:
[IS] FROM (['str' [, 'str'...]])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
str
is a string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
is from ('red', 'white', 'blue')
Examples
from ('red', 'white', 'blue')
TDL Syntax 2-37

TDL summary
TDL summary
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
2-38 Language Reference
The following list summarizes the Type Definition Language syntax.
{BOOLEAN | [library::]type_ref} [( [size | attrib] [,
attrib ... ] )]
{ DATE | [library::]type_ref | constraint }
[(size | attrib [, attrib ... ])]
FILE [( [attrib] [, attrib ... ] )]
OF [library::]rec_type
{ INTEGER | [library::]type_ref | constraint } [(size |
attrib [, attrib ... ])]
INSTANCE OF [library::]{class | type_ref }
LIST [( size | attrib [, attrib ... ] )]
OF [library::]res_type
OBJECT_POINTER
POINTER TO [library::]class | type_ref
{ REAL | [library::]type_ref | constraint }
[(size[:precision] | attrib [, attrib ... ])]
RECORD [(attrib [,attrib ... ] )]
field_name [(dl1_alias)] IS [library::]res_type
[field_name [(dl1_alias)] IS [library::]res_type ...] END
[[MULTIPLE] CERTAINTY] SET [(size | attrib
[, attrib ... ])] OF [library::]res_type
{ STRING | [library::]type_ref | constraint }
[(size | attrib [, attrib ... ])]
{ TIME | [library::]type_ref | constraint}
[(size | attrib [, attrib ... ])]

Chapter 3
Knowledge Definition Language
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Introduction
You specify most of the logic in a knowledge base with the Knowledge
Definition Language (KDL). Some of the uses of KDL are as follows:
■ To specify inference rules that AionDS uses to execute a consultation
■ To specify the Agenda of a state, which controls the flow of a
consultation
■ To specify message passing in object processing applications
■ To specify facts that AionDS uses to initialize slots and parameters
■ To specify default values for AionDS to use when the value of a
parameter or slot is unknown
■ To specify conditions that must be true before AionDS enters a state, or
executes a report, graph, process, or message
■ To write functions attached to methods or other procedural code.
This chapter discusses major constructs that are used in KDL. See Chapter
4, “KDL Statement Syntax,” for KDL statement syntax.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
In this chapter
Topic Page
Expressions and operators 3-2
Flow control 3-22
Inference rules 3-23
Message passing 3-26
Agenda statements 3-28
KDL in Facts and Default properties 3-39
Knowledge Definition Language 3-1

Expressions and operators
Expressions and operators
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
3-2 Language Reference
To specify the logic in a knowledge base, you must use KDL statements.
These statements require you to use various expressions and operators.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Expressions
An expression is anything that evaluates to a value. The data type of value
can be a number, string, Boolean, list, set, record, date, time, or pointer. A
Boolean expression, for example, contains a value of either TRUE or FALSE.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Operators
The operators are as follows:
■ Relational operators, such as less than, greater than, equal, an so on
■ Arithmetic operators, such as add, subtract, multiply, divide, and so on
■ Logical operators, such as AND, OR, and so on
■ Selection operators, such as selection of an element from a list or set,
selection of a field from a record, selection of an instance from a class,
and so on.
The following sections describe the expressions and operators that you can
use with in KDL and describes how the expressions and operators are
evaluated in a premise.

Expressions
Expressions and operators
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Boolean expressions
In KDL, the data type of an expression determines how you can use the
expression. For example, only Boolean expressions can be used in the premise
of a rule, because only Boolean expressions evaluate to TRUE or FALSE.
In many cases, the Base Type property of parameters or slots determine the
kind of expression. The following sections show examples of the kinds of
expressions that you can use.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following expressions are Boolean expressions:
105_PREREQ_TAKEN is a Boolean expression because its Base Type
property is BOOLEAN.
CAR_PRICE > 10000 is a Boolean expression because it evaluates to either
TRUE or FALSE.
SEL_LIST INCLUDES 'PART_100'
is a Boolean expression since it evaluates to either
TRUE or FALSE.
CF(0.5) is a Boolean expression, because the function CF
converts the real number 0.5 into a Boolean value.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-3

Expressions and operators
Numeric expressions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
String expressions
3-4 Language Reference
Numeric expressions can be integers or real numbers. The following
expressions are numeric expressions:
CAR_PRICE is a numeric expression because it is a parameter
with a numeric base type.
5000 is a numeric expression because it evaluates to the
numeric value 5000.
RNUM_LIST(PART_NO) is a numeric expression because the base type of the
list is REAL_LIST. PART_NO is also a numeric
expressions because it evaluates to a position within
the list.
TRUCK(FORDBRONCO).COST
is a numeric expression, because the base type of the
COST slot is real.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following expressions are string expressions:
FIRST is a string expression because its Base Type property
is STRING.
FIRST & SECOND is a string expression because it evaluates to a string
that contains the strings FIRST and SECOND
concatenated together. The ampersand ( & ) is the
concatenation operator.
SEL_LIST(PART_NO) is a string expression because each element in a
STRING_LIST or STRING_SET is a string.

List and set expressions
Expressions and operators
PERSONNEL.L_NAME is a string expression because it identifies the
L_NAME field in the PERSONNEL record, which is
base type STRING. An element of a record is
identified by the record name and the field name,
separated by a dot ( . ).
FSPEC->.LNAME is a string expression, because the L_NAME field in
the record referred to by the FSPEC file parameter is
base type STRING.
'THE OPERATOR' is a string expression because it is a string constant.
'THE OPERATOR''S ADVICE'
is a string expression that results in the string THE
OPERATOR'S ADVICE. Note that the when two
consecutive quote marks ( '' ) are used, AionDS
interprets them as a single quote ( ' ) within the
string.
'''FILE.NAME''' is a string expression that results in the string
'FILE.NAME'. The resulting string is quoted within
the AionDS string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following expressions are list and set expressions:
SEL_LIST can evaluate to either a set or list, depending upon
its base type.
ASORT(NAME_LIST) is a list or set expression because ASORT returns a
sorted list with the same base type as the input list
or set, NAME_LIST.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-5

Expressions and operators
Record expressions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Pointer expressions
3-6 Language Reference
The following expressions are record expressions:
REC1 is a record because its base type is RECORD.
RECORD_LIST(2) is a record because it refers to the second record in a
list of records.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following expressions are pointer expressions:
TRUCK_PTR is a pointer expression because its base type is
POINTER to the instances of a class.
->TRUCK_INST is a pointer expression because the statement
generates a pointer to an instance.
->CURRENT is a pointer expression because the statement
generates a pointer to the current instance.

Relational operators
Expressions and operators
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Relational operators are used anywhere you can use a Boolean expression.
For example, you can use relational operators in the premise of IF statements,
rules, and in entry and execution conditions because a premise specifies
conditions that must be true before AionDS executes the actions associated
with the premise.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Consider the following rule that advises students to take course 105 if they
have the prerequisite:
Consider the following statement:
if 105_prereq_taken
then
advice is 'take course 105'
The premise is the Boolean parameter 105_PREREQ_TAKEN. When the
premise is true, AionDS takes the action following the THEN keyword. In
this case, AionDS assigns the value "take 105" to the parameter ADVICE.
Alternatively, you can write the premise as follows:
if 105_prereq_taken = TRUE
then ...
The premise shows an equal relationship between 105_PREREQ_TAKEN and
the system constant TRUE. Booleans allow you to specify a premise in a
shorthand way because they have an implied relationship of either true or
false.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-7

Expressions and operators
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
List of operators
3-8 Language Reference
When you compare parameters to each other or to a constant other than
TRUE or FALSE, you must explicitly identify the relationship between the
parameters and constants. The following table shows the possible
relationships between the left and right sides of an operator.
Operator Relationship
= left equals right
left does not equal right
> left is greater than right
>= left is greater than or equal to right
< left is less than right

Expressions and operators
■ When it compares strings, AionDS considers a capital letter to be the
same as a lowercase letter. For example, AionDS does not distinguish
between “A” and “a.”
■ You should be careful when comparing strings for less than or greater
than relationships. Shorter strings are compared to longer ones as if they
are padded with spaces on the right of the shorter string. Certain
characters compare differently in ASCII and EBCDIC because of
differences in the internal representation of these character sets.
■ You can only compare entire records, sets, or lists by equality (is, are, =)
or inequality (is not, are not, ).
■ For basic data types, if any parameter in a premise is not known, the
comparison returns UNKNOWN. For structured data types, the premise
is UNKNOWN, except when there is enough information to make a
decision.
For example, if part of a record is not known, a test for equality (is, are,
=) results in FALSE if the known part of the record is different from
another record in the premise. In this case, a test for inequality (is not,
are not, ) results in TRUE.
If one or more fields in a record is not known but all of the known fields
are equal, testing for either equality or inequality results in UNKNOWN,
since AionDS cannot determine that the result should be TRUE or FALSE.
■ In a relational comparison, an empty list is a known value. For example,
a premise comparing two empty lists for equality (is, are, =) results in
TRUE.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-9

Expressions and operators
Real number comparisons
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Unexpected results
3-10 Language Reference
Comparisons between real numbers might not be what you expect when you
generate the numbers differently. For example, consider the following
premise:
if 10.0/10.0 = 1.0 then ...
The premise might not compare as equal because one expression is generated
by division, and the other expression is a constant. It is also possible that
they compare correctly in one environment, such as AionDS/PC, but
differently in another environment, such as AionDS/MVS.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Comparison
tolerance
To handle this situation, AionDS provides a profile option to perform real
number comparisons within tolerance that you specify. The option is as
follows:
comparison-tolerance = tolerance
For example, if the tolerance is 0.00010, then numbers such as 10.00000 and
10.00009 are equal. If you do not specify a comparison tolerance, AionDS
uses 0.0000 as the default.
The following table shows the effect of specifying a tolerance for real number
comparisons:
Operator Comparison
< lnum-rnum < -tolerance
lnum-rnum > tolerance
ABS(lnum-rnum) > tolerance

Expressions and operators
Values for lnum appear on the left side of the operator, and values for rnum
appear on the right side. The tolerance is the number you specify in the
COMPARISON-TOLERANCE profile option. The absolute value is represented
by ABS.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-11

Expressions and operators
Arithmetic operators
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
3-12 Language Reference
Expressions can use arithmetic operators. The following numeric expression
results in twice the value of the product of PI and R, multiplied by itself, with
the intermediate result added to 25, then divided by 100 before subtracting
K:
(25 + sqr(2*pi*r))/100-k
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
List of operators
The following table shows the arithmetic operators.
Operator Description
+ Add
- Subtract
* Multiply
/ Divide
** Exponent
DIV Integer divide
MOD Modulus
For more information: See Chapter 4, “KDL Statement Syntax,” for
additional arithmetic functions.

Logical operators
Expressions and operators
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Conditions can be joined together with logical operators to create a
compound condition for a premise. For example, the following statement
instructs AionDS to advise students to take course 105 if they have the
prerequisite and are not freshmen.
if 105_prereq_taken and not freshman
then
advice is 'take 105'
The statement requires 105_PREREQ_TAKEN to be true and FRESHMAN to be
false before the rule can execute. The logical operator NOT negates the
condition that the student must be a freshman. The logical operator AND
specifies that both parts of the premise must be met before the rule can
execute. You can use the logical operator OR to specify that only one part of
the premise must be met before the rule can execute.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Precedence of
operators
There is a precedence associated with logical operators such that NOT is
evaluated before AND, and AND is evaluated before OR. Alternatively, you
can write the rule as follows:
if 105_prereq_taken and (sophomore or junior or
senior)
then advice is 'take 105'
The parentheses are important in this case, because they change the order
that AionDS evaluates logical operators. The part of a statement inside the
parentheses is evaluated first. If you do not use parentheses, the order of
precedence in this example is not the same as if you do use parentheses:
if (105_prereq_taken and sophomore) or junior or
senior
then advice is 'take 105'
Leaving out the parentheses instructs AionDS to advise juniors and seniors to
take course 105 whether or not they have the prerequisite.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-13

Expressions and operators
Selection operators
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
List and set operators
3-14 Language Reference
KDL provides operators that select elements from lists or sets, fields from
records, records from files, instances from classes, and slots from instances.
The kinds of selection operators are as follows:
■ List and set operators
■ File, record, and field operators
■ Class operators
■ Instance operators
■ Slot operators
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use a list or set selection operator to refer to an element of a list or set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
list_expr(int_expr)
Syntax
list_expr is the name of a list or set.
int_expr is an integer expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The parentheses cause selection from an element of a list or set. You
must supply an integer expression representing the element to select.
■ The selection operator returns the contents of an element.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Since ASORT is an ascending sort that returns a list expression, you can use
the selection operator to identify the second element of the sorted list as
follows:
asort(cust_list)(2)

File, record, and field operators
Expressions and operators
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use Format 1 for file operators. Use Format 2 for record and field operators.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
file_nm->[.field_nm]
Format 1 syntax
file_nm is the name of a file.
field_nm is a field name.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
rec_exp.field_nm
Format 2 syntax
rec_exp is a record expression.
field_nm is a field name.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Use the file operator to refer to the current record of a file.
■ The arrow ( -> ) causes selection of the current record from a file.
■ The dot ( . ) causes selection of the field you specify from a record.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statement refers to the NAME field in the second record of a
list:
record(2).name
You can combine several selection operators in a single KDL statement. For
example, the following statement selects field CUST_NO from the current
record of a file that is identified by the file parameter CUST_FILE_PA:
cust_file_pa->.cust_no
You can refer to the entire contents of a record by specifying the file
parameter, as in the following example:
cust_file_pa->
Knowledge Definition Language 3-15

Expressions and operators
Class references
3-16 Language Reference
Consider the following nested record that is specified in the Base Type
property for CUST_ADDR_PA:
record
cust_data is cust_data_ty
addr1 is string
addr2 is string
city is string
state is string
zip is integer
end
The Type Definition property of the CUST_DATA type object contains the
following definition:
record
cust_no is integer
cust_name is string
end
You refer to fields in the nested record by specifying the name of the record
and the field name. For example, the following statement refers to the
CUST_NO field:
cust_addr_pa.cust_data.cust_no
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the class reference operator to refer to an entire class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS |
[library::]classname
classname is the name of a class.
library is the name of the included library in which the class
exists. The library name is only required when duplicate
class names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries

Expressions and operators
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Only use the CURRENTCLASS syntax within a class. You cannot use the
syntax in a pattern-matching rule.
■ You can use the classname syntax without the CLASS keyword only when
the classname is unambiguous. The following statements allow this
syntax: CREATE, DBMS, and EXISTS.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Instance references
The following statements refer to a class:
class(vehicle::truck)
class(truck)
currentclass
truck
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use an instance reference operator to refer to an instance.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
[library::]classname[(inst_id)] | pointer-> | CURRENT |
inst_nm
library is the name of the included library in which the class
exists. The library name is only required when duplicate
class names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
classname is the name of a class.
inst_id is one of the following instance identifiers:
inst_nm is the name of an instance.
->str_expr is a string expression that contains the
name of an instance.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-17

Expressions and operators
3-18 Language Reference
inst_no is a non-negative integer that identifies
an instance.
pointer is a pointer to an instance.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Only use the CURRENT syntax within an object attached to a method.
You cannot use the syntax in a pattern-matching rule.
■ Use the classname(inst_nm) syntax or inst_nm syntax to refer to static
instances. You can use the inst_nm syntax only if the instance name is
unique within the knowledge base.
■ The classname(->str_expr) syntax can be used to refer to the instance with
the name contained in str_expr. As a more efficient alternative, however,
you should consider the pointer-> syntax.
■ The classname(inst_no) format is supported in pattern-matching rules. It
allows you to write pattern-matching rules that reference multiple
instances of a single class.
■ The classname format is only supported in pattern-matching rules and in
functions attached to methods. It implies that current instance should be
used.
■ You should use CURRENT to refer to an instance within a method.
■ You can generate a pointer to an instance by preceding the inst_id with
an arrow ( -> ).
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statements refer to instances:
vehicle::truck(fordbronco)
truck(fordbronco)
fordbronco
truck(->instancename)
truck(1)
truck
truck_ptr->
current
The following statements generate pointers to instances:
->vehicle::truck(fordbronco)
->truck(fordbronco)
->truck(->instancename)

Slot references
->truck(1)
->truck
->current
Expressions and operators
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use a slot reference operator to refer to a slot.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
[inst_ref].slot_nm
Syntax
inst_ref is an instance reference. See Remarks for more
information.
slot_nm is the name of a slot.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
An inst_ref is one of the following references:
[library::]classname[(inst_id)] | pointer-> | CURRENT |
inst_nm
library is the name of the included library in which the class
exists. The library name is only required when duplicate
class names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
classname is the name of a class.
inst_id is one of the following instance identifiers:
inst_nm is the name of an instance.
->str_expr is a string expression that contains the
name of an instance.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-19

Expressions and operators
3-20 Language Reference
inst_no is a non-negative integer that identifies
an instance.
pointer is a pointer to an instance.
■ You can only use slot_nm without inst_ref if there is an implied instance
reference. Implied instance references exist when an instance is used in a
method, in a CREATE, EXISTS, SELECTONE, or SELECTALL statement, or
in a pattern-matching rule.
For more information: See the remarks for the “Instance references”
section on page 3-17.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statements refer to slots:
vehicle::truck(fordbronco).cost
truck(fordbronco).cost
truck_ptr->.cost
cost

Premise evaluation
Expressions and operators
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
A premise must be a Boolean expression. As soon as the premise is known to
be either true or false, evaluation stops.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Order of evaluation
The following list summarizes the order in which AionDS evaluates a
premise.
1 AionDS evaluates selection operators.
2 AionDS evaluates the contents of parentheses, working from the
innermost set of parentheses to the outermost set.
3 AionDS evaluates logical operators in the following order:
■ NOT
■ AND
■ OR or XOR
4 AionDS evaluates arithmetic operators in the following order:
■ Exponent
■ Multiplication or division
■ Addition or subtraction
5 AionDS evaluates from left to right.
If you use compound conditions or arithmetic operators in a premise, you
should use parentheses to avoid logic errors and to make the logic clear to
others who might need to modify the statements later.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-21

Flow control
Flow control
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
3-22 Language Reference
AionDS provides all of the constructs found in modern programming
languages for controlling the execution flow during a consultation. Since the
inference engine implicitly provides control as part of its processing, you use
flow control statements primarily for two purposes, as follows:
■ To specify knowledge base execution at a high-level. You accomplish this
task by specifying actions and control mechanisms in the Agenda
properties of states.
■ To specify detailed actions that you want to occur during processing.
Usually, you implement this kind of processing in functions. These
functions are invoked by your higher-level specifications in the agenda or
by message passing.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
List of control
statements
The constructs are as follows:
■ IF-THEN-ELSE statements for conditional execution, including ELSEIF
clauses
■ FOR and LOOP statements, which provide iteration, including Do While
and Repeat Until constructs
■ BREAK, BREAKIF, and RETURN statements for loop termination and
branching.
For more information: See Chapter 4, “KDL Statement Syntax” for
examples of the use of each kind of statement.

Inference rules
Inference rules
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
This section introduces the basics of specifying inference rule syntax.
For more information: See the AionDS General Reference manual for an
explanation of how inference rules interact and are executed by the inference
engine.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Pattern-matching
rules
Inference rules are rules that operate on instances. They are also called
pattern-matching rules because one rule can apply to many instances that
share the same characteristics, or pattern. The following example shows a
very simple pattern-matching rule:
ifmatch
credit with not_processed
then
new_limit = old_limit + 1000
not_processed = false
end
When the rule executes, it operates on instances of the CREDIT class that
share the pattern NOT_PROCESSED = TRUE. Three slots are identified in the
rule, NOT_PROCESSED, NEW_LIMIT, and OLD_LIMIT. For each instance
that meets the criteria NOT_PROCESSED = TRUE, AionDS updates the credit
limit by $1,000.00 and marks the instance as processed.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Pattern-matching on
subclasses
Beginning with AionDS Version 6.3, IFMATCH statements also operate on all
instances of subclasses that share the pattern contained in the patternmatching
portion of an IFMATCH statement. Thus, the rule in the example
above would operate on all instances of the CREDIT class and on all instances
of its subclasses that share the pattern contained in the statement.
When porting a pre-existing application to AionDS Version 6.3 or greater,
check the behavior of some of your IFMATCH statements to make sure that
they execute correctly.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-23

Inference rules
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Multiple classes and
join criteria
3-24 Language Reference
Consider a slightly more complicated rule, as follows:
ifmatch
sales with sale_date = currentdate
credit, sales with credit.cust_no = sales.cust_no
then
new_limit = new_limit - amount
end
The rule operates over two classes, CREDIT and SALES. The pattern that
must match for SALES is SALES_DATE = CURRENTDATE. Since a pattern is
not specified for CREDIT, all instances are included in the match.
From the instances that meet the criteria, the rule operates over pairs of
instances that meet the join criteria, CREDIT.CUST_NO = SALES.CUST_NO.
Each class that contains join criteria are identified explicitly, followed by the
criteria itself.
For each of the instances that meet the criteria, AionDS takes the action of
reducing NEW_LIMIT by AMOUNT. The slots NOT_PROCESSED, CUST_NO
and NEW_LIMIT are part of CREDIT instances. The slots CUST_NO,
SALES_DATE, and AMOUNT are part of SALES instances. Because CUST_NO
is the name of a slot in both classes, it is necessary to identify the classes
explicitly. You do not need to specify the class of slots with unambiguous
names.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Binding and EXISTS
clauses
Consider another rule, as follows:
ifmatch
sales with sale_date = currentdate
credit, sales with credit.cust_no = sales.cust_no
not exists (sales_hist with cust_no = credit.cust_no)
then
create (sales_hist with cust_no = credit.cust_no)
end
The match and join criteria are the same as in the previous rule. The action
of the rule creates a SALES_HIST instance and sets the CUST_NO slot equal to
the CUST_NO slot in each CREDIT instance that meets the match and join
criteria. When instances are matched and joined, a binding is created.

Inference rules
The EXISTS clause specifies that no instance of SALES_HIST can exist with a
CUST_NO equal to the CUST_NO in the CREDIT instance. The EXISTS clause
inhibits execution of bindings that pass the match and join criteria. You can
specify a class that is not part of the match or join criteria. Note that slots
within an EXISTS clause refer to the class within the clause, unless qualified by
another class name.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Binding and
ORDERBY clauses
Consider another rule, as follows:
ifmatch
sales with sale_date = currentdate
credit, sales with credit.cust_no = sales.cust_no
orderby (trunc(amount+.5))
then
new_limit = new_limit - amount
end
The match and join criteria are the same as the previous example. The
ORDERBY clause specifies the order in which the next binding is chosen for
execution. You can only use an integer expression within the orderby clause.
AionDS chooses bindings in order from lowest to highest value. In this
example, the bindings are ordered by AMOUNT, rounded up and truncated to
the integer value.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-25

Message passing
Message passing
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
3-26 Language Reference
This section shows examples of message passing. The actions of rules in the
previous section are replaced by message passing.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
SEND statement
In AionDS, you implement message passing with the SEND statement. An
object attached to the receiving method responds. Often, the object is a
function. Consider the following rule that sends a message as the action.
ifmatch
credit with not_processed
then
send (update to credit)
end
The message is UPDATE. It is sent to the current instance of CREDIT, which
is the instance with which AionDS executes the rule. In the course of the
rule execution, each instance that matches the pattern is executed.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Alternative syntax
An alternative way to specify message passing is as follows:
credit.update
The method UPDATE in class CREDIT responds to the message. It is attached
to the function UPDATE_CREDIT. The function is executed when the
message is sent. The contents of the function are as follows:
new_limit = old_limit + 1000
not_processed = false
Because the function is invoked with an instance, it is not necessary to specify
which instance. An equivalent way of writing the function is as follows:
current.new_limit = current.old_limit + 1000
current.not_processed = false

Message passing
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Specifying input
arguments
Consider another rule that invokes the PROCESS method, as follows:
ifmatch
sales with sale_date = currentdate
credit, sales with credit.cust_no = sales.cust_no
then
send (process to credit with amount)
end
An alternative way to specify message passing is as follows:
credit.process(amount)
The function attached to process is as follows:
new_limit = new_limit + input_arg1
The AMOUNT slot of the SALES instance is passed to the function as an input
argument, INPUT_ARG1.
Consider the following rule:
ifmatch
sales with sale_date = currentdate
credit, sales with credit.cust_no = sales.cust_no
not exists (sales_hist with cust_no = credit.cust_no)
then
send (make_inst to class(sales_hist) with
credit.cust_no)
end
The message MAKE_INST is passed to the SALES_HIST class, since an instance
does not yet exist. An alternative way to specify message passing is as follows:
class(sales_hist).make_inst(credit.cust_no)
The attached function contains the following statement:
create (currentclass with input_arg1)
Knowledge Definition Language 3-27

Agenda statements
Agenda statements
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
3-28 Language Reference
Agenda statements specify the goals of a consultation. Goals are objects that
you want AionDS to process during a consultation. For example, you might
want AionDS to display a message that contains a diagnosis. The following
agenda statement specifies the goal:
message (show_diagnosis)
The message is a goal of the consultation that causes the inference engine to
determine values for the slots or parameters to be displayed by
SHOW_DIAGNOSIS.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
List of agenda
statement
You can specify the following agenda statements as goals for the inference
engine:
Agenda statement Description
FUNCTION Execute a function.
GRAPH Display a graph.
GROUP Display several parameters, slots, or messages and
accept values.
MESSAGE Display a message.
PARAMETER Determine a value for a parameter.
PROCESS Execute and external program.
REPORT Create a “hardcopy” report.
RULE Execute a rule.
SLOT Determine a value for a slot.
STATE Execute the agenda of a state.

Agenda statements
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Where to use
statements
You can only use agenda statements in the following places:
■ The Agenda property of states
■ The Rule Definition property of rules
■ The Function Body property of functions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Sourcing and
processing control
You can control how AionDS attempts to process a goal in two ways:
■ You can specify the amount of work that you want AionDS to do to
determine values for parameters or slots needed by the goal. This is
called the sourcing option. It specifies the level of sourcing that AionDS
should attempt before it processes a goal.
■ You can specify what AionDS should do if it cannot determine a value
for one of the parameters or slots with the requested level of sourcing.
This is called the processing option.
The following sections discuss sourcing and processing options.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-29

Agenda statements
Sourcing options for agenda statements
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
3-30 Language Reference
A sourcing option specifies the amount of work that AionDS must do to
process a goal. Consider an example of a goal to display a message
SHOW_DIAGNOSIS. The text of the message is as follows:
The problem can be solved by %diag_pa
The parameter DIAG_PA becomes a sub-goal if AionDS needs a value for the
parameter in order to display the message.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Sourcing options
You can specify how AionDS resolves parameters that are needed in order to
process the goal. You can specify one of the following sourcing options:
.............................................................................................................................................................................
FINALVALUE
Backward chain for all unprocessed parameters. This option can cause
pending of unprocessed parameters.
.............................................................................................................................................................................
SOURCEVALUE
Backward chain for parameters that do not have a value and place on pending
list, if necessary. AionDS does not backward chain for parameters that
already have values. For example, AionDS does not backward chain for a list
or set that contains at least one value. AionDS does not backward chain for a
VALUE-CAN-CHANGE parameter that already has a value either.
For example, if DIAG_PA is a list parameter and you specify the
SOURCEVALUE option for the message DIAG_ME, AionDS does not backward
chain if DIAG_PA contains at least one element.
This is the default sourcing option.

Agenda statements
.............................................................................................................................................................................
CURRENTVALUE
Do not backward chain for parameters. For example, the message DIAG_ME
is executed immediately and displays whatever value is available for DIAG_PA.
AionDS uses the current value of parameters, even if they are UNKNOWN.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Sourcing and rule
type
If you specify a goal in a rule, the sourcing option overrides the Rule Type
property. For example, if the Rule Type property specifies PURSUEACTIONS
and the sourcing option for the goal is CURRENTVALUE, AionDS does not
backward chain to resolve parameters used by the goal. In this case, AionDS
uses UNKNOWN for unresolved parameters.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Sourcing and entry
conditions
Sourcing options have no effect on the Entry Conditions property of an
object. To specify the sourcing level in an entry condition you should use
one of the following KDL statements: FINALVALUE, BESTVALUE,
SOURCEVALUE, or CURRENTVALUE.
For more information: See Chapter 4, “KDL Statement Syntax,” for the
syntax of these statements.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-31

Agenda statements
Processing options for agenda statements
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
3-32 Language Reference
Processing options specify the action that AionDS should take when an
object cannot be sourced to the level requested in the sourcing option.
Consider a message without entry conditions. If you create a message with
the FINALVALUE sourcing option, all parameters in the message must be
sourced to their final value before AionDS displays the message. The
processing option specifies the action to take if AionDS cannot resolve a
parameter in the message.
If you create a message with the CURRENTVALUE option, however, AionDS
always processes the message "as is" using the current values of parameters.
In this case, the processing option has no effect since AionDS always
processes the object.
If the goal contains entry conditions that cannot be resolved, the processing
option determines what to do with the object. For example, the processing
options might specify that AionDS pend the object or discard it.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Processing options
You can specify the following processing options:
.............................................................................................................................................................................
COMPLETE
Do not execute the object until all parameters are resolved. If parameters
cannot be sourced to the requested level, AionDS places the object on the
pending list and attempts to process the object when it exits each state.
When AionDS exits the state in which the object is defined, AionDS drops
the object from the pending list. The object is never executed in this case.

Agenda statements
.............................................................................................................................................................................
LASTCHANCE
Do not execute the object until all parameters are sourced to the requested
level or until AionDS exits the state in which the object is defined. If
parameters cannot be resolved, AionDS places the object on the pending list
and attempts to process the object when it exits each state.
When AionDS exits the state in which the object is defined, AionDS executes
the object "as is." AionDS uses UNKNOWN for unresolved parameters,
except for partial lists, which show value(s). This strategy guarantees that
AionDS executes the object unless the entry conditions cannot be evaluated
to TRUE.
This is the default option.
.............................................................................................................................................................................
IMMEDIATE
Execute the object as soon as AionDS attempts to source all parameters.
AionDS executes the object even if parameters cannot be sourced to the
requested level.
.............................................................................................................................................................................
INSTATE
This option modifies other processing options to override the processing
action that occurs when AionDS exits the state in which the agenda
statement is specified.
For example, if you use INSTATE with LASTCHANCE, AionDS treats the state
in which the agenda statement is specified as the last chance state for the goal.
If the INSTATE option is not present, the last chance state is the one in which
the object is defined.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
For more
information
The processing option also affects entry conditions and facts. See the
“Execution conditions and facts” on page 3-34.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-33

Agenda statements
Combining sourcing and processing options
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
3-34 Language Reference
The combination of source and processing options determine how AionDS
executes a goal. All combinations might not be useful for many applications.
The following sections, however, discuss some of the most useful
combinations.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
FINALVALUE,
LASTCHANCE
This combination causes AionDS to completely source parameters. If the
goal cannot be processed by the inference engine, AionDS executes the object
“as is” when it exits the state in which the object is defined.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
FINALVALUE,
LASTCHANCE,
INSTATE
This combination causes the object to be executed in the same manner as the
default, except that AionDS executes the object when it exits the state in
which the object is added to the agenda. This combination is useful when
the object is defined in a vocabulary or in a state higher in the hierarchy than
the one in which you want the object to execute.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
FINALVALUE,
IMMEDIATE
The combination causes AionDS to use all sources to resolve parameters.
AionDS executes the object "as is" if parameters cannot be sourced as
requested. This combination is useful when you want AionDS to attempt to
resolve all parameters but you want AionDS to execute the object
immediately, whether or not the parameters can be resolved.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CURRENTVALUE,
IMMEDIATE
This combination causes AionDS to execute the object immediately using
existing values. It is equivalent to the KDL EXECUTE statement in prior
versions of AionDS. The IMMEDIATE processing attribute is only required
when the object contains entry conditions and you want to guarantee that the
message is not pended.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Execution conditions
and facts
AionDS evaluates Execution Conditions and Facts properties before
executing an object. If AionDS cannot execute these properties, it does not
process the object. In this case, the processing option is used to determine
how to handle the object.

Agenda statements
For example, consider a message that is to be executed as CURRENTVALUE,
LASTCHANCE. If the execution conditions cannot be resolved, AionDS places
the message on the pending list. The sourcing option is ignored because
AionDS does not use it to source entry conditions. The processing option is
used to determine how the object is handled if it cannot be executed. In this
example, LASTCHANCE processing specifies that the object should be pended.
If an execution condition is not present, however, the CURRENTVALUE
attribute specifies that all parameters in the message are resolved using current
values. The message is executed immediately because all parameters can be
sourced to the requested level.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-35

Agenda statements
Using agenda statements in rules and functions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
3-36 Language Reference
You can use agenda statements in rules and functions to specify goals for the
consultation outside of the Agenda property.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
For example, the following rule executes a report:
if report_requested
then
report(rep_1,finalvalue,instate)
end
When AionDS executes the rule, it executes the report REP_1 using the
FINALVALUE and INSTATE processing options.
The sourcing option of the agenda statement controls how the report
executes. In the example, the sourcing option causes AionDS to backward
chain until it can process all parameters used by the report, regardless of the
Rule Type property of the rule or the Backward Chain property of a function.
The implied LASTCHANCE option and the INSTATE option causes the report
to execute on exit from the state containing the rule if any of parameters or
slots used by REP_1 cannot be completely sourced.
Sourcing options for functions and independent states
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Invoking functions
and states
You can specify execution of functions and independent states in a rule in two
ways, as follows:
■ You can explicitly invoke the function or state with the FUNCTION and
STATE agenda statements.
■ You can implicitly invoke the function or state by specifying the name of
the function or state.
If you use the agenda statement, you can specify sourcing options. If you do
not use an agenda statement to invoke a function or state, the sourcing is
determined by the Rule Type property.

Agenda statements
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example of function
call
Consider the following rule that executes a function:
if data_needed
then
function(get_data(prob_pa,result_data),finalvalue)
end
AionDS always executes the FUNCTION statement when it executes the
actions of the rule. The FINALVALUE option causes AionDS to backward
chain to resolve the input parameter PROB_PA, if necessary.
Consider the alternative way to write the rule:
if data_needed
then
get_data(prob_pa,result_data)
end
In this format you cannot specify a sourcing option. If AionDS must resolve
the input parameter PROB_PA, AionDS uses the chaining mode and pursue
action attributes of the Rule Type property to choose the action to take.
If the rule is executed by backward chaining, or if you specify
PURSUEACTIONS, AionDS backward chains to resolve its value and proceeds
to execute the function. If the rule is executed by forward chaining and the
pursue actions attribute is DONOTPURSUE, the forward chainer leaves the
rule partially processed and does not execute the function.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example of state call
AionDS executes an independent state in a rule in the same two ways. You
can use the STATE agenda statement as follows:
if prob_pa is not unknown
then
state (communications(prob_pa,diag_pa),
currentvalue)
end
In this case, the state is always executed when AionDS executes the actions of
the rule.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-37

Agenda statements
3-38 Language Reference
Alternatively, you can execute the following statement:
if prob_pa is not unknown
then
communications(prob_pa,diag_pa)
end
In this case, several factors decide whether or not the independent state is
executed. Assume that the only input parameter is PROB_PA.
If the forward chainer executes the rule, the pursue action attribute
determines whether or not the input parameter is sourced. If the pursue
action attribute is DONOTPURSUE, the forward chainer does not consider the
rule. If the backward chainer executes the rule, the input parameter is
sourced and the state is executed.

KDL in Facts and Default properties
KDL in Facts and Default properties
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
You can use KDL to specify facts and default values for parameters and slots.
Some of the uses of KDL in facts and defaults are as follows:
■ Constrain a parameter or slot to a range of values
■ Assign a default value to a parameter or slot
■ Assign an initial value to a VALUE-CAN-CHANGE parameter or slot
■ Assign a value to a parameter that you want to use as a constant
The following sections discuss constraints and assignments.
Knowledge Definition Language 3-39

KDL in Facts and Default properties
Constraints
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Definition of
constraints
3-40 Language Reference
Consider the following Facts property of the integer AGE slot:
>0,
>=
<

KDL in Facts and Default properties
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Lists and set elements
You can constrain all elements of lists and sets with the “(*)” notation. The
following facts constrain a numeric list, a set of strings, and a field in a list of
records, respectively:
(*) > 5
(*) is from ('red', 'white', 'blue')
(*).status > 0
You cannot constrain individual elements of a list or set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Fields
You can constrain fields in records by specifying the field name and the
constraint. Consider the following Base Type property of a parameter:
record
code is integer
str1 is string
rlist is real_list
end
The following constraints can be placed in the Facts property for the
parameter:
code >=0, code 1.000
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Negative constraints
All constraints must be asserted positively. For example, you cannot specify
the following constraints:
is not from ('red','white','blue') /* invalid */
4 /* invalid */
Knowledge Definition Language 3-41

KDL in Facts and Default properties
Assignments
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Definition of
assignment
3-42 Language Reference
You can use KDL in the Facts or Default properties of a parameter or slot to
make assignments. An assignment stores a value in a parameter or slot, or
stores a value in an element of a structured parameter or slot, such as a list,
set, or record. For example, you can assign a default value that is twice the
sum of AGE and YRS_OF_SERVICE as follows:
= 2 * (age + yrs_of_service)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Assignment operators
You can use the following assignment operators interchangeably:
=
is
are
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
List elements
You can assign values to single elements of a list if you specify the element
number as follows:
(1) = 5 /* list of integers */
(element_no) is 10 /* list of integers */
(2) = cust_record /* list of records */
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Set elements
You cannot assign a value to an individual element of a set. You can only
assign values to all elements of a set since a set is not ordered.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Fields
You can assign a value to a field in a record by specifying the field name. For
example, the following fact sets STATUS to 0.
status = 0

KDL in Facts and Default properties
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Entire lists, sets, and
records
You can assign values to entire lists, sets, and records if you surround the
values with parentheses and separate each element or field with a comma.
The following fact assigns values to a list of real numbers:
is ( 3.3, 45.8, 23E-15, 50 )
You can also assign values to a list of lists, a list of sets, or a set of records by
enclosing the entire list or set within parentheses, in addition to placing
parentheses around each individual list, set, or record. You can use this
syntax only in the Facts property. The following fact assigns values to a set of
records:
are ( ('sample data 1', 10, 20, 30 ),
('sample data 2', 12, 16, 48 ),
('sample data 3', 1, 7, 49 ) )
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Assigning defaults
You cannot use this format to assign defaults. You must create a parameter
that contains the values in the Facts property and specify the parameter name
in the Defaults property of the parameter to which you want the defaults
assigned. For example, the Facts property of INFLATION_ESTIMATES are as
follows:
is ( 7.5, 4.5, 3.8 )
The Default property of the USER_BELIEF parameter contains the following
entry:
is inflation_estimates
You cannot use this format, however, to assign individual elements of a list or
set, or fields of records. The following statement is invalid:
(1) is ('red', 'white', 'blue') /* Invalid */
You can create a US_COLORS parameter containing the colors, however, and
use it in the assignment of an individual element of a set or list, or the field of
a record, as follows:
(1) is us_colors
(1).colors is us_colors
Knowledge Definition Language 3-43

KDL in Facts and Default properties
3-44 Language Reference
You can assign a structured parameter to another of the same type by
specifying the parameter name in the facts or defaults properties. The
following definitions assign a list and record, respectively:
is choice_list
= credit_record

Chapter 4
KDL Statement Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Introduction
This chapter describes the syntax for the following types of KDL:
■ Numeric operations and functions
■ Logical operators
■ String operations
■ Data and time operations
■ List and set operations
■ Certainty set operations
■ Control statements
■ Agenda statements
■ Object processing statements
■ Consultation monitor operations
■ AES statements
■ Input and output statements
This chapter lists the statements alphabetically, not by category.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
In this chapter
Topic Page
KDL statement syntax 4-9
& (Concatenate) 4-16
* (Multiply) 4-17
** (Exponent) 4-18
continued
KDL Statement Syntax 4-1

KDL statement syntax
4-2 Language Reference
continued
Topic Page
+ (Add) 4-19
- (Subtract) 4-20
/ (Divide) 4-21
/* */ (Comment) 4-22
ABS 4-23
Add 4-24
AES 4-25
AES Abort 4-26
AES Break 4-27
AES Chain 4-28
AES Error 4-30
AES Exitcode 4-31
AES Profile 4-32
AES Title 4-33
AES Tracelevel 4-34
AES Writelog 4-36
AES Writetrace 4-37
AES_CF 4-38
And 4-39
Append 4-41
ArcTan 4-42
Ask 4-43
ASort 4-47
BestValue 4-50
continued

KDL statement syntax
continued
Topic Page
Bin 4-51
Break 4-52
BreakIf 4-53
ByName 4-54
Certainty 4-56
CF 4-57
Clear 4-58
CM 4-60
CM Add 4-65
CM Beep 4-68
CM Delete 4-69
CM Error 4-71
CM GetCoordinates 4-73
CM GetCursor 4-74
CM GetDimensions 4-75
CM GetInfo 4-76
CM GetObjectInfo 4-78
CM GetOutlineColor 4-79
CM GetPosition 4-81
CM GetStatus 4-82
CM GetText 4-84
CM GetTextColor 4-85
CM GetTitleColor 4-87
CM GetTitlePosition 4-89
continued
KDL Statement Syntax 4-3

KDL statement syntax
4-4 Language Reference
continued
Topic Page
CM GetWindow 4-90
CM GetWindowList 4-93
CM GetWord 4-94
CM PopUp 4-95
CM SetCursor 4-97
CM SetDimensions 4-98
CM SetOutlineColor 4-99
CM SetPosition 4-101
CM SetTextColor 4-102
CM SetTitleColor 4-104
CM SetTitlePosition 4-106
CM System 4-107
COS 4-111
Create 4-112
CSort 4-115
CurrentDate 4-116
CurrentTime 4-117
CurrentValue 4-118
Date 4-119
Date (Integer) 4-120
Date (Months) 4-121
Date (Record) 4-122
Date (String) 4-123
Date (Weekday) 4-124
continued

KDL statement syntax
continued
Topic Page
Date (Yearday) 4-125
Date (Years) 4-126
DBMS 4-127
Delete (from list or set) 4-131
Delete (instance) 4-133
Difference 4-135
DIV 4-136
DSort 4-137
Exists 4-140
ExitState 4-142
EXP 4-144
FinalValue 4-145
First 4-146
For (class iteration) 4-147
For (direct iteration) 4-149
For (explicit iteration) 4-151
For (implicit iteration) 4-153
ForwardChain 4-155
Function 4-157
Graph 4-159
Group 4-161
HEX 4-163
If 4-164
Ifmatch 4-168
continued
KDL Statement Syntax 4-5

KDL statement syntax
4-6 Language Reference
continued
Topic Page
Includes 4-174
Index 4-175
Intersection 4-176
Last 4-177
Length 4-178
LN 4-179
Loop 4-180
Max 4-181
Message 4-182
Min 4-183
MOD 4-184
NameOf 4-185
Not 4-187
Num 4-188
Or 4-189
Parameter 4-191
Process 4-193
ReadStr 4-194
Report 4-199
Return 4-200
Round 4-202
Rule 4-203
SelectAll 4-204
continued

KDL statement syntax
continued
Topic Page
SelectOne 4-205
Send (to class) 4-207
Send (to instance) 4-209
Send Up 4-212
Set 4-214
SIN 4-215
Size 4-216
Slot 4-217
SourceValue 4-219
SQR 4-220
SQRT 4-221
State 4-222
Str (from Booleans) 4-224
Str (from dates and times) 4-226
Str (from integers) 4-229
Str (from real numbers) 4-231
Str (with strings) 4-234
Substring 4-236
Time 4-237
Trunc 4-238
Union 4-239
Unknown 4-240
With 4-242
WriteStr 4-243
continued
KDL Statement Syntax 4-7

KDL statement syntax
4-8 Language Reference
continued
Topic Page
XOR 4-246
KDL syntax summary by data type 4-247
Summary of additional KDL statement syntax 4-257

KDL statement syntax
KDL statement syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
This chapter describes the syntax and use of the following KDL statements:
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Numeric operations
and functions
ABS Absolute value
AND Bitwise AND comparison
ARCTAN Arctangent
COS Cosine
DIV Integer Division
EXP Exponent of Log e
LN Logarithm
MAX Maximum value
MIN Minimum value
MOD Modulus
NOT Negation
OR Bitwise OR comparison
ROUND Rounding
SIN Sine
SQR Square
SQRT Square root
STR Convert a time or date into a string
TRUNC Truncate
XOR Bitwise EXCLUSIVE OR comparison
+ Addition
- Subtraction
* Multiplication
KDL Statement Syntax 4-9

KDL statement syntax
4-10 Language Reference
/ Division
** Exponent
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Logical operators
AND All conditions are true
NOT Negation
OR Any condition is true
XOR All conditions are either not true or not false
For more information: See Chapter 3, “Knowledge Definition Language.”
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
String operations
& Concatenate strings
BIN Convert string of binary digits to an integer
DATE Convert a date string into an internal date
HEX Convert string of hexadecimal digits to an integer
INDEX Find start of substring in a string
LENGTH Find the size of a string
NUM Convert a string of decimal digits into a number
STR Convert a number into a string
SUBSTRING Extract a substring from a string
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Date and time
operations
CURRENTDATE Return the current date as a number
CURRENTTIME Return the current time as a number
DATE Convert or calculate dates
TIME Convert a time into a number
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
List and set
operations
ADD Add an element
APPEND Add a list
ASORT Ascending sort

DELETE Delete an element from a list or set
DIFFERENCE Find the elements that are not in all sets
DSORT Descending sort
FIRST Select elements from the beginning of a list
INCLUDES Test for the presence of an element
INDEX Find the position of an element
INTERSECTION Find the common elements of sets
LAST Select elements from the end of a list
KDL statement syntax
SIZE Determine the number of elements in a list or set
UNION Find all elements of sets
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Certainty set
operations
CERTAINTY Return the certainty factor
CF Convert a numeric expression into a certainty factor
CSORT Descending sort by certainty factors
WITH Specify or change a certainty factor
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Control statements
AES Execute an AionDS internal function
ASK Force user sourcing
BESTVALUE Cause AionDS to completely source parameters
BREAK Terminate a loop
BREAKIF Conditionally terminate a loop
CLEAR Clear the value or constraint of a VALUE-CAN-CHANGE
parameter
CURRENTVALUE Use the current value for a parameter
EXITSTATE Abort processing of a state
FINALVALUE Use the final value of a parameter
FOR Iterate over a set, list, or KDL statements
FORWARDCHAIN Cause AionDS to execute the rules in the rule queue
KDL Statement Syntax 4-11

KDL statement syntax
4-12 Language Reference
IF Conditional execution
LOOP Iterative execution
RETURN Terminate a rule or a function
SOURCEVALUE Backward chain for unresolved parameters
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Agenda statements
FUNCTION Specify a function object as a goal
GRAPH Specify a graph object as a goal
GROUP Specify a group object as a goal
MESSAGE Specify a message object as a goal
PARAMETER Specify a parameter object as a goal
PROCESS Specify a process object as a goal
REPORT Specify a report object as a goal
RULE Specify a rule object as a goal
SLOT Specify a slot object as a goal
STATE Specify a state object as a goal
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Object processing
statements
ASORT Sort instances in ascending order
CREATE Create a dynamic instance
DELETE Remove a dynamic instance
DSORT Sort instances in descending order
EXISTS Determine whether an instance exists
IFMATCH Specify a pattern-matching rule
NAMEOF Determine the name of an instance
SELECTALL Retrieve pointers to instances
SELECTONE Retrieve a pointer to an instance
SEND Send a message that invokes a method

KDL statement syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Consultation
monitor statements
CM ADD Add windows of an object to the current screen
CM BEEP Cause the terminal to beep
CM DELETE Remove windows of an object from the current
screen
CM ERROR Display an error message for a window
CM GETCOORDINATES Retrieve the screen coordinates of the cursor
CM GETCURSOR Retrieve the current cursor position
CM GETDIMENSIONS Retrieve the height and width of a window
CM GETINFO Retrieve status information for a window
CM GETOBJECTINFO Retrieve information about the object associated
with a specified window
CM GETOUTLINECOLOR Retrieve the color of the outline of a window
CM GETPOSITION Retrieve the location of a window on the screen
CM GETSTATUS Retrieve status information for an Answer window
CM GETTEXT Retrieve the text for a window
CM GETTEXTCOLOR Retrieve the color of the text of a window
CM GETTITLECOLOR Retrieve the color of the title of a window
CM GETTITLEPOSITION Retrieve the location of the title of a window on
the screen
CM GETWINDOW Retrieve a handle for a window
CM GETWINDOWLIST Retrieve a list of all currently active windows
CM GETWORD Retrieve the word that the cursor is on
CM POPUP Pop up the windows for an object on the current
screen
CM SETCURSOR Move the cursor to a window
CM SETDIMENSIONS Set the height and width of a window
CM SETOUTLINECOLOR Set the color of the outline of a window
CM SETPOSITION Set the location of a window on the screen
KDL Statement Syntax 4-13

KDL statement syntax
4-14 Language Reference
CM SETTEXTCOLOR Set the color of the text of a window
CM SETTITLECOLOR Set the color of the title of a window
CM SETTITLEPOSITION Set the location of the title of a window on the
screen
CM SYSTEM Execute a system-defined function
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
AES statements
AES ABORT Terminate the consultation without user prompting
AES BREAK Suspend execution of the consultation and invoke the
Debug monitor
AES CHAIN Change the value of AES_CHAIN
AES ERROR Display an error message and abort the consultation
AES EXITCODE Set the return code to the operating system
AES PROFILE Change the value of a profile option
AES TITLE Change the title line of the Consultation monitor
AES TRACELEVEL Change the value of the trace level
AES WRITELOG Modify the return code and write a message to the log
file
AES WRITETRACE Write a string to the trace file
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Input and output
statements
The syntax of I/O statements are specific to the access method that you use.
See the AionDS I/O Reference manual for information about access methods
and the syntax of I/O statements.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Other statements
BYNAME Assign fields or slots by name
DBMS Force an I/O operation for an access method of a class
READSTR Copy the contents of a variant record into fields,
parameters, or slots
SET Change a property of an object
UNKNOWN Test whether a parameter has a known value

KDL statement syntax
WRITESTR Copy the contents of fields, parameters, or slots into a
file parameter
/* */ Comment
The operations are described in alphabetical order in the sections that follow.
For more information: See Chapter 3, “Knowledge Definition Language,”
for information on expressions, comparisons, and the use of some of these
statements.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-15

& (Concatenate)
& (Concatenate)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-16 Language Reference
Use the concatenation symbol (&) to append a string to another string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
strexpr & strexpr [ & strexpr ... ]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
strexpr
is a string expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
If one of the string expressions is unknown, the result will also be unknown.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param1 & param2 & '.dat'
Example

* (Multiply)
* (Multiply)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the multiplication operator (*) to multiply two numeric expressions.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
numexpr * numexpr
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
numexpr
is a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
real_pa = int_pa * 10.
Example
KDL Statement Syntax 4-17

** (Exponent)
** (Exponent)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-18 Language Reference
Use the exponentiation operator (*) to raise a numeric expression to a power.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
numexpr ** exponent
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
numexpr
is a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
exponent
is a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
If the result is outside of the range between -2,147,483,648 and
2,147,483,647, either numexpr or exponent must be a real number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
real_pa = int_pa ** 10.1
Example

+ (Add)
+ (Add)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the addition operator (+) to add two numeric expressions.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
numexpr + numexpr
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
numexpr
is a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
real_pa = int_pa + 10.
Example
KDL Statement Syntax 4-19

- (Subtract)
- (Subtract)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-20 Language Reference
Use the subtraction operator (-) to subtract a numeric expression from
another one.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
numexpr - numexpr
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
numexpr
is a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
real_pa = int_pa - 10.
Example

(Divide)
/ (Divide)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the operator (/) to divide a numeric expression by another one.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
numexpr / numexpr
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
numexpr
is a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
real_pa = int_pa / 10.
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
DIV, MOD
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-21

* */ (Comment)
/* */ (Comment)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-22 Language Reference
Use /* and */ to delimit comments in KDL.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
/* comment */
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
comment
is a string constant.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Comments can start on one line and end on another. AionDS ignores
everything between the start and end of a comment.
■ Comments cannot be nested.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
In the following example, ELSEIF clauses are not executed because they are
within the comment:
if option =1 then cost = 5000
/* elseif option =2 then cost = 7000
elseif option =3 then cost = 10000 */ /* TEST */
else
cost =0
error =TRUE
end
The constant string TEST is within a separate comment.
The following statement is invalid because the comments are nested:
/* Invalid comment follows: */
/* if a = b then
/* tricky action */
b = a */
then
...
end

ABS
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use ABS to return the absolute value of a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ABS (nexpr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr
is a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
abs (sales_costs)
Examples
variance > abs (allow_dev)
ABS
KDL Statement Syntax 4-23

Add
Add
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-24 Language Reference
Use ADD to add an element to a list, set, or certainty set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ADD item TO [library::]param [WITH CF(cf_val)]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
item
is an element of a set or list.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter or slot exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate parameter or slot names exist in
any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
is a list, set, certainty set parameter, slot, function argument, or local variable.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
cf_val
is a number representing a certainty factor for a certainty set item.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Use the WITH clause only with a certainty set. It assigns a certainty value
for an item.
■ If you do not specify cf_val with a certainty set element, AionDS uses a
default of 1.00.
■ You must use CF to convert cf_val into a certainty factor.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
add acct_no to acct_list
Examples
add 10.00 to prices_paid
add 'flu' to possible_cause with cf(0.6)

AES
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
Use the AES statement to execute an internal AionDS function. The
functions are as follows:
ABORT Causes immediate termination of the consultation
without user prompting.
BREAK Suspends execution of the consultation and places
you in the debug monitor.
CHAIN Changes the value of AES_CHAIN.
ERROR Displays an error message and aborts the
consultation.
EXITCODE Sets the return code to the operating system.
PROFILE Changes the value of a profile option.
TITLE Changes the title line of the consultation monitor.
TRACELEVEL Changes the value of the trace level.
AES
WRITELOG Modifies the return code and writes a message to the
log file.
WRITETRACE Writes a string to the trace file.
See the following sections for specific syntax and other information.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-25

AES Abort
AES Abort
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-26 Language Reference
Use AES ABORT to terminate the consultation without user prompting.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
AES (ABORT [, bool_expr])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bool_expr
is a Boolean expression that causes execution of the statement when the
expression is true.

AES Break
AES Break
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use AES BREAK to suspend the consultation for debugging.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
AES (BREAK [, bool_expr])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bool_expr
is a Boolean expression that causes execution of the statement when the
expression is true.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The debugger must be active. You can do this by setting the DEBUG-
MODE profile option to ON or by enabling the debugger on the Run
Settings dialog in graphical AionDS.
■ You are placed in the debugger.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-27

AES Chain
AES Chain
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-28 Language Reference
Use AES CHAIN to start execution of a knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
AES (CHAIN, chain_var [, bool_expr])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
chain_var
is a parameter or string that identifies the knowledge base to which you want
to chain.
The syntax for chain_var is as follows:
kb_name [version.level [mvs_hlq] [file_name]]
kb_name is the name of an existing knowledge base.
version is the version number of the knowledge base.
level is the level within the version.
mvs_hlq is a high-level qualifier in MVS.
file_name is the name of the file containing the answers to the
consultation.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bool_expr
is a Boolean expression that causes execution of the statement when the
expression is true.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ AES CHAIN allows a knowledge base to load a knowledge base over itself
and start it executing. This is useful in situations where the knowledge
bases operate in a serial fashion, and you want to reduce memory use.
You can also use AES CHAIN to load the same knowledge base over itself
to create a looping knowledge base.
■ You cannot pass data from the first knowledge base to the second or
chained knowledge base. Instead you can write the data from the first

knowledge base to an external file or database; then the second
knowledge base can read the data from the external file or database.
■ You cannot chain between HPO knowledge bases and non-HPO
knowledge bases.
AES Chain
■ All HPO knowledge base load modules on the mainframe should be in
the same load library, as specified in the STEPLIB of the JCL or
LINKLIB of the CLIST for AionDS/MVS, or in the STEPLIB of the
MAES JCL for AionDS/CICS or AionDS/IMS.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
aes (chain, 'd:\acct 1.20')
Example
KDL Statement Syntax 4-29

AES Error
AES Error
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-30 Language Reference
Use AES ERROR to terminate a consultation and to display an error message.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
AES (ERROR, error_no [, bool_expr])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
error_no
is an integer expression that evaluates to the error number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bool_expr
is a Boolean expression that causes execution of the statement when the
expression is true.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
Use error numbers from 10,000 to 10,099, inclusive. Other error numbers
are reserved for use by AionDS.

AES Exitcode
AES Exitcode
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use AES EXITCODE to set the exit code that AionDS returns to the operating
system.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
AES (EXITCODE, exitcode [, bool_expr])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
exitcode
is an integer expression that evaluates to the exit code.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bool_expr
is a Boolean expression that causes execution of the statement when the
expression is true.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Use exitcode numbers from 0 to 32,767, inclusive. Other numbers are
reserved for use by AionDS.
■ The value specified by exitcode when AES EXITCODE was executed last is
the value that is returned to the operating system, unless a fatal abend
occurs. In the case of a fatal abend, a value of 16 is returned to the
operating system regardless of the value of exitcode when AES EXITCODE
was executed last.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-31

AES Profile
AES Profile
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-32 Language Reference
Use AES PROFILE to change the value of a profile option.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
AES (PROFILE, option, value [, bool_expr])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
option
is a string that specifies the profile option to change.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
value
is a string that specifies the new value of the profile option.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bool_expr
is a Boolean expression that causes the statement to execute when the
expression is TRUE.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ See the AionDS User’s Guide or User’s Guide (Character-Based) for a list
of profile options.
■ The following profile options cannot be modified using the AES PROFILE
command:
510-COMPATIBILITY SCREEN-INFO
DEBUG-MODE TRACE-FILE
LOG-FILE TRACE-LEVEL
MOUSE-SUPPORT USER-INTERFACE
■ Use the AES TRACELEVEL command to change the TRACE-LEVEL profile
option.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following AES PROFILE statement causes the inference engine to use
0.001 as the tolerance for comparing real numbers:
aes (profile, 'comparison-tolerance', '0.001')

AES Title
AES Title
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use AES TITLE to change the title line of the Consultation monitor.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
AES (TITLE, title [, bool_expr])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
title
is a string or parameter that contains the new title.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bool_expr
is a Boolean expression that causes execution of the statement when the
expression is true.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
■ AES TITLE is only valid for character-based knowledge bases.
Remarks
■ You can create a title parameter to contain the new title. The default
title, which is called AES_TITLE, is 80 characters long and contains the
current date beginning in column 53, the current time beginning in
column 63, and the version number beginning in column 73.
■ If title is less than 80 characters, the part of the AES_TITLE that is not
overwritten still displays. This is useful, for example, if you want to
display the current date or time. In this case, make title less than 53
characters.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
aes (title, new_title)
Example
KDL Statement Syntax 4-33

AES Tracelevel
AES Tracelevel
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-34 Language Reference
Use AES TRACELEVEL to change the trace level.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
AES (TRACELEVEL [, trace_lev [, bool_expr]])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
trace_lev
is an integer expression specifying the new trace level.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bool_expr
is a Boolean expression that causes execution of the statement when the
expression is true.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The trace level must be between zero and four inclusive in AionDS/PC
and AionDS/2, and between zero and three inclusive in AionDS/MVS.
■ To turn the trace off an on with AES TRACELEVEL, you must set the
trace-level profile option to 2 or higher before starting the consultation.
■ The trace level controls the availability of trace output and other features,
as follows:
Trace level Description
0 No trace output. Explanation facility is not available.
1 No trace output. Explanation facility is available.
2 Trace output and Explanation facility are available.
3 Same as trace level 2.
4 Trace displayed on screen during a consultation.
Explanation facility is available.
Exception: The Explanation facility is not available for graphical
knowledge bases.

AES Tracelevel
■ If you do not specify trace_lev, AionDS resets the trace level to the level
specified by the TRACE-LEVEL profile option.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
aes (tracelevel, 4, test_it)
Example
KDL Statement Syntax 4-35

AES Writelog
AES Writelog
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-36 Language Reference
Use AES WRITELOG to modify the return code and to write a string to the log
file.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
AES (WRITELOG, ret_code, output_str [, bool_expr])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ret_code
can be any integer value. For example, you can set ret_code to one of the
following return codes:
0 Okay
4 Warning
8 Consultation error
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
output_str
is a string or parameter that AionDS places in the log file.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bool_expr
is a Boolean expression that causes execution of the statement when the
expression is true.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The ret_code is available to the operating system.
■ You cannot set ret_code to a lower value than the value set by AionDS.
■ AES WRITELOG is provided for compatibility with earlier versions of
AionDS. To set the return code, you should use AES EXITCODE instead.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
aes (writelog, 16, io_err_msg)
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
AES EXITCODE
See also

AES Writetrace
AES Writetrace
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use AES WRITETRACE to write a string to the trace file.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
AES (WRITETRACE, trace_str [, bool_expr])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
trace_str
is the string or parameter that AionDS writes to the trace file.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bool_expr
is a Boolean expression that causes execution of the statement when the
expression is true.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
The trace level must be greater than one.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
aes (writetrace, trace_param, test_it)
Example
KDL Statement Syntax 4-37

AES_CF
AES_CF
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-38 Language Reference
Use AES_CF to carry the certainty of the premise over to actions of the rule.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CF([cert_no * ] AES_CF)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
cert_no
is the certainty value
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
if input includes 'red'
then
add 'usa' to possible_flags with cf(.7 * aes_cf)
end

And
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use AND to return the logical or bitwise AND of two expressions.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr1 AND expr2
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr1
is an integer or Boolean expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr2
is an integer or Boolean expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Both expressions must be the same type.
■ If expr1 is a Boolean that evaluates to false, expr2 is not evaluated.
■ If the expressions are integers, AionDS makes a bitwise comparison to
test each bit in expr1 against the corresponding bit in expr2.
■ The expressions cannot be greater than 2,147,483,647.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Consider the following premise of a rule:
if not disabled and (age

And
4-40 Language Reference
The integer parameters INT_128 and INT_1023 contain the values 128 and
1,023 respectively. When the statement executes, RESULT contains 128. You
should consider the operation in binary notation, as follows:
int_128: 0000000010000000
int_1023: 0000001111111111
result: 0000000010000000
The RESULT parameter contains the AND of the bits.
Consider the following statement:
if hex('0001') and flag = 1 then ...
The statement tests the FLAG parameter to hexadecimal 1. If only the loworder
bit of FLAG is set, the condition is true.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
BIN, HEX, NOT, OR, XOR
See also

Append
Append
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use APPEND to create a new list from one or more lists.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
APPEND (lexpr [, lexpr ...])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
lexpr
is a list expression containing a list to append.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
Lists are appended in the order specified, from left to right.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
original = append (asort(original), new_items1,
new_items2)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
INTERSECTION, UNION
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-41

ArcTan
ArcTan
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-42 Language Reference
Use ARCTAN to return a real result for the arctangent of a numeric
expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ARCTAN (nexpr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr
is a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement returns a value between 0 and 2pi, inclusive.
■ nexpr must result in a number between -1 and 1, inclusive.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
arc75 = arctan(.75)
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
COS, SIN
See also

Ask
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use ASK to force AionDS to ask the user for the value of a parameter, slot,
instance, or class of instances.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
ASK ([library::]param | inst_ref | [inst_ref.]slot |
CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS [,s_option])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter or class exists.
The library name is only required when duplicate parameter or class names
exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
is the name of a parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classname
is the name of a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
inst_ref
is an instance reference. An inst_ref is one of the following references:
[library::]classname [(inst_id)] | pointer-> | CURRENT |
inst_nm
An instance reference can have one of the following forms:
classname(inst_nm) where inst_nm is the name of an instance.
classname(->str_expr) where str_expr is a string expression
that contains the name of an instance.
classname(inst_no) where inst_no is a non-negative integer that
identifies an instance.
Ask
KDL Statement Syntax 4-43

Ask
4-44 Language Reference
classname(pointer->) where pointer is a pointer to an instance.
classname(CURRENT) where CURRENT represents the current
instance.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
slot
is the name of a slot.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
s_option
is one of the following sourcing options:
FINALVALUE Backward chain for parameters.
SOURCEVALUE Backward chain for parameters without values.
CURRENTVALUE Do not backward chain.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ This statement is useful for asking the value of a VALUE-CAN-CHANGE
object more than once without requiring the use of iterating states.
■ Except when ASK is executed on a class, AionDS only executes the
statement if a slot, slots in an instance or class, or a parameter has
TRUE/ASK specified in its Value Can Change property or if the object has
no value.
■ When ASK is executed on a class that has no instances, the user can enter
additional values for any slot to create new instances. When the class
contains instances, the user can enter values for those slots whose Value
Can Change property is TRUE/ASK.
■ When ASK is executed on a class, you can assign an application key to a
special DELETE command. This will let the user delete the instance that
the cursor is on by pressing the key. For example, enter F3=DELETE in
the Application Keys property of the class display object to let users delete
instances with the F3 key.
■ When ASK is executed on an instance, only slots with displays are
displayed. If none of the slots have a display, nothing is displayed.
■ The ASK statement does not replace user sourcing. If the parameter
becomes a goal, AionDS might ask the user for a value even if a value was
assigned already during execution of ASK.
■ The param cannot be part of a structured parameter. For example,
param cannot be a field in a record or an element of a list or set.

Ask
■ The s_option specifies how AionDS backward chains to resolve properties,
such as the Prompt, Display, Explain properties, and the _LEN parameter
associated with the parameter.
■ AionDS does not ask the user to supply a value if the object is already
processed.
■ AionDS uses the contents of the Facts property only once. The ASK
statement does not reuse facts, unless the facts are reset using the CLEAR
statement.
■ If the contents of the Facts property cannot be executed to completion,
AionDS executes the ASK statement anyway.
■ Only use the ASK statement when you cannot control sourcing using the
inference-based techniques provided in AionDS. Indiscriminate use of
this statement reduces the effectiveness of inference-based processing.
For more information: See Chapter 3 for more information about
instance references and sourcing options.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
In the following example, RAWDATE_PA is a VALUE-CAN-CHANGE parameter
equal to TRUE/ASK. The loop forces the user to enter a date less than 30 days
in the future.
loop
ask(rawdate_pa)
/* fix funny date format */
function fix_date(rawdate_pa,pretty_date)
breakif (pretty_date - currentdate) < 30
end
The following examples show the ASK statement for classes:
ask(class(truck))
ask(currentclass)
The following examples show the ASK statement for instances:
ask(class(truck(bronco))
ask(truck(bronco))
ask(truck_ptr->)
ask(current)
KDL Statement Syntax 4-45

Ask
4-46 Language Reference
The following examples show the ASK statement for slots:
ask(driver)
ask(class(truck(bronco).driver)
ask(truck(bronco).driver)
ask(truck_ptr->.driver)
ask(current.driver)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CLEAR
See also

ASort
ASort
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use ASORT to sort a list or set in ascending order, to sort the instances in a
class by ascending order by slot value, to sort a list of pointers to instances in
ascending order by slot value, or to sort a list or set of records in ascending
order by field sequence.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
ASORT (lexpr | CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS
[ON prop [, prop ... ]])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
lexpr
is a list, set, or a list or set expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate class names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classname
is the name of a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
prop
is a field in a record or a slot in a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You must specify a record field name as a prop when you sort a list or set
of records.
■ You must specify a slot name as a prop when you sort a class.
■ ASORT returns a list or set with the same base type as the lexpr base type.
■ You can use ASORT as a procedure. If you do not specify a return
parameter, AionDS sorts the data in place and the source object contains
the sorted data.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-47

ASort
4-48 Language Reference
■ AionDS does not backward chain for values of arguments when ASORT
is used as a procedure.
■ If you sort a class, you should use ASORT as a procedure. It sorts the class
in place. If you use a return parameter, the parameter must be a list of
records in which the structure of the records are equivalent to the
structure of the instances.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statement sorts the TEST_SCORES integer list and returns the
sorted data to the SORTED_SCORES integer list:
sorted_scores = asort (test_scores)
The following statement sorts a set expression:
sorted_union = asort (union(group_1, group_2))
The following statement sorts a list of records on the LAST_NAME field:
emp_list = asort (personnel on last_name)
The following statement sorts a list of records on two fields:
asc_trans = asort (trans on tr_year, tr_month)
The TRANS list is sorted by TR_YEAR and TR_MONTH within TR_YEAR.
The following statement sorts instances of the current class on SLOT1:
asort(currentclass on slot1)
The following statement sorts instances of class TRUCK by MAKE and by
MODEL within MAKE:
asort(class(truck) on make, model)

ASort
The following statement sorts pointers to instances of class TRUCK where the
COLOR slot contains red:
ptr_list
= asort(selectall(class(truck) where color = 'red')
on name)
The PTR_LIST parameter is a list of pointers to instances in class TRUCK. The
list is ordered by the slot NAME.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CSORT, DSORT
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-49

BestValue
BestValue
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-50 Language Reference
Use BESTVALUE to cause AionDS to completely source parameters.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
BESTVALUE (expr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr
is an expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ AionDS backward chains on all unprocessed parameters in expr,
including VALUE-CAN-CHANGE parameters that have a value.
■ AionDS only uses sources that are in scope to determine the value. If a
parameter does not become processed because some sources are out of
scope, AionDS uses the value determined by the in scope sources or
UNKNOWN.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CURRENTVALUE, FINALVALUE, SOURCEVALUE
See also

Bin
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use BIN to convert a string containing binary digits into an integer value.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
BIN (bin_str)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bin_str
is a string expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The string can only contain the characters 0 (zero) or 1.
■ bin_str cannot exceed 32 characters, or the representation of 4 bytes.
■ You can use STR to reverse the effect of BIN.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
int_val = bin('00010111')
Example
Bin
KDL Statement Syntax 4-51

Break
Break
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-52 Language Reference
Use BREAK to immediately terminate execution of a LOOP or FOR statement.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
BREAK
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
After a BREAK statement executes, execution continues immediately after the
END statement that terminates the LOOP or FOR statement.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following example:
for listx
if listx(i).key = key_num
then
goal = listx(i).name
break
end
message(goal_found,immediate,currentvalue)
end
The BREAK statement causes unconditional termination of the FOR loop as
soon as GOAL receives a value. The GOAL_FOUND message is not executed.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
BREAKIF, RETURN
See also

BreakIf
BreakIf
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use BREAKIF to conditionally terminate execution of a FOR or LOOP
statement.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
BREAKIF bool_expr
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bool_expr
is a Boolean expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
Use BREAKIF to terminate a loop when bexpr is true.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following example:
for listy
breakif i > 5
...
end
The system parameter I is the implied counter of the FOR loop. The BREAKIF
statement terminates the loop as soon as the condition (I > 5) is true.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
BYNAME , RETURN
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-53

ByName
ByName
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-54 Language Reference
Use BYNAME to assign fields of a record or slots of an instance to another
record or instance if the names of the fields or slots are the same in both
objects.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
[library::]dest = [library::]source BYNAME
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the instance exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate instance names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
dest
is a record or instance that receives the assignment.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
source
is a record or instance.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The BYNAME clause causes transfer between fields or slots only if the slot
or field names match.
■ There must be at least one field or slot name in the source record or
instance that matches a field or slot in the dest record or instance.
■ The source and dest records or instances do not have to contain the same
number of fields or slots.
■ The BYNAME clause is necessary if you cannot guarantee that the order of
slots or fields in source match the order of slots or fields in dest. The
BYNAME clause might also be necessary if you do not have the same
number of slots or fields in source and dest.

ByName
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
accounts(in_ptr->) = acct_file-> byname
Example
KDL Statement Syntax 4-55

Certainty
Certainty
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-56 Language Reference
Use CERTAINTY to return the certainty factor of a Boolean expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CERTAINTY (bexpr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bexpr
is a Boolean expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
The certainty factor is returned as a real number with a value in the range of -
1.00 to 1.00, inclusive.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
cf_val = certainty(colors(i))
Examples
certainty (colors includes 'red')

CF
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CF to convert a numeric expression into a certainty factor.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CF(nexpr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr
is a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
nexpr must resolve to a number between -1.00 and 1.00, inclusive.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
add 'flu' to possible_cause with cf(0.6)
Example
CF
KDL Statement Syntax 4-57

Clear
Clear
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-58 Language Reference
Use CLEAR to clear the value and constraint of a VALUE-CAN-CHANGE
parameter or slot and to reset the sourcing sequence.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
CLEAR ([library::]param | [inst_ref.]slot [, CONSTRAINT |
SOURCING])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate parameter names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
is the name of a parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
inst_ref
is an instance reference. An inst_ref is one of the following references:
[library::]classname [(inst_id)] | pointer-> | CURRENT |
inst_nm
An instance reference can have one of the following forms:
classname(inst_nm) where inst_nm is the name of an instance.
classname(->str_expr) where str_expr is a string expression
that contains the name of an instance.
classname(inst_no) where inst_no is a non-negative integer that
identifies an instance.
classname(pointer->) where pointer is a pointer to an instance.
classname(CURRENT) where CURRENT represents the current
instance.

Clear
For more information: See Chapter 3, “Knowledge Definition Language,”
for information about instance references.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
slot
is the name of a slot.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement marks the object as not processed so that it can be used in
another ASK statement.
■ If you use the CONSTRAINT option, constraints or assignments in the
Facts property of the param or slot or slots in the instance or class are
reset. When the object is specified as a goal or used in the ASK
statement, AionDS reexecutes the constraint or assignment in the Facts
property.
■ The SOURCING option resets all sources for the object, as well as the
object’s constraints. AionDS marks the Facts, System, User, and Default
sources as unprocessed so that they can be used again when the object is
specified as a goal or used in an ASK statement. The value of the param,
inst_ref, or slot becomes UNKNOWN.
■ If the sources for the object include rules, the SOURCING option only
resets MULTIFIRE rules.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
clear (slot1, sourcing)
Examples
clear (pa1, constraint)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ASK
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-59

CM
CM
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
4-60 Language Reference
Use CM to explicitly control Consultation Monitor actions in a characterbased
knowledge base. The CM commands are not valid for graphical
knowledge bases.
When deciding to use CM commands, you must understand how the
Consultation Monitor builds screens. Before a screen is presented to the user,
AionDS accumulates all displays associated with the structures that need to be
shown. For example, when a group is executed, the Consultation Monitor
accumulates all of the windows for each group member and assigns each
window a handle. Each handle is a unique integer value that identifies only
one window. Once all of the user-defined member displays are attached, the
system displays (AES_ConsultationMonitor and AES_Template) are added to
the screen and the screen is displayed. The cursor appears in the first active
answer window on the screen, or in a message window if no input is required.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
When commands
execute
The CM commands only execute when the Consultation Monitor is active.
The Consultation Monitor is active from the point immediately prior to the
display of a screen until one of the following actions occur:
■ The user files all Answer windows.
■ The user files or quits from a Message or Browsefile window.
When AionDS displays a screen, it is the active screen. An active screen does
not exist until AionDS determines that a parameter, slot, message, group, or
class or instance needs to be sourced or displayed.
The active screen might change while the Consultation Monitor is active.
For example, if you invoke CM POPUP to show another screen, the screen that
pops up becomes active. When you FILE or QUIT from the pop up screen,
the previous screen returns to being active. Note that the Consultation
Monitor is active during this entire sequence.

You can keep the Consultation Monitor active between displays if you want.
See the CM SETCURSOR statement later in this chapter for information on
how to keep the Consultation Monitor active between displays.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Invoking CM
functions
A Consultation Monitor function is invoked in one of the following ways:
■ By the execution of commands in a function specified by the Initial
Function property of a display object
■ By an application key that invokes a user-defined function that contains
one or more CM statements
■ By an application command that invokes a user-defined function that
contains one or more CM statements
CM
■ By an IMMEDIATE rule that executes one or more CM statements when
the user files an Answer window
Note that the application key, application command, or rule does not have to
invoke a CM statement directly. For example, a CM statement might be in an
independent state that is invoked from a function attached to an application
key.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Identifying the
window
Consultation Monitor functions allow you to manipulate the windows on the
screen. In order to manipulate a window, you must execute the function you
want and identify the window on which the function operates.
Each window is identified uniquely by an integer, called a handle. Some
functions, such as CM GETWINDOW, retrieve the handle. Once you have the
handle for a window, you can use it to specify the window in another
function. For example, the following statements get the handle for the
Answer window of parameter PA1 and place the cursor in the Answer
window:
cm (getwindow, handle, parameter(pa1), 'answer')
cm (setcursor, handle)
In the example, handle must be an integer parameter or slot, or an integer
local variable or input argument in a function.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-61

CM
4-62 Language Reference
The following sections describe CM statements for dynamic screen
management. In the description, if the argument to a Consultation Monitor
function receives a value, the function returns a value. In that case, the
argument must be a parameter, slot, or local variable or output argument in a
function. If the argument contains a value, the value is passed to the
function. In that case, the argument also can be a constant or an input
argument to a function.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
For example, you can use CM commands to verify a quit request before
allowing a user to quit out of the current screen. You can assign a function
key to a user-defined function which could be defined as follows:
Clear(quit_screen_pa)
CM(Popup,Parameter(quit_screen_pa))
If quit_screen_pa = true then
CM(System,'Quit')
End
A popular feature of computer applications is hypertext. This provides the
capability to give text-sensitive information to the user based upon the
position of the cursor. In AionDS this feature is usually implemented using
the GETWORD and POPUP options. For example, you can assign F1 to the
following function:
/* Get the word the cursor is on */
CM (GetWord,word_pa)
/* Show the appropriate help message */
If word_pa is 'Inferencing' then
CM (Popup,Message(infer_help_message))
elseif word_pa is 'CASE' then
CM (Popup,Message(CASE_help_message))
else
CM (Popup,Message(not_valid_topic_msg))
End
It is common to store the lookup topics and corresponding help information
in a class or external file.

CM commands can dynamically build and modify the screen based upon user
answers or function keys pressed. The following rule shows a simple example
of how you can modify screens at run time:
ifmatch Car with type = 'Sportscar' then
CM (Add,Slot(num_of_speeding_tix))
End
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
List of functions
The functions are as follows:
ADD Add windows of an object to the current screen.
BEEP Cause the terminal to beep.
DELETE Remove windows of an object from the current
screen.
ERROR Display an error message for a window.
GETCURSOR Retrieve the current cursor position.
GETDIMENSIONS Retrieve the height and width of a window.
GETINFO Retrieve status information for a window.
GETOBJECTINFO Retrieves information about the object associated
with a window.
GETOUTLINECOLOR Retrieve the color of the outline of a window.
GETPOSITION Retrieve the location of a window on the screen.
GETSTATUS Retrieve status information for an Answer window.
GETTEXT Retrieve the text for a window.
GETTEXTCOLOR Retrieve the color of the text of a window.
GETTITLECOLOR Retrieve the color of the title of a window.
GETTITLEPOSITION Retrieve the location of the title of a window on the
screen.
GETWINDOW Retrieve a handle for a window.
GETWINDOWLIST Retrieve a list of all windows on the current screen.
GETWORD Retrieve the word that the cursor is on.
CM
KDL Statement Syntax 4-63

CM
4-64 Language Reference
POPUP Pop up the windows for an object on the current
screen.
SETCURSOR Move the cursor to a window.
SETDIMENSIONS Set the height and width of a window.
SETOUTLINECOLOR Set the color of the outline of a window.
SETPOSITION Set the location of a window on the screen.
SETTEXTCOLOR Set the color of the text of a window.
SETTITLECOLOR Set the color of the title of a window.
SETTITLEPOSITION Set the location of the title of a window on the
screen.
SYSTEM Execute a system-defined function.

CM Add
CM Add
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CM ADD to add all windows that belong to an object to the current
screen. Use this command in a character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(ADD, type([library::]name), [append])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
type
is one of the following kinds of objects:
CLASS
DISPLAY
MESSAGE
PARAMETER
SLOT
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class, parameter, or slot
exists. The library name is only required when duplicate class, parameter, or
slot names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
You cannot specify a display or message that is in a library.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is the name of the object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
append
is a Boolean expression that specifies where to add the window in the list of
windows for the screen.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-65

CM Add
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The CM ADD operation is equivalent to adding a member to a group
object. The windows from type(name) are added to the windows from
other objects.
4-66 Language Reference
The order in which windows display is controlled by their placement in
the list. Windows from the first object’s display are shown before
windows from the next object’s display, and so on. If windows from
multiple displays share the same position, the first display which has
active windows will appear on top of the other display. An active
window is one in which the user is allowed to enter values such as an
Answer Window.
Windows from the first object are displayed before windows from the
next object, and so on. If windows share the same position, the first
window in the list displays.
■ Application keys and commands from name are added to
AES_CONSULTATIONMONITOR and AES_TEMPLATE.
■ If type is SLOT, name is any valid slot reference.
For more information: See Chapter 3, “Knowledge Definition
Language,” for more information about slot references.
■ If you add a type that specifies a link code, windows are not linked with
other windows already on the current screen, even if the new windows
have the same link code as the existing windows. However, all new
windows that have the same link code are linked together.
■ If you add a message in which the Pause property is FALSE and another
window on the screen requires user input, the message continues to
display until the screen is filed. The contents of the Pause property is
ignored.
■ If you used CM ADD to add parameter or slot windows and the user was
asked for parameter or slot values, answers are not loaded from the store
file into the parameter or slot. Turning on the Preload-answers profile
option will not force the answers to be loaded into the parameter or slot.

CM Add
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Consider the following one-line function that is attached to the F1
application key:
cm(add,message(help))
When the user presses F1, the function executes and the windows for the help
message are added to the current screen.
Consider the difference from the following function that invokes a message
directly:
message(help,currentvalue,immediate)
In the second case, the message replaces the current screen. The original
windows are not preserved.
Consider the following CM ADD statement:
cm(add,parameter(new_pa),FALSE)
If the windows of NEW_PA share screen positions with other windows, the
NEW_PA windows display on top of the other windows. If you do not specify
FALSE, the NEW_PA windows would be covered by the other windows
instead.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM DELETE
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-67

CM Beep
CM Beep
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-68 Language Reference
Use CM BEEP to cause the terminal to beep in a character-based knowledge
base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(BEEP)
Syntax

CM Delete
CM Delete
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CM DELETE to remove all windows that belong to an object from the
current screen. Use this command in a character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(DELETE, type([library::]name))
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
type
is one of the following kinds of objects:
CLASS
DISPLAY
MESSAGE
PARAMETER
SLOT
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class, parameter, or slot
exists. The library name is only required when duplicate class, parameter, or
slot names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
You cannot specify a display or message that is in a library.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is the name of the object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ AionDS takes no action if windows for name are not on the current
screen.
■ If type is SLOT, name is any valid slot reference.
For more information: See Chapter 3, “Knowledge Definition
Language,” for more information about slot references.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-69

CM Delete
4-70 Language Reference
■ To relink the windows after deleting some or all windows in a screen, you
must specify the same link code for all windows and use CM ADD to add
all windows together.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following function that is attached to the F1 application key:
cm(delete,display(help))
cm(add,display(help))
When the user presses F1, windows attached to the display object HELP are
removed from the current screen and replaced by new windows. This
technique prevents multiple copies of the windows to be on the screen at one
time if the user presses F1 more than once.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM ADD
See also

CM Error
CM Error
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CM ERROR to display an error message for a window in a character-based
knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(ERROR, handle, err_str [, beep])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
err_str
is a string that contains an error message.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
beep
is a Boolean that specifies whether to beep when AionDS displays err_str.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
■ You can use GETSTATUS to retrieve the err_str.
Remarks
■ If the cursor is not on a window when the statement executes, the cursor
is moved to the window specified by handle.
■ The err_str is displayed on the message line.
■ You should use this statement as the last CM statement before the user
returns to the screen.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following FORWARD, IMMEDIATE, MULTIFIRE rule. This rule
fires when the user changes either CODE or VAL. The CM GETCURSOR
statement determines the internal identifier for the window. CM ERROR
causes AionDS to beep because the last argument is TRUE.
ifmatch account with code = 'A' and (val < 0 or val > 10)
then
cm(getcursor, handle)
err_text is 'Code A numbers must be between 0 and 10'
cm(error,handle,err_text,true)
end
KDL Statement Syntax 4-71

CM Error
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM GETSTATUS
See also
4-72 Language Reference

CM GetCoordinates
CM GetCoordinates
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CM GETCOORDINATES to retrieve the screen coordinates of the cursor in
a character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(GETCOORDINATES, row[, col])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
row
is an integer that receives the screen row of the cursor.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
col
is an integer that receives the screen column of the cursor.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ row and col are relative to the upper left hand corner of the screen.
■ The function can be used instead of CM GETCURSOR if the cursor is not
currently in a specific window.
■ GETCOORDINATES provides an absolute measure, whereas GETCURSOR
provides different results when the user has scrolled a specific window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
To retrieve the absolute coordinates of the cursor:
cm(getcoordinates, cur_row, cur_col)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM GETCURSOR
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-73

CM GetCursor
CM GetCursor
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-74 Language Reference
Use CM GETCURSOR to retrieve the current cursor position in a characterbased
knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(GETCURSOR, handle [, row[, col]])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that receives the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
row
is an integer that receives the row number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
col
is an integer that receives the column number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ row and col are relative to the window identified by handle. If the cursor
is not in a window, the function returns values of 0 for row, col, and
handle.
■ The system function FILEWINDOW uses the current position of the cursor
to choose the window to file.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
In the following example, it is only necessary to determine the internal
identifier, WINDOW_ID:
cm(getcursor, window_id)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM SETCURSOR
See also

CM GetDimensions
CM GetDimensions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CM GETDIMENSIONS to retrieve the height and width of a window in a
character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(GETDIMENSIONS, handle, height, width)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
height
is an integer that receives the height of the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
width
is an integer that receives the width of the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statements get the dimensions for the current window:
cm(getcursor, window_id)
cm(getdimensions, window_id, height_pa, width_pa)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM SETDIMENSIONS
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-75

CM GetInfo
CM GetInfo
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-76 Language Reference
Use CM GETINFO to retrieve information about a window in a characterbased
knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(GETINFO, handle, name [, window [, part]])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is a string that receives the name of the display object that owns the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
window
is a string that receives one of the following window names:
Answer
Browse
Browsefile
Certainty
Choices
Command-line
Confirm-menu
Constraint
Description
Explain
Functionkeys
Graphic
Information
Input
KDL
Message-line
Message
Objects-menu
Options-menu
Prompt
SelectionInput
Summary
Text
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
part
is a string that receives the name specified in the Field Name property of the
display.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ If you do not specify window, information about the Answer window or
Message window is returned, depending on the kind of display object.
■ If you do not specify part for a class or record, information about the first
slot or field is returned.

CM GetInfo
■ You can use the Field Name property in the Window Properties editor to
differentiate part when there is more than one window of the same type,
such as TEXT, in the display. For example, if you have two text windows,
you can specify TEXT_1 and TEXT_2 in their respective Field Name
properties. This property allows you to determine which text window
corresponds to the handle.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following function retrieves the name of the display for the current
window into NAME_PA:
cm(getcursor, window_id)
cm(getinfo, window_id, name_pa)
WINDOW_ID is a local variable of type INTEGER.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM GETSTATUS, CM GETWINDOW, CM GETOBJECTINFO
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-77

CM GetObjectInfo
CM GetObjectInfo
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-78 Language Reference
Use CM GETOBJECTINFO to retrieve the name, type, parent name, library
name, and print name of the object associated with the specified window.
Use this command in a character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
CM (GETOBJECTINFO, handle, name [, type [, parent
[, library [, printname ]]]])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is a string that receives the object name.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
type
is a string that receives the object type.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
parent
is a string that receives the parent name.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is a string that receives the library name.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
printname
is a string that receives object print name.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ To retrieve object information about record fields, use the CM GETINFO
command. Retrieving object information about record fields using CM
GETOBJECTINFO will retrieve information about the parameter not the
record fields.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM GETWINDOW, CM GETINFO
See also

CM GetOutlineColor
CM GetOutlineColor
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CM GETOUTLINECOLOR to retrieve the color of the outline of a window.
Use this command in a character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(GETOUTLINECOLOR, handle, char, [cell, [bright, [blink]]])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
char
is a string that receives the color of the characters.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
cell
bright
is a string that receives the background color of the cell.
is a Boolean parameter that receives whether the brightness attribute is set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
blink
is a Boolean parameter that receives whether the blink attribute is set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement can return the following colors in char and cell:
BLACK
BLUE
CYAN
GREEN
MAGENTA
RED
WHITE
YELLOW
■ If bright is TRUE, the brightness attribute is set. If bright is FALSE, the
brightness attribute is not set.
■ If blink is TRUE, the blink attribute is set. If blink is FALSE, the blink
attribute is not set.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-79

CM GetOutlineColor
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
4-80 Language Reference
The following statements retrieve the characteristics of the outline for the
current window:
cm(getcursor, window_id)
cm(getoutlinecolor, window_id,
char_color_pa,
backgnd_color_pa,
bright_on_pa,
blink_on_pa)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM SETOUTLINECOLOR
See also

CM GetPosition
CM GetPosition
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CM GETPOSITION to retrieve the location of a window on the screen.
Use this command in a character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(GETPOSITION, handle, row, col)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
row
is an integer that receives the row number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
col
is an integer that receives the column number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
row and col are relative to the upper left-hand corner of the screen.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statements find the position of the current window:
cm(getcursor, window_id)
cm(getposition, window_id, row_pa, col_pa)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM SETPOSITION
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-81

CM GetStatus
CM GetStatus
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-82 Language Reference
Use CM GETSTATUS to retrieve status information for an Answer window in a
character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(GETSTATUS, handle, status, [err_str])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
status
is an integer that receives one of the following status codes:
-1 Error
0 Processed
1 Not processed
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
err_str
is a string that receives the error message text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ If the status is 1, the window either is processed or is read-only.
■ The GETSTATUS statement is only useful for determining the status of
Answer windows. Windows other than Answer windows always return a
status of 1.
■ The status is 1 until the Answer window is filed or executed.

CM GetStatus
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statements in a function get the status for the current window
and use it to display an error message:
cm(getcursor, window_id) /* get current window */
cm(system, 'filewindow') /* try to file window */
cm(getstatus, window_id, status_flag, err_text) /*filed?*/
if status_flag = -1 /* window cannot be filed */
then
cm(popup,message(show_err_text)) /* report error */
end
WINDOW_ID and STATUS_FLAG are integer local variables in the function.
ERR_TEXT is a string parameter that is used in the SHOW_ERR_TEXT
message.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM ERROR, CM GETINFO
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-83

CM GetText
CM GetText
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-84 Language Reference
Use CM GETTEXT to retrieve the text for a window in a character-based
knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(GETTEXT, handle, text)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
text
is a string that receives the text from the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Trailing blanks are discarded.
■ For Answer windows, leading blanks are discarded if you do not specify
the NOTRIM attribute in the display object that defines the Answer
window.
■ The text of a title is not returned.
■ CM GETTEXT is not supported in Browsefile windows.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statements retrieve the prompt text for the parameter PA1 into
TEXT_STR:
cm(getwindow, window_id, parameter(pa1), 'prompt')
cm(gettext, window_id, text_str)
The GETWINDOW statement retrieves the WINDOW_ID handle for the
prompt window. The GETTEXT statement retrieves the text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM GETWORD
See also

CM GetTextColor
CM GetTextColor
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CM GETTEXTCOLOR to retrieve the color of the text of a window. Use
this command in a character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(GETTEXTCOLOR, handle, char [, cell [, bright [, blink]]])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
char
is a string that receives the color of the characters.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
cell
is a string that receives the background color of the cell.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bright
is a Boolean parameter that receives whether the brightness attribute is set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
blink
is a Boolean parameter that receives whether the blink attribute is set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement can return the following colors in char and cell:
BLACK
BLUE
CYAN
GREEN
MAGENTA
RED
WHITE
YELLOW
■ If bright is TRUE, the brightness attribute is set. If bright is FALSE, the
brightness attribute is not set.
■ If blink is TRUE, the blink attribute is set. If blink is FALSE, the blink
attribute is not set.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-85

CM GetTextColor
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
4-86 Language Reference
The following statements retrieve the characteristics of the text for the current
window:
cm(getcursor, window_id)
cm(gettextcolor, window_id
char_color_pa,
backgnd_color_pa,
bright_on_pa,
blink_on_pa)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM SETTEXTCOLOR
See also

CM GetTitleColor
CM GetTitleColor
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CM GETTITLECOLOR to retrieve the color of the title of a window. Use
this command in a character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(GETTITLECOLOR, handle, char, [cell, [bright, [ blink]]])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
char
is a string that receives the color of the characters.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
cell
is a string that receives the background color of the cell.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bright
is a Boolean parameter that receives whether the brightness attribute is set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
blink
is a Boolean parameter that receives whether the blink attribute is set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement can return the following colors in char and cell:
BLACK
BLUE
CYAN
GREEN
MAGENTA
RED
WHITE
YELLOW
■ If bright is TRUE, the brightness attribute is set. If bright is FALSE, the
brightness attribute is not set.
■ If blink is TRUE, the blink attribute is set. If blink is FALSE, the blink
attribute is not set.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-87

CM GetTitleColor
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
4-88 Language Reference
The following statements retrieve the characteristics of the title for the current
window:
cm(getcursor, window_id)
cm(gettitlecolor, window_id
char_color_pa,
backgnd_color_pa,
bright_on_pa,
blink_on_pa)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM SETTITLECOLOR
See also

CM GetTitlePosition
CM GetTitlePosition
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CM GETTITLEPOSITION to retrieve the location of the title of a window
on the screen. Use this command in a character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(GETTITLEPOSITION, handle, row, col)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
row
is an integer that receives the row number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
col
is an integer that receives the column number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
row and col are relative to the upper left-hand corner of the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statements find the position of the title for the current
window:
cm(getcursor, window_id)
cm(gettitleposition, window_id, row_pa, col_pa)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM SETTITLEPOSITION
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-89

CM GetWindow
CM GetWindow
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-90 Language Reference
Use CM GETWINDOW to retrieve a handle for a window in a character-based
knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
CM(GETWINDOW, handle, type([library::]name)
[, window [, part]])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that receives the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
type
is one of the following kinds of objects:
CLASS
DISPLAY
MESSAGE
PARAMETER
SLOT
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class, parameter, or slot
exists. The library name is only required when duplicate class, parameter, or
slot names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
You cannot specify a display or message that is in a library.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is the name of the object.

CM GetWindow
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
window
is one of the following strings:
Answer
Browse
Browsefile
Certainty
Choices
Command-line
Confirm-menu
Constraint
Description
Explain
Functionkeys
Graphic
Information
Input
KDL
Message-line
Message
Objects-menu
Options-menu
Prompt
SelectionInput
Summary
Text
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
part
is the name of a slot or the Field Name property for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ A handle is an integer that uniquely identifies a window on the current
screen.
■ If you do not specify window, the Answer window or Message window is
considered current, depending on the kind of display object.
■ If you do not specify part for a class or record, the handle for the first slot
window in the class or first field window in a record is returned.
■ If type is SLOT, name is any valid slot reference. See Chapter 3,
“Knowledge Definition Language,” for more information about slot
references.
■ You can use the Field Name property in the Window Properties editor to
differentiate part when there are several windows with the same name,
such as TEXT, in the display. For example, if you have two text windows,
you can specify TEXT_1 and TEXT_2 for their respective Field Name
properties. This allows you to retrieve the handle for a specific text
window.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-91

CM GetWindow
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
4-92 Language Reference
The following statement returns the handle for slot ZIPCODE of class
CUSTOMER into WINDOW _ID:
cm(getwindow, window_id, class(customer), 'answer',
'zipcode')
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM GETSTATUS , CM GETWINDOW
See also

CM GetWindowList
CM GetWindowList
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CM GETWINDOWLIST to retrieve a list of all windows on the current
screen. Use this command in a character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(GETWINDOWLIST, handle_list [, window])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle_list
is an integer list that receives the internal identifiers (handles) for all active
windows.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
window
is one of the following strings:
Answer
Browse
Browsefile
Certainty
Choices
Command-line
Confirm-menu
Constraint
Description
Explain
Functionkeys
Graphic
Information
Input
KDL
Message-line
Message
Objects-menu
Options-menu
Prompt
SelectionInput
Summary
Text
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
If you specify window, the statement only returns window identifiers that
match the contents of window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement returns all active answer windows in to
WIN_ID_LIST:
cm(getwindowlist, win_id_list, 'answer')
KDL Statement Syntax 4-93

CM GetWord
CM GetWord
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-94 Language Reference
Use CM GETWORD to retrieve the word that the cursor is on. Use this
command in a character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(GETWORD, word)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
word
is a string that receives the word.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ A word consists of one or more characters surrounded by spaces or the
beginning or end of text. Characters that are wrapped between lines are a
single word.
■ If the cursor is not on a word, AionDS returns a null string ('').
■ A word in a title is not returned.
■ CM GETWORD is not supported in Browsefile windows.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement places the word that the cursor is on in the buffer
FORM-ID:
cm(getword, form_id)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM GETTEXT
See also

CM PopUp
CM PopUp
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CM POPUP to pop up a window on the current screen in a characterbased
knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(POPUP, type([library::]name) [, sourcingoption])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
type
is one of the following kinds of objects:
CLASS
MESSAGE
PARAMETER
SLOT
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class, parameter, or slot
exists. The library name is only required when duplicate class, parameter, or
slot names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
You cannot specify a message that is in a library.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is the name of the object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
sourcingoption
is one of the following values:
CURRENTVALUE
SOURCEVALUE
FINALVALUE
KDL Statement Syntax 4-95

CM PopUp
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ If you used CM POPUP to add parameter or slot windows and the user
was asked for parameter or slot values, answers are not loaded from the
store file into the parameter or slot. You cannot force the answers to be
loaded into the parameter or slot by turning on the Preload-answers
profile option.
4-96 Language Reference
■ When name is displayed, its windows are the only active windows.
■ Application keys and commands for templates, such as AES_TEMPLATE
and AES_CONSULTATIONMONITOR, are not used when the pop up
window displays. Only the application keys and commands defined for
name are available. You must explicitly define the commands and keys
that you want to use in the display object for name.
■ If type is SLOT, name is any valid slot reference.
For more information: See Chapter 3, “Knowledge Definition
Language,” for more information about slot references.
■ Use the sourcing options to control backward chaining. The default
sourcing option is SOURCEVALUE.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement pops up the parameter VERIFY with no backward
chaining:
cm(popup, parameter(verify),CURRENTVALUE)

CM SetCursor
CM SetCursor
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CM SETCURSOR to move the cursor to a window in a character-based
knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(SETCURSOR, handle [, row [, col]])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
row
is an integer that contains the row number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
col
is an integer that contains the column number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ row and col are relative to the window identified by handle.
■ If you execute this statement, the Consultation Monitor becomes active
again unless the user issues the QUIT command before leaving the screen.
For example, if you add a message to a screen, you should execute CM
SETCURSOR if you want the user to see the message.
■ The system function FILEWINDOW uses the current position of the
cursor to choose the window to file.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statements make the Answer window for parameter PA1 active:
cm(getwindow, window_id, parameter(pa1))
cm(setcursor, window_id)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM GETCURSOR
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-97

CM SetDimensions
CM SetDimensions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-98 Language Reference
Use CM SETDIMENSIONS to set the height and width of a window in a
character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(SETDIMENSIONS, handle, height, width)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
height
is an integer that contains the height of the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
width
is an integer that contains the width of the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The window is redrawn from the upper left-hand corner with the new
dimensions.
■ If you change the width of a window that contains TSL, you should
specify the RELOAD attribute in the display object so that the text is
reformatted to match the new window size.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statements make the Answer window for parameter PA1 one
line:
cm(getwindow, window_id, parameter(pa1))
cm(getdimensions, window_id, height, width)
cm(setdimensions, window_id, 1, width)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM GETDIMENSIONS
See also

CM SetOutlineColor
CM SetOutlineColor
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CM SETOUTLINECOLOR to set the color of the outline of a window. Use
this command in a character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
CM(SETOUTLINECOLOR, handle, char [, cell [, bright
[, blink]]])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
char
is a string that contains the color of the characters.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
cell
is a string that contains the background color of the cell.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bright
is a Boolean that specifies whether the brightness attribute is set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
blink
is a Boolean that specifies whether the blink attribute is set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You can specify the following colors for char and cell:
BLACK
BLUE
CYAN
GREEN
MAGENTA
RED
WHITE
YELLOW
■ If bright is TRUE, the brightness attribute is set. If bright is FALSE, the
brightness attribute is not set.
■ If blink is TRUE, the blink attribute is set. If blink is FALSE, the blink
attribute is not set.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-99

CM SetOutlineColor
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
4-100 Language Reference
The following statements set characteristics of the outline of the current
window to cyan on a white background. Blinking is enabled:
cm(getcursor)
cm(setoutlinecolor, 'blue', 'white', false, false)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM GETTITLECOLOR
See also

CM SetPosition
CM SetPosition
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CM SETPOSITION to set the location of a window on the screen. Use this
command in a character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(SETPOSITION, handle, row, col)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
row
is an integer that contains the row number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
col
is an integer that contains the column number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
row and col specify the relative row and column from the upper left-hand side
of the screen.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statements move the Answer window for PA1 to the current
position of the cursor:
cm(getcursor, dummy, row, col)
cm(getwindow, window_id, parameter(pa1))
cm(setposition, window_id, row, col)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM GETPOSITION
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-101

CM SetTextColor
CM SetTextColor
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-102 Language Reference
Use CM SETTEXTCOLOR to set the color of the text of a window. Use this
command in a character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(SETTEXTCOLOR, handle, char [, cell [, bright [, blink]]])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
char
is a string that contains the color of the characters.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
cell
is a string that contains the background color of the cell.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bright
is a Boolean that specifies whether the brightness attribute is set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
blink
is a Boolean that specifies whether the blink attribute is set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You can specify the following colors for char and cell:
BLACK
BLUE
CYAN
GREEN
MAGENTA
RED
WHITE
YELLOW
■ If bright is TRUE, the brightness attribute is set. If bright is FALSE, the
brightness attribute is not set.
■ If blink is TRUE, the blink attribute is set. If blink is FALSE, the blink
attribute is not set.

CM SetTextColor
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statements set characteristics of the text in the current window
to bright white on the current background. Blinking is disabled:
cm(getcursor)
cm(gettextcolor, window_id, char_pa, cell_pa)
cm(settextcolor, window_id, 'white', cell_pa)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM GETTEXTCOLOR
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-103

CM SetTitleColor
CM SetTitleColor
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-104 Language Reference
Use CM SETTITLECOLOR to set the color of the title of a window. Use this
command in a character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
CM(SETTITLECOLOR, handle, char [, cell [, bright
[, blink]]])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
char
is a string that contains the color of the characters.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
cell
is a string that contains the background color of the cell.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bright
is a Boolean that specifies whether the brightness attribute is set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
blink
is a Boolean that specifies whether the blink attribute is set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You can specify the following colors for char and cell:
BLACK
BLUE
CYAN
GREEN
MAGENTA
RED
WHITE
YELLOW
■ If bright is TRUE, the brightness attribute is set. If bright is FALSE, the
brightness attribute is not set.
■ If blink is TRUE, the blink attribute is set. If blink is FALSE, the blink
attribute is not set.

CM SetTitleColor
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statements set characteristics of the title of the current window
to bright white on a blue background. Blinking is disabled:
cm(getcursor)
cm(settitlecolor, 'white', 'blue', true, false)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM GETTITLECOLOR
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-105

CM SetTitlePosition
CM SetTitlePosition
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-106 Language Reference
Use CM SETTITLEPOSITION to set the location of the title of a window on the
screen. Use this command in a character-based knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(SETTITLEPOSITION, handle, row, col)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
handle
is an integer that contains the internal identifier for the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
row
is an integer that receives the row number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
col
is an integer that receives the column number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
row and col are relative to the upper left-hand corner of the window.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statements move the title of the current window to one column
to the right of the upper left-hand corner:
cm(getcursor, window_id)
cm(settitleposition, window_id, 1, -1)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM GETTITLEPOSITION
See also

CM System
CM System
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CM SYSTEM to execute a system-defined function in a character-based
knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(SYSTEM, function)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
function
is a string that contains the name of a system function. You can specify
function as follows:
ABORT End the consultation and return to the Main
monitor
BACKUP Back up to a previous object
COMMAND Execute a command using the system command line
DEBUG Invoke the Debug monitor
ENTER Emulate the action of the ENTER key
EXECUTE Execute all windows of the same object
EXPLAIN Display the Explain property of a parameter or
message
FILEALL File all answer windows on the screen
FILEOBJECT File all windows of the same object
FILEWINDOW File the current window
HELP Invoke the Help system
HOW Display how AionDS processed a parameter
MARK Mark or unmark a selection in an Answer window
OPTIONS Execute a menu command using the system menu
PRINTWINDOW Print the contents of the current window to a file
QUIT Quit the current screen
KDL Statement Syntax 4-107

CM System
4-108 Language Reference
RESTART Restart execution from a user source
SELECT Mark a selection in an Answer window and file it
STORE Save user responses to a file
TRACE Display the trace of a consultation
UNKNOWNALL Mark all answer windows as unknown
UNKNOWNOBJECT Mark object as unknown
UNKNOWNWINDOW Mark answer window as unknown
VIEW Display the object currently being processed
WHAT Display possible uses of the current object
WHY Display the reason for sourcing an object
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The QUIT function causes immediate cancellation of the current screen
without filing any changes.
■ The FILEWINDOW function uses the current position of the cursor to
choose the window to file.
■ If the user is allowed to make a choice, for example to select from a
constrained string, you should use the MARK function before you file or
execute the window.
■ By default, the ENTER key terminates the screen. If you want the screen
to remain, you should attach a function to the ENTER key.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following function uses CM SYSTEM functions to execute and file the
current window, which is the Answer window for parameter PA1:
cm(system, 'execute')
if valid_choice includes pa1
then
cm(system, 'filewindow')
else
cm(popup,message(invalid_choice))
clear(pa1)
end

CM System
The EXECUTE causes the value in the Answer window on the screen to be
assigned to the parameter PA1. If the choice is valid, the FILEWINDOW
causes the parameter Answer window to become processed. If you file the
window before you check for a valid choice, the parameter Answer window
becomes processed and the contents of the Answer window cannot be
changed by the user. Note that parameter PA1 must be VALUE-CAN-
CHANGE TRUE/ASK in order for the EXECUTE command to leave the Answer
window unprocessed.
The following FORWARD, IMMEDIATE, MULTIFIRE rule uses the CM SYSTEM
function to file a window. The CODE and VAL slots use VALUE-CAN-
CHANGE TRUE/ASK and the ENTER key is defined as ENTER-EXECUTE in the
displays for the slots.
ifmatch applicant with code = 'A' and (val >= 0 or
val

CM System
4-110 Language Reference
The following function shows how to use the QUIT function and avoid loss of
the information on the screen if there is an error:
cm(setcursor, win) /* choose a window */
... /* process window */
cm(system,'fileall') /* file window */
quit_flag = TRUE /* set error flag */
cm(getwindowlist,n_windows, 'answer')
/* get all answer windows */
for n_windows /* for each window */
cm(getstatus,n_windows(i), status)
/* check for error */
if status 0 /* if error status */
then
quit_flag = FALSE /* flag error */
break /* break loop on error */
end
end
if quit_flag = TRUE /* if no error flag */
then
cm(system, 'quit') /* safe to quit */
else
... /* error actions */
end

COS
COS
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use COS to return a real result for the cosine of a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
COS (nexpr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr
is a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
nexpr contains a value representing radians, not degrees. It must be between -
1 and 1, inclusive.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
cos_b = cos (angle_b)
Examples
cos_75 = cos (0.75)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ARCTAN, SIN
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-111

Create
Create
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-112 Language Reference
Use CREATE to create a dynamic instance.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
CREATE(CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS |
[library::]classname [,instance [WITH assertion
[, assertion ...]]])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate class names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
assertion
is an assertion for a slot.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classname
is the name of a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
instance
is the name of an instance.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The CREATE statement returns a pointer to the instance that AionDS
creates. If you choose to receive the pointer, the base type of the
receiving object must be type POINTER to the class or parent class.
■ An instance must use AionDS naming conventions. It must start with a
letter (A - Z) and can be 24 characters, which are letters, digits (0 - 9), or
underscores ( _ ). Letters are not case sensitive. The letters “a” and “A”
are equivalent.
Caution: Do not specify the classname_nnnnn format for instance,
where nnnnn is a five-digit number.

Create
■ If instance is not specified, AionDS creates an instance name by
concatenating the class name with a five-digit number. For example, if
two instances are created for class SOLUTION, the following names are
used:
Solution_00001
Solution_00002
A maximum of 18 characters of the class name are concatenated with the
number. If the number exceeds 99,999, AionDS might truncate
additional characters from the class name.
■ The following actions occur, in order, when a CREATE statement is
executed:
1 The instance is created.
2 The static facts are assigned from the slots. This action causes a
WHENMODIFIED message to be sent to each slot that caused an
assignment.
3 The slots specified by the WITH clause are assigned. This action
causes a WHENMODIFIED message to be sent to each slot in the
WITH clause.
4 When WHENCREATED message is sent to the instance.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
To create the instance A1001 in class TRANSACTION at run time, specify the
following statement in a rule, function, or agenda:
create (transaction, a1001)
You can specify the instance name in a STRING parameter. The following
statements make an assignment into the parameter INSTANCE_NAME and
create the instance using the contents of INSTANCE_NAME:
instance_name = 'a1001'
create(transaction,->instance_name)
The arrow ( -> ) causes AionDS to use the contents of INSTANCE_NAME
when it creates the instance.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-113

Create
4-114 Language Reference
The following statement creates an instance in TRANSACTION and returns its
pointer in INSTANCE_PTR:
instance_ptr = create(transaction)
If you do not want to save the pointer, you can create an instance as follows:
create(transaction)
You can assign values to the slots of the instance when you create an instance.
The following statement assigns a value to the ACCT_NUM slot when a
TRANSACTION instance is created:
instance_ptr = create (transaction with
acct_num = 1001)
The WITH clause specifies assignments. If you assign to more than one slot,
you must separate the assignments with commas. The following statement
assigns to three slots:
instance_ptr = create (transaction with
acct_num = 1001,
trans_time = currenttime,
trans_date = currentdate)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
DELETE (INSTANCE)
See also

CSort
CSort
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CSORT to sort the values of a certainty set in descending certainty order.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CSORT (csexpr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
csexpr
is a certainty set expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
factors = csort (probable_cause)
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ASORT, DSORT
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-115

CurrentDate
CurrentDate
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-116 Language Reference
Use CURRENTDATE to return the number of days since January 1, 1900.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CURRENTDATE
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
run_date = currentdate
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CURRENTTIME
See also

CurrentTime
CurrentTime
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use CURRENTTIME to return the current time as an integer.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CURRENTTIME
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
CURRENTTIME returns the number of one hundredth seconds since
midnight.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
now = currenttime
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CURRENTDATE
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-117

CurrentValue
CurrentValue
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-118 Language Reference
Use CURRENTVALUE to use the current value of a parameter or slot without
backward chaining.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CURRENTVALUE (expr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr
is an expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ There is no restriction on the kind of parameters or slots in expr. You
can use CURRENTVALUE with either VALUE-CAN-CHANGE or non-
VALUE-CAN-CHANGE parameters or slots.
■ CURRENTVALUE is useful for manipulating the contents of sets and lists
before they become processed, and for determining whether a parameter
contains a known value.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
if currentvalue(param) is not unknown then ...
Examples
if currentvalue(list_param) includes special_val then ...
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
BESTVALUE, FINALVALUE, SOURCEVALUE
See also

Date
Date
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use DATE to convert a date string to its internal integer representation.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
DATE (str)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
str
is a text string in date format.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement returns the number of days from January 1, 1900.
■ str must have the format 'DD-MMM-YYYY' or 'DD-MMM-YY'. You
must include the single quotes around the string.
■ In str, MMM is a three-character mnemonic for the month as follows:
Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, or Dec.
■ If you specify the year in str with two digits, 1900 + YY is used for the
year.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
n_days = currentdate - date('01-jan-1987')
Examples
report_date = date('30-jun-1987')
KDL Statement Syntax 4-119

Date (Integer)
Date (Integer)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-120 Language Reference
Use DATE INTEGER to convert the day, month, and year to a date in internal
integer representation.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
DATE (INTEGER,day,month,year)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
day
is an integer parameter or the integer field of a record parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
month
is an integer parameter or the integer field of a record parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
year
is an integer parameter or the integer field of a record parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The day, month, and year arguments are used to calculate the date.
■ The statement returns a date in internal format.
■ You can use this statement in a date constraint.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
tr_date = date(integer,tr_day,tr_mo,tr_yr)
Examples
> date(integer,tr_day,tr_mo,1990) /* constraint */

Date (Months)
Date (Months)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use DATE MONTHS to calculate the number of complete months between
two dates.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
DATE (MONTHS,date_val,date_val)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
date_val
is a date in AionDS internal format.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement returns an integer that represents the number of complete
months between the first and second date_val.
■ The date_val of the date is the number of days since January 1, 1900.
■ You can use the DATE statement within the DATE MONTHS statement to
determine date_val.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
n_months = date(months,start_mo,end_mo)
Examples
n_months = date(months,date('19-jul-1988'))
KDL Statement Syntax 4-121

Date (Record)
Date (Record)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-122 Language Reference
Use DATE RECORD to convert an internal date into three integer parts that
represent the day, month, and year, respectively.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
DATE (RECORD,date_val,day,month,year)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
date_val
is a date in AionDS internal format.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
day
is an integer parameter or slot or the integer field of a record parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
month
is an integer parameter or slot or the integer field of a record parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
year
is an integer parameter or slot or the integer field of a record parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement returns three integer parameters or slots or three integer
fields in a record parameter.
■ The date_val of the date is the number of days since January 1, 1900.
■ You can use the DATE statement within the DATE MONTHS statement to
determine date_val.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
date (record,date('01-jan-1987'),rec.day1, rec.mo1,rec.yr1)
Examples
date (record,currentdate,day_pa,mo_pa,yr_pa)

Date (String)
Date (String)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use DATE STRING to convert a date into another format or to return
information about a date value.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
DATE (STRING,str)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
str
is a text string in date format.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement returns a date in internal format.
■ You can use the statement in a date constraint.
■ In str, MMM is a three-character mnemonic for the month as follows:
Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, or Dec.
■ If you specify the year in str with two digits, 1900 + YY is used for the
year.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
date_value = date(string,'19-jul-1900')
Example
KDL Statement Syntax 4-123

Date (Weekday)
Date (Weekday)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-124 Language Reference
Use DATE WEEKDAY to determine the day of week for a date.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
DATE (WEEKDAY,date_val)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
date_val
is a date in AionDS internal format.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement returns a number between 1 and 7, inclusive. The
translation is as follows:
Return Weekday
1 Sunday
2 Monday
3 Tuesday
4 Wednesday
5 Thursday
6 Friday
7 Saturday
■ The date_val of the date is the number of days since January 1, 1900.
■ You can use the DATE statement within the DATE WEEKDAY statement
to determine date_val.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
day_of_week = date(weekday,date('19-jul-1988'))
Examples
today = date(weekday,currentdate)
arr_day = date(weekday,arr_date)

Date (Yearday)
Date (Yearday)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use DATE YEARDAY to determine the Julian date.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
DATE (YEARDAY,date_val)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
date_val
is a date in AionDS internal format.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement returns the Julian date, which is a number between 1 and
366, inclusive.
■ The date_val of the date is the number of days since January 1, 1900.
■ You can use the DATE statement within the DATE YEARDAY statement to
determine date_val.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
day_of_year = date(yearday,date('19-jul-1988'))
Examples
julian_date = date(yearday,currentdate)
tr_date = date(yearday,date_pa)
KDL Statement Syntax 4-125

Date (Years)
Date (Years)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-126 Language Reference
Use DATE YEARS to determine the number of complete years between two
dates.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
DATE (YEARS,date_val,date_val)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
date_val
is a date in AionDS internal format.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The date_val of the date is the number of days since January 1, 1900.
■ You can use the DATE statement within the DATE YEARS statement to
determine date_val.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
no_years = date(years,currentdate,date('19-jul-1988'))
Examples
nyears = date(years,date('10-jan-1988'),date('31-dec-60'))
n_years = date(years,start_yr,end_yr)

DBMS
DBMS
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use DBMS to force an I/O operation for a class in which an access method is
specified.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
DBMS (option, CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS |
[library::]classname)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
option
is one of the following options specifies:
FLUSH Deleting instances from the class.
LOAD Reading instances from the database or file into the class.
UPDATE Writing modified instances from AionDS to the database or
file.
COMMIT Committing changes to SQL databases files.
ROLLBACK Backing out changes from SQL database files.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate class names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classname
The name of a class.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-127

DBMS
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Although you must specify a class name for the DBMS statement, the
COMMIT and ROLLBACK options do not affect only the specified class.
When a commit or rollback is issued, the current SQL unit of work is
committed or rolled back—all classes which have current SQL
connections are committed or rolled back to the last commit point. A
unit of work consists of the changes made by the knowledge base to
databases since the last commit.
4-128 Language Reference
■ On the mainframe, commits and rollbacks are only supported when you
are using local access. Local access is data access from the MAES or
TSO address space. If you issue a commit or rollback when you are
using remote access, the commit or rollback is ignored. Remote access is
data access from the CICS or IMS regions.
■ For details about using the COMMIT and ROLLBACK options, see the I/O
Reference, User’s Guide, and User’s Guide (Character-Based).
■ You must set the Update Mode property for the access method to
ONREQUEST or AUTOUPDATE before you can use the UPDATE option.
■ Use the FLUSH option to delete all dynamic instances in the class. The
contents of the Selection Criteria property are ignored. AionDS marks
the class for reloading. Reload occurs automatically when dynamic
instances are required.
■ Use the UPDATE option to update to disk all changed instances in the
class. The contents of the Selection Criteria property are ignored.
■ The DBMS statement does not cause WHENNEEDED, WHENCREATED,
WHENMODIFIED, or WHENDELETED methods to execute.
■ Static instances are ignored. The DBMS LOAD statement does not read
data into static instances. The DBMS UPDATE statement does not write
static instances. The DBMS FLUSH statement does not delete static
instances.
■ If you use the FLUSH option, you must reinitialize pointers to dynamic
instances in the class before you attempt to use them again, since the
original instances no longer exist.

DBMS
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following agenda that processes transactions based on their
transaction type:
loop
clear(trans_type)
ask(trans_type)
breakif trans_type = 0
send(set_criteria to class(transactions) with
trans_type)
dbms(flush, transactions)
dbms(load, transactions)
forwardchain
dbms(update,transactions)
dbms(commit,transactions)
end
The agenda executes a loop. For each iteration of the loop, the following
actions occur:
■ The CLEAR statement resets any previous value for TRANS_TYPE, which
is a VALUE-CAN-CHANGE parameter.
■ The ASK statement prompts for the value of TRANS_TYPE. If you enter
zero, the loop ends.
■ AionDS sends TRANS_TYPE to a method that sets a parameter in the
Selection Criteria property for the access method. For example, the
Selection Criteria might contain the following statement:
code = criteria
CODE is a slot in the class and CRITERIA is a parameter in the class. A
function attached to the method SET_CRITERIA sets CRITERIA to
TRANS_TYPE.
■ The DBMS FLUSH statement deletes all instances in the class.
■ The DBMS LOAD statement causes the records in the file that match the
selection criteria to be created in the class.
■ If AUTOLOAD is specified in the Load Mode property, the explicit DBMS
LOAD statement is not required. AionDS automatically reloads dynamic
instances so that rules can execute.
■ The FORWARDCHAIN statement executes all rules that use the newly
created instances.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-129

DBMS
4-130 Language Reference
■ The DBMS UPDATE statement writes all changed instances in the class
back to the file or database.
■ The DBMS COMMIT statement commits all changes for the unit of work.

Delete (from list or set)
Delete (from list or set)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use DELETE to remove elements from a set or list.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
DELETE (list, index)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
list
is a reference to a list or set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
index
is the element number to delete.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
■ The list must be a VALUE-CAN-CHANGE parameter.
Remarks
■ If index is not within the number of elements that exist, a run-time error
occurs.
■ For a list of pointers, using the DELETE (list, index) syntax deletes the
element from the list. To delete the instance that the element of a
pointer list points to, use the DELETE (pointer->) syntax instead. For
example:
delete(lst(i)->)
For more information: Refer to the “Delete (instance)” section on
page 4-133.
■ Each time you delete an element from a list, the list is reordered. To
delete all of the elements in a list, complete the following steps:
1 Use the Size statement to determine the number of elements in the
list.
2 Assign the list length to a variable sze.
3 Use a loop to delete the last element in the list using the sze
variable.
4 Each time an element is deleted, decrement the value of sze by 1.
This way the value of sze will always be equal to the actual length of
the list.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-131

Delete (from list or set)
4-132 Language Reference
5 End the loop when the value of sze is zero by using the BreakIf
statement.
sze = Size (lst)
loop
delete(lst, sze)
sze = sze - 1
breakif sze = 0
end
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
delete(lst,1)
Examples
delete(set_pa,index('red',set_pa))
delete(truck(instance1).maint_dates,3)

Delete (instance)
Delete (instance)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use DELETE to remove a dynamic instance from a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
DELETE([library::]classname[(inst_id)] |
[library::]pointer-> | [library::]pointer | CURRENT)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class, parameter, or slot
exists. The library name is only required when duplicate class, parameter, or
slot names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classname
is the name of a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
inst_id
is one of the following instance identifiers:
inst_nm is the name of an instance.
->str_expr is a string expression.
inst_no is a non-negative integer.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
pointer
is a parameter or slot with base type POINTER.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The WHENDELETED message is sent to the instance just before it is
removed from the system.
■ If you specify classname without inst_id, AionDS deletes the current
instance.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-133

Delete (instance)
4-134 Language Reference
■ When you delete an instance identified by a pointer, the pointer is set to
UNKNOWN. You can test a pointer for equality to UNKNOWN. If other
pointers to a deleted instance exist, however, they are not reset. AionDS
cannot always detect this kind of error and might result in a fatal error.
You must ensure that the pointers do not point to a deleted instance.
■ AionDS does not treat DELETE(pointer) and DELETE(pointer->) the same.
DELETE(pointer) takes the following actions:
1 WhenDeleted is sent.
2 The instance that is pointed to is deleted.
3 The value of pointer is set to UNKNOWN.
DELETE(pointer->) sends WhenDeleted and deletes the instance that is
pointed to. The value left in the pointer is invalid. This can cause the
error described in the previous remark. DELETE(pointer) is the preferred
syntax.
■ If pointer is an element in a list of pointers, the instance that the element
is pointing to is deleted. The element’s value is set to NUL instead of
being deleted. This can cause an invalid pointer reference if the element
is referenced again.
For more information: See Chapter 3, “Knowledge Definition Language,”
for additional information about instance references.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
delete(truck(ford))
Examples
delete(current)
delete(truck_ptr->)
delete(truck_ptr)
delete(ptr_list(i)->)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CREATE
See also

Difference
Difference
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use DIFFERENCE to return the elements of a set that are not present in
another set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
DIFFERENCE (set_expr, set_expr [, set_expr ... ])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
set_expr
is any expression that results in a set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
DIFFERENCE returns the elements of the left-most set that are not present in
the set to its right. If there are more than two sets, the first difference is
compared to the next set to the right, and the new result becomes those
elements in the prior result that are not in the next set to the right.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following four sets and the statement
result_set = difference (set1,set2,set3,set4)
SET1 containing (1,2,3,4)
SET2 containing (1,2)
SET3 containing (3)
SET4 containing (4)
The difference between SET1 and SET2 is the sets containing (3 and 4). This
result is evaluated against the next set to the right, SET3. The result is the set
containing (4) because it is in the intermediate set, but not in SET3. This
result is compared to SET4. Since the prior result only contains the element
4, and the element is in SET4, RESULT_SET contains the empty set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
INTERSECTION, UNION
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-135

DIV
DIV
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-136 Language Reference
Use DIV to perform integer division.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr1 DIV nexpr2
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr1
is a numeric expression for the divisor.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr2
is a numeric expression for the dividend.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Any fractional part of the quotient is discarded, and the result is an
integer.
■ Expressions cannot be larger than 2,147,483,647.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement sets DISCOUNT to be the integer percent of TOTAL:
discount = total div 100
If TOTAL equals 250, DISCOUNT equals 2.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
MOD
See also

DSort
DSort
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use DSORT to sort a list or set in descending order, to sort the instances in a
class by descending order by slot value, to sort a list of pointers to instances in
descending order by slot value, or to sort a list or set of records in descending
order by field sequence.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
DSORT (lexpr | CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS
[ON prop [, prop ... ]])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
lexpr
is a list, set, or a list or set expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate class names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classname
is the name of a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
prop
is a field in a record or a slot in a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You must specify a record field name as a prop when you sort a list or set
of records.
■ You must specify a slot name as a prop when you sort a class.
■ DSORT returns a list or set with the same base type as the lexpr base type.
■ You can use DSORT as a procedure. If you do not specify a return
parameter, AionDS sorts the data in place and the source object contains
the sorted data.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-137

DSort
4-138 Language Reference
■ AionDS does not backward chain for values of arguments when DSORT is
used as a procedure.
■ If you sort a class, you should use DSORT as a procedure. It sorts the
class in place. If you use a return parameter, the parameter must be a list
of records in which the structure of the records are equivalent to the
structure of the instances.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statement sorts the TEST_SCORES integer list and returns the
sorted data to the SORTED_SCORES integer list:
sorted_scores = dsort (test_scores)
The following statement sorts a set expression:
sorted_union = dsort (union(group_1, group_2))
The following statement sorts a list of records on the SENIORITY field:
sen_list = dsort (personnel on seniority)
The following statement sorts a list of records on two fields:
part_list = asort (dsort (inventory on model_year) on
part_no)
The INVENTORY list is sorted in ascending order by PART_NO and by
descending MODEL_YEAR within PART_NO.
The following statement sorts instances of the current class on SLOT1:
dsort(currentclass on slot1)
The following statement sorts instances of class TRUCK by MAKE and by
MODEL within MAKE:
dsort(class(truck) on make, model)

DSort
The following statement sorts pointers to instances of class TRUCK where the
COLOR slot contains red:
ptr_list
= dsort(selectall(class(truck) where color = 'red')
on name)
The PTR_LIST parameter is a list of pointers to instances in class TRUCK. The
list is ordered by the slot NAME.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ASORT, CSORT
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-139

Exists
Exists
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-140 Language Reference
Use EXISTS to determine whether an instance exists that matches your
criteria.
Beginning with AionDS Version 6.3, the EXISTS statement operates over all
instances of subclasses of the class whose name appears in the syntax of the
EXISTS statement.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
EXISTS (CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS |
[library::]classname [WITH bool_expr])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate class names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classname
is the name of a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bool_expr
is a Boolean expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Specify your criteria in bool_expr. If the WITH clause is omitted, WITH
TRUE is assumed.
■ The statement returns TRUE if an instance that meets the criteria is
found, otherwise it returns FALSE.

Exists
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following example:
if exists (truck with color = 'red') then ...
The premise is TRUE if the COLOR slot of an instance of class TRUCK
contains the string RED.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
SELECTALL, SELECTONE
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-141

ExitState
ExitState
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-142 Language Reference
Use EXITSTATE to abort processing of a state.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
EXITSTATE [(state)]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
state
is the name of a state that is above the current state.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ If you do not specify state, AionDS aborts processing of the current state.
If you specify state, AionDS aborts processing of the current state and all
states above it in the hierarchy, including the state state.
■ Goals on the pending list that can be resolved by last chance processing
are skipped if they are in one of the states that AionDS aborts.
■ Only use the EXITSTATE statement when you cannot control entry into
and processing of a state using the inference-based techniques provided in
AionDS. Indiscriminate use of this statement reduces the effectiveness of
inference-based processing. For example, you should use entry
conditions to exclude states from consideration during a consultation.

ExitState
■ Do not use the STATE command to call an independent state from
another state and use an output parameter to change the premise in the
calling state’s rule that contains EXITSTATE. The called state is exited
instead of the state that owns the rule.
For EXITSTATE to exit the correct state, you can enter the following KDL
into the Agenda property of the state that owns the rule containing
EXITSTATE:
state (state2(return_bool))
bool_pa = return_bool
state2 is an independent state.
return_bool is an output parameter.
bool_pa is the Boolean parameter used in the rule premise.
The last statement ensures that control is returned to the calling state
when bool_pa is changed.
■ Output parameters are not returned from the exited state.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-143

EXP
EXP
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-144 Language Reference
Use EXP to return the real result for the logarithmic constant e raised to a
power.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
EXP (nexpr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr
is a numeric expression representing the power.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following statement:
exp (ln(10)*2)
It is equivalent to 10**2 or 100.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
LN
See also

FinalValue
FinalValue
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use FINALVALUE to return the final value of an expression that contains
parameters or slots.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
FINALVALUE (expr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr
is an expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ AionDS backward chains to determine a value for the parameters or slots
in expr.
■ AionDS terminates KDL statements that use FINALVALUE and require
out of scope objects. The structure of your knowledge base determines
whether these statements are executed later.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
BESTVALUE, CURRENTVALUE, SOURCEVALUE
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-145

First
First
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-146 Language Reference
Use FIRST to select the first elements from a list.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
FIRST num OF lexpr
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
num
is the number of elements to select.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
lexpr
is an expression that results in a list.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
short_list = first 10 of waiting_list
Examples
alpha_group_1 = first 50 of asort(class(customers) on
name)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
LAST
See also

For (class iteration)
For (class iteration)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use FOR to iterate over all instances of a class.
Beginning with AionDS Version 6.3, the FOR statement operates over all
instances of subclasses of the class whose name appears in the syntax of the
FOR statement.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
FOR [CLASS ([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS], cl_param
stmts
END
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate class names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classname
is the name of a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
cl_param
is a string or pointer parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
stmts
are KDL statements.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ cl_param must be a pointer to instances in the class or a string. Do not
use the value of cl_param outside of the FOR loop.
■ For efficiency, you should use a pointer for cl_param.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-147

For (class iteration)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
4-148 Language Reference
The following statements show iteration over a class:
for currentclass,ptr
if ptr->.cost = 50000
then
ptr->.type = 'tractor trailer'
end
end
The parameter PTR is a VALUE-CAN-CHANGE parameter with base type
POINTER to the current class, which is created by the developer.

For (direct iteration)
For (direct iteration)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use FOR to iterate over a group of KDL statements.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
FOR param = low_val TO high_val
stmts
END
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
is the iteration parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
low_val
is the initial value for the iteration parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
high_val
is the termination value for the iteration parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
stmts
are KDL statements.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ param must be type INTEGER and VALUE-CAN-CHANGE, or the system
variable I. Do not use the value of param outside of the FOR loop. Do
not change its value inside the loop.
■ Direct iteration FOR statements do not have to operate on lists or sets.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statements show an example of direct iteration:
for cnt = 1 to 50
message(get_next_result,currentvalue)
end
The FOR statement executes 50 times. The parameter CNT increments by
one each time through the loop. It starts with a value of 1 and ends with a
value of 50.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-149

For (direct iteration)
4-150 Language Reference
Consider the following example that contains a logic error that might work
correctly for one version of AionDS and not work correctly in another
version:
for j = 1 to 10
breakif list_of_elem(j) = search_val
end
...
pos = j /* logic error */
You cannot rely on the value of the iteration parameter outside of the FOR
loop. You should rewrite the loop to save the contents of the iteration
parameter before you exit the loop, as follows:
for j = 1 to 10
if list_of_elem(j) = search_val
then
pos = j
break
end
end
The following statements are another example of direct iteration:
for j = 1 to number_elements
for k = 1 to element_size
ctr = ctr + listy((j-1)*k + k)
end
end
LISTY is a simple list that represents a matrix. The innermost FOR statement,
controlled by K, is executed more rapidly, once for every row. After K equals
ELEMENT_SIZE, J increments, K is reset to the first item, and the next K
elements of LISTY are accessed. When J increments beyond the number of
lists, the FOR statement ends.

For (explicit iteration)
For (explicit iteration)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use FOR to iterate over a list or set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
FOR expr, param
stmts
END
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr
is a list or set expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
is the iteration parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
stmts
is any number of KDL statements.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
param must be type INTEGER and VALUE-CAN-CHANGE, or the system
variable I. Do not use the value of param outside of the FOR loop. Do not
change its value inside the loop.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statements show an example of explicit iteration:
for listx,j
for listx(j),k
sum = sum + listx(j)(k)
end
end
LISTX is a list of lists. It is used as a matrix in this example. The parameters J
and K identify specific elements within the matrix. You must define the
control parameters. They are not system variables.
The innermost FOR statement, controlled by K, is executed more rapidly,
once for every item in LISTX(J). After all items in LISTX(J) are accessed, J
increments, K is reset to the first item, and the next K elements of LISTX(J) are
accessed. When J increments beyond the number of lists, the FOR statement
ends.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-151

For (explicit iteration)
4-152 Language Reference
The following statements are another example of explicit iteration:
for matrix1,row
for matrix1(row),col
m_tot = m_tot + matrix1(row)(col)
end
end

For (implicit iteration)
For (implicit iteration)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use FOR to iterate over a list or set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
FOR expr
stmts
END
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr
is a list or set expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
stmts
is any number of KDL statements.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The system variable I is the implied iteration parameter for implicit
iteration over a set or list. Do not use its value outside the FOR loop.
■ You cannot nest implicit iteration FOR statements. because you can use
only one implicit control variable. Be careful not to use an implicit FOR
loop that executes a function that contains another implicit FOR loop.
You cannot execute a function in an implicit FOR loop if that function
also contains an implicit FOR loop.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statements show an example of implicit iteration:
for cars
if cars(i).colors includes desired_color and
cars(i).cost

For (implicit iteration)
4-154 Language Reference
The following statements are another example of implicit iteration:
for personnel
if personnel(i).salary >= high_income
then
add personnel(i).name to potential_donor
end
end

ForwardChain
ForwardChain
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use FORWARDCHAIN to cause AionDS to forward fire the rules on the rule
schedule when specified.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
FORWARDCHAIN [([ORDERBY (sequence, ...)]
[, STOPWHEN (condition)])]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
sequence
is one or more of the following orders:
PRIORITY specifies rule execution in order of the Priority property.
MOSTRECENT specifies rule execution in last-in-first-out order from the
list.
LEASTRECENT specifies rule execution in first-in-first-out order from
the list.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
condition
is a Boolean expression that specifies the conditions that cause AionDS to
terminate processing of the list.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
■ The default sequence is PRIORITY.
Remarks
■ If you specify more than one ordering sequence, the precedence is by
position in the list. The first item in the list has the highest precedence.
■ The MOSTRECENT and LEASTRECENT orders are mutually exclusive.
■ AionDS places a rule on the list whenever the value of a parameter in its
premise changes.
■ During pattern matching, AionDS uses only the following instances:
❐ Instances that have changed since the last execution of a
FORWARDCHAIN statement, including instances that are left over
from prior execution.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-155

ForwardChain
4-156 Language Reference
❐ All instances that can be used by pattern-matching rules within the
state. These rules and instances are placed on the list for forward
chaining when the AionDS enters the state.
Reminder: When you create an instance, AionDS does not consider
the instance to be changed until you modify a slot of the instance.
■ If forward chaining is terminated before the list becomes empty, the
remaining rules are executed when the next FORWARDCHAIN statement
is executed.
■ The rule cost is not used by the forward chainer.
■ The FORWARDCHAIN statement, before Version 6.3 of AionDS, was
only allowed in the Agenda property of a state. Beginning with Version
6.3, this statement can be used in the Rule Definition property of rules
and the Function Body property of functions.
■ In choosing the next rule to execute, the Forward Chainer does not
distinguish between pattern-matching and other FORWARD ONREQUEST
rules. It uses the next rule according to the ORDERBY criteria.
■ The recency criteria, MOSTRECENT and LEASTRECENT, are determined
by the order in which AionDS makes an assignment to a parameter or
slot that is used in the premise of the rule.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following example:
forwardchain (orderby (priority,mostrecent),
stopwhen (credit_limit is not unknown))
When the FORWARDCHAIN statement executes, the Forward Chainer
chooses the highest priority rule to execute. If more than one rule exists with
equal priority, AionDS uses the most recent rule that was added to the list. If
the rule is a pattern-matching rule that is bound to two or more instances,
AionDS executes the rule with the most recently bound instance.
If the execution of the rule causes CREDIT_LIMIT to become known, forward
chaining stops. Otherwise. the Forward Chainer chooses the next rule or rule
and binding to execute according to the ORDERBY criteria and proceeds until
no more rules are available to execute.

Function
Function
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use FUNCTION to make a function object a goal.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
FUNCTION (name [(in_arg, ..., out_arg)] [, option])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is the name of the object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
option
is one of the following sourcing options:
FINALVALUE Backward chain for parameters.
SOURCEVALUE Backward chain for parameters without values.
CURRENTVALUE Do not backward chain.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ AionDS never places a function on the pending list.
■ The default option is SOURCEVALUE.
■ The sourcing option only applies to input arguments.
■ Usually, functions are invoked without using the Agenda statement, for
example sum(a_list,b_list). See Chapter 3, “Knowledge
Definition Language,” for more information.
■ The function cannot have a return value when invoked using the
FUNCTION Agenda statement.
■ When you call a function, the parameters that you pass to the function
must correspond in base type and order with the arguments declared in
the function. You must list the input arguments before the output
arguments.
For more information: Refer to the AionDS General Reference for
information about function objects.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-157

Function
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
function(sum(a_list,b_list),currentvalue)
Example
4-158 Language Reference

Graph
Graph
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use GRAPH to make a graph object a goal in a character-based knowledge
base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
GRAPH (name [, option ...])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is the name of the object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
option
is one of the following sourcing or processing options:
FINALVALUE Backward chain for parameters.
SOURCEVALUE Backward chain for parameters without values.
CURRENTVALUE Do not backward chain.
COMPLETE Do not execute the object until all parameters are
resolved.
LASTCHANCE Execute the object before exiting the state in which the
object is defined.
IMMEDIATE Execute the object immediately.
INSTATE Finish with the object before exiting the current state.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The sourcing options are mutually exclusive. You must choose between
FINALVALUE, SOURCEVALUE , and CURRENTVALUE.
■ The following processing options are mutually exclusive: COMPLETE ,
LASTCHANCE, and IMMEDIATE.
■ The default options are SOURCEVALUE and LASTCHANCE.
■ You cannot specify a processing option for an agenda statement used in a
class. The statement is always executed immediately.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-159

Graph
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
graph(gr_1,finalvalue,complete)
Example
4-160 Language Reference

Group
Group
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use GROUP to make a group object a goal in a character-based knowledge
base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
GROUP (name [, option ...])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is the name of the object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
option
is one of the following sourcing or processing options:
FINALVALUE Backward chain for parameters.
SOURCEVALUE Backward chain for parameters without values.
CURRENTVALUE Do not backward chain.
COMPLETE Do not execute the object until all parameters are
resolved.
LASTCHANCE Execute the object before exiting the state in which the
object is defined.
IMMEDIATE Execute the object immediately.
INSTATE Finish with the object before exiting the current state.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The sourcing options are mutually exclusive. You must choose between
FINALVALUE, SOURCEVALUE, and CURRENTVALUE.
■ The following processing options are mutually exclusive: COMPLETE,
LASTCHANCE, and IMMEDIATE.
■ The default options are SOURCEVALUE and LASTCHANCE.
■ You cannot specify a processing option for an agenda statement used in a
class. The statement is always executed immediately.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-161

Group
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
group(gr_1,currentvalue,immediate)
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
SET
See also
4-162 Language Reference

HEX
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
HEX
Use HEX to convert a string containing hexadecimal digits to an integer value.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
HEX (hex_str)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
hex_str
is a string expression containing a valid hexadecimal number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ This function is not case sensitive. For example, the following are
equivalent: 'aa', 'AA', 'Aa', and 'aA'.
■ hex_str cannot exceed eight characters, or the representation of four bytes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following examples show conversion of hexadecimal strings into integers:
int_val = HEX(hex_str)
int_val = HEX('011adcFF')
The following example shows a test of a hexadecimal number to a flag:
if (hex('1000') and value) > 0 then ...
The condition is true if the bit in the hexadecimal string is also set in value.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-163

If
If
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-164 Language Reference
Use IF to specify a non-pattern matching rule or to conditionally execute
KDL statements.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
IF condition
THEN stmts
[ELSEIF condition THEN stmts ... ]
[ELSE stmts]
[END]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
condition
is a Boolean expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
stmts
are KDL statements.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ In a rule, a condition is called a premise.
■ An ELSEIF clause contains the next condition that AionDS tests if the
previous one is false. You can have as many ELSEIF clauses as you need.
■ The ELSE clause contains the statements that you execute if all of the
conditions are false.
■ Two IF statements without an intervening END keyword separating the IF
statements are nested. Nested IF statements imply a logical AND between
the conditions of the IF statements.
■ The END keyword is optional only in simple rules containing a single
action.
■ Do not use an END statement to terminate an ELSEIF or ELSE clause. A
syntax error results because an END can terminate only the entire IF
statement, not just part of an IF statement.
■ You can separate each action with a comma. If you put each action on a
separate line, however, the logic should be clear without commas.

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Consider the following example:
if 105_prereq_taken and not freshman
then
advice is 'take 105'
add '105' to req_course
end
The statement contains compound actions. The parameter ADVICE is set to
take 105 and the string 105 is added to the list parameter REQ_COURSE.
.............................................................................................................................................................................
The ELSE clause
Consider the following example:
if 105_prereq_taken
then
advice is 'take 105'
else
advice is 'take 104'
end
Either the action in the THEN clause executes, or the action in the ELSE clause
executes. The ELSE clause specifies the action to take if the premise of the
rule is false. You can always use compound conditions in the premise and
multiple actions in the THEN or ELSE clauses.
When the condition 105_PREREQ_TAKEN is true, the actions following the
THEN execute. You specify actions to execute when the condition is false in
the ELSE clause. In this example, the ADVICE is TAKE 105 if
105_PREREQ_TAKEN is TRUE and TAKE 104 if 105_PREREQ_TAKEN is
FALSE.
If
KDL Statement Syntax 4-165

If
4-166 Language Reference
.............................................................................................................................................................................
The ELSEIF clause
You can create IF statements with multiple conditions. Consider the
following example:
if 105_prereq_taken
then
advice is 'take 105'
elseif 104_prereq_taken
then
advice is 'take 104'
else advice is 'take 101'
end
This example contains two conditions. The condition that
104_PREREQ_TAKEN only evaluated if the first condition is false.
The ELSEIF specifies the next condition to test if the previous condition is
false. You can use as many ELSEIF clauses as you need. As soon as a
condition is true, AionDS executes the actions for the condition and the rule
terminates. The order in which you specify conditions in the IF clause and
ELSEIF clauses determines the order in which the conditions are tested.
The ELSE sets up a default set of actions. In this example, if neither of the
two conditions is true, the action in the ELSE clause executes. If you do not
specify an ELSE clause and all conditions are false, no action executes because
there is no default action to take.
Consider the following example that contains mutually exclusive conditions:
if option =1 then cost = 5000
elseif option =2 then cost = 7000
elseif option =3 then cost = 10000
else
cost =0
error =TRUE
end
Do not leave any space between the ELSE and IF parts of the ELSEIF keyword.
If you leave space, AionDS interprets the statement as a nested IF statement.

.............................................................................................................................................................................
Nested IF statements
IF statements can be nested. Consider the statement that builds a list of
software products, as follows:
if computer_needs includes 'software'
then
if software_needs includes 'database'
then
add 'xbase' to software_choices
add 'ybase' to software_choices
end
if software_needs includes 'expert systems'
then
add 'ads/pc' to software_choices
end
end
The IF statement with the condition about COMPUTER_NEEDS contains two
nested IF statements. Nested IF statements imply logical AND between the
condition of each IF statement. If COMPUTER_NEEDS includes SOFTWARE
and SOFTWARE_NEEDS includes DATABASE, AionDS adds XBASE and YBASE
to SOFTWARE_CHOICES.
The second nested IF statement is independent of the first nested IF
statement. The second nested IF statement, however, implies a logical AND
with the IF statement containing the condition about COMPUTER_NEEDS.
Only when COMPUTER_NEEDS includes SOFTWARE and SOFTWARE_NEEDS
includes EXPERT SYSTEMS does AionDS add ADS/PC to
SOFTWARE_CHOICES.
The END keyword between the two IF statements that are nested in the
previous example makes the nested IF statements independent of each other.
The END keyword terminates the level of nesting.
The END keyword terminates the most recent IF that does not already have an
END. In the example, the first END terminates the condition about
DATABASE, the second END terminates the condition about EXPERT
SYSTEMS, and the final END terminates the condition about SOFTWARE.
If
KDL Statement Syntax 4-167

Ifmatch
Ifmatch
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-168 Language Reference
Use IFMATCH to specify a pattern-matching rule.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
IFMATCH [library::]classname1 WITH boolexpr
....
[library::]classnameN WITH boolexpr
[[library::]classname1, [...,] [library::]classnameN with
boolexpr]
[[NOT] EXISTS ([library::]classname |
CLASS([library::]classname)] WITH
boolexpr)]
[ORDERBY (intexpr , [intexpr ...])]
THEN
actions
[END]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate class names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classname1
is the name of the first class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classnameN
is the name of the last class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classname
is the name of a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
intexpr
is an integer expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
boolexpr
is a Boolean expression.

Ifmatch
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
actions
are the actions in the rule.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
■ The IFMATCH statement implements a pattern-matching rule.
Remarks
■ You can use up to 100 class names in a pattern-matching rule.
■ IFMATCH statements operate on instances of classes and subclasses that
share the pattern contained in the pattern-matching portion of the
IFMATCH statement. Prior to AionDS Version 6.3, the IFMATCH
statements did not execute on subclasses.
The behavior of IFMATCH statements in applications created prior to
Version 6.3 may differ slightly. When porting a pre-existing application
to AionDS Version 6.3 or later, check a sample of the pattern-matching
rules to make sure they execute according to your needs. For example,
assume TRUCK contains the subclasses PICKUP_TRUCKS and
FLATBED_TRUCKS:
ifmatch truck with color = 'red'
This statement will now operate on instances of the TRUCK class and all
of its subclasses. Prior to Version 6.3, the IFMATCH statement would not
have executed on the two subclasses.
■ A boolexpr can contain slot assertions.
■ The ORDERBY clause is used to select the next binding with which to
execute the rule. It executes the binding with the lowest intexpr. If you
use AND or OR in intexpr, they are interpreted as logical AND and logical
OR, respectively.
Beginning with AionDS Version 6.3, the ORDERBY clause supports
multiple ordering criteria. You can use up to 25 integer expressions. For
example:
ifmatch truck with color = red
orderby (cost,model_number)
COST and MODEL_NUMBER are slots of base type integer.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-169

Ifmatch
4-170 Language Reference
■ In the actions, class qualifiers are not required for slots unless the slot
names are ambiguous. For example, if only the TRUCK class contains a
TYPE slot, the following statements are equivalent in the actions:
truck.type is 'tractor trailer'
type is 'tractor trailer'
■ You can reference multiple instances of the same class by specifying an
instance identifier with classname, classname1, and so on. The syntax for
the instance is as follows:
classname(inst_no)
inst_no is a non-negative integer.
You can interpret classname as classname(1) within the matching and
binding specifications of the rule. You can interpret classname as
classname(0) within the EXISTS clause.
■ During pattern matching, AionDS only considers instances that have
changed since the last execution of a FORWARDCHAIN statement,
including instances that are left over from the execution. Before the first
FORWARDCHAIN statement in a state is executed, AionDS considers all
instances that are referenced by pattern-matching rules in the state to be
changed.
■ The following parts of the IFMATCH statement specify the match criteria:
classname1 WITH boolexpr
....
classnameN WITH boolexpr
■ The following parts of the IFMATCH statement specify the bind criteria:
[classname1, [...,] classnameN with boolexpr]
[[NOT] EXISTS (classname with boolexpr)]
The EXISTS clause inhibits bindings from being considered for execution.
If existence is specified, only bindings of classname that meet the boolexpr
criteria are considered for execution. If NOT EXISTS is specified, only
bindings that are formed without the boolexpr criteria are considered.
■ The ORDERBY clause specifies the criteria for choosing the next binding
to execute.
■ You can interchange the order of the EXISTS and ORDERBY clauses.

Ifmatch
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Consider the following rule:
ifmatch
truck with cost > 50000 and engine is 'diesel'
then
truck.type is 'tractor trailer'
end
It operates over instances in the TRUCK class in which the value in the cost
slot is greater than 50,000 and the value in the ENGINE slot is DIESEL.
Consider the following rule:
ifmatch
truck with color = 'red'
driver with truck_pref = 'red'
then
add truck.license to driver.truck_choice
end
It operates over two classes, TRUCK and DRIVER. When the rule executes,
AionDS matches truck instances with the COLOR slot equal to RED and
DRIVER instances with the TRUCK_PREF slot equal to RED. Since no bind
criteria is specified, the contents of the LICENSE slot in each TRUCK instance
is added to the TRUCK_CHOICE slot of each DRIVER instance.
The rule is equivalent to the following rule:
ifmatch
truck with color = 'red'
driver with truck_pref = 'red'
truck, driver with truck.color = 'red' and
driver.truck_pref = 'red'
then
add truck.license to driver.truck_choice
end
Consider the following rule:
ifmatch
truck with cost < 15000 and color is 'red'
driver with loc = city and avail = TRUE
driver,truck with driver.rating = truck.classification
then
send (solution to class (schedule) with
tag_no, name))
end
KDL Statement Syntax 4-171

Ifmatch
4-172 Language Reference
The rule operates over two classes, TRUCK and DRIVER. The match criteria
for instances of TRUCK are that the COST slot contains a value less than
15000 and that the COLOR slot contains the string RED. The match criteria
for instances of DRIVER are that the LOCATION slot match the contents of the
CITY parameter or slot and that the AVAIL slot holds the Boolean value TRUE.
The bind criteria specifies that instances of DRIVER and TRUCK are to be
bound together if the contents of the RATING slot match the contents of the
CLASSIFICATION slot.
For each binding that results from the match and bind operation, AionDS
sends a message to class SCHEDULE that invokes the SOLUTION method.
Two arguments are passed to the method: the contents of the TAG_NO slot
in the instance of TRUCK and the contents of the NAME slot in the instance of
DRIVER.
Consider the following rule:
ifmatch
person(1) with salary = 'high'
person(1),person(2) with
->person(1) ->person(2) and
person(1).hobby = person(2).hobby and
person(1).department = person(2).department
then
person(1).worklife is 'happy'
end
The rule references multiple instances of the same class, PERSON. The match
criteria for instances of PERSON is that the contents of the salary slot equal
the string HIGH.
The bind criteria are that an instance of person is to match another instance
of person in the following ways:
■ The instances represented by PERSON(1) and PERSON(2) cannot actually
be the same instance;
■ The contents of the HOBBY slot instance must match for each of the two
instances; and
■ The contents of the DEPARTMENT slot must match for each of the two
instances.

Consider the following rule.
ifmatch node, flight with
node.currentcity = flight.startcity
not exists (node with currentcity =
flight.stopcity)
orderby(node.totalmiles+flight.miles)
then
send (make to class(node) with
flight.stopcity,
node.totalmiles+flight.miles,
node.visitedcities)
end
Ifmatch
The rule operates over instances of NODE and FLIGHT. Since match criteria
are not specified for either class, all instances that have changed since
execution of the last FORWARDCHAIN statement are used.
The bind criteria are that the CURRENTCITY slot in instances of NODE are to
contain the same name as the STARTCITY slot in FLIGHT. The NOT EXISTS
clause inhibits execution of bindings in which the NODE instance contains a
CURRENTCITY that is the same as STOPCITY in the FLIGHT instance.
Because there are several alternative orders in which the bindings can be
executed, the ORDERBY clause is used to specify the binding to execute next.
In this rule, the strategy is to execute the binding that minimizes the number
of miles traveled, which is the sum of the distance between nodes (MILES) and
the distance already traveled (TOTALMILES).
The MAKE method is executed for the binding, which is an instance of NODE
and an instance of FLIGHT. The method invokes a function, which is not
shown in this example, that creates a new NODE instance with the updated
mileage. The function also updates the list of VISITEDCITIES, which affects
the bind criteria.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-173

Includes
Includes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-174 Language Reference
Use INCLUDES to test whether a list or set contains a specific element.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr INCLUDES element
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr
is a list or set expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
element
is a possible element in the list or set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement results in a Boolean value.
■ If expr is a certainty set, the result is a certainty factor.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
if wait_list includes 'project 1250' then ...
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
INDEX
See also

Index
Index
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use INDEX to find the position of a substring in a string or the position of an
element in a set or list.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
INDEX (expr1, expr2 [, iexpr])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr1
is the value that you want to find.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr2
is the string, set, or list that AionDS searches.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
iexpr
is an integer expression that specifies where to start the search.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ expr1 is the substring that you want to find when you search a string. It
is the element that you want to find when you search a set or list.
■ If you do not use iexpr, the search starts at the first position in a string or
with the first element of a set or list. The first position is number 1.
■ INDEX returns the starting position of the first occurrence of the
substring in a string, or the position of the first occurrence of an element
in a list or set.
■ If the substring or element of a list or set is not found, the function
returns zero.
■ The return value’s data type can be an integer or real.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
loc = index(1230,parts_list)
Examples
pos = index(' ',name,3)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
INCLUDES
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-175

Intersection
Intersection
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-176 Language Reference
Use INTERSECTION to return the elements common to two or more sets.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
INTERSECTION (sexpr, sexpr [, sexpr])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
sexpr
is a set expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement returns a set.
■ For certainty sets, the elements in the result set keep the lowest certainty
factor of the common elements.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
new_set = intersection (set1, set2)
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
DIFFERENCE, UNION
See also

Last
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use LAST to select the last elements of a list.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
LAST num OF lexpr
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
num
is the number of elements to select.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
lexpr
is an expression that results in a list.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
final_group = last 10 of waiting_list
Examples
if last 50 of dsort(zip_codes) includes 0 then ...
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
FIRST
See also
Last
KDL Statement Syntax 4-177

Length
Length
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-178 Language Reference
Use LENGTH to find the number of characters in a string expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
LENGTH (sexpr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
sexpr
is a string expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
■ LENGTH returns an integer value.
Remarks
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
len = length (last_name & first_name)
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
SIZE
See also

LN
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use LN to find the base e logarithm of a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
LN (nexpr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr
is a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ln (10*finalvalue(m_basket))
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
EXP
See also
LN
KDL Statement Syntax 4-179

Loop
Loop
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-180 Language Reference
Use LOOP to create Do While or Repeat Until loops.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
LOOP stmts END
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
stmts
are any number of KDL statements.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Use a BREAK or BREAKIF statement to terminate the loop. The loop is
terminated at the point the BREAK or BREAKIF statement is executed.
■ The difference between Do While and Repeat Until loops is the point at
which the break condition is tested. In a Do While loop, BREAKIF tests
the break conditions before the loop is executed each time. In a Repeat
Until loop, the conditions are tested after each execution of the loop.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following example shows a Do While loop. The statements inside the
loop execute while the condition in the BREAKIF statement is false.
ctr = 0
sum = 0
loop
breakif ((sum > 1000) or (ctr > size(listq)))
ctr = ctr + 1
sum = sum + listq(ctr)
end
The following example shows a Repeat Until loop. The statements inside the
loop execute until the condition in the BREAKIF statement becomes true.
ctr = 0
sum = 0
loop
ctr = ctr + 1
sum = sum + listq(ctr)
breakif ((sum > 1000) or (ctr >= size(listq)))
end
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
FOR
See also

Max
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use MAX to determine the maximum value of two or more numeric
expressions.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
MAX (nexpr, nexpr [, nexpr ...])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr
is a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
The maximum value is returned.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
max_value = max (comm_85, comm_86, comm_87,
factor*10000)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
MIN
See also
Max
KDL Statement Syntax 4-181

Message
Message
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-182 Language Reference
Use MESSAGE to make a message object a goal.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
MESSAGE (name [, option ...])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is the name of the object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
option
is one of the following sourcing or processing options:
FINALVALUE Backward chain for parameters.
SOURCEVALUE Backward chain for parameters without values.
CURRENTVALUE Do not backward chain.
COMPLETE Do not execute the object until all parameters are
resolved.
LASTCHANCE Execute the object before exiting the state in which the
object is defined.
IMMEDIATE Execute the object immediately.
INSTATE Finish with the object before exiting the current state.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The sourcing options are mutually exclusive. You must choose between
FINALVALUE, SOURCEVALUE, and CURRENTVALUE.
■ The following processing options are mutually exclusive: COMPLETE,
LASTCHANCE, and IMMEDIATE.
■ The default options are SOURCEVALUE and LASTCHANCE.
■ You cannot specify a processing option for an agenda statement used in a
class. The statement is always executed immediately.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
message(me_1,currentvalue,immediate)
Example

Min
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use MIN to return the minimum value of two or more numeric expressions.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
MIN (nexpr, nexpr [, nexpr ...])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr
is a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
The minimum value is returned.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
min_val = min (comm_85, comm_86, comm_87, factor*10000)
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
MAX
See also
Min
KDL Statement Syntax 4-183

MOD
MOD
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-184 Language Reference
Use MOD to determine the modulus, or the remainder of integer division.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr1 MOD nexpr2
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr1
is a numeric expression for the dividend.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr2
is a numeric expression for the divisor.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ nexpr1 controls the sign of the result. If nexpr1 is negative, the sign of
the result is negative. Otherwise, the sign is positive.
■ nexpr2 cannot be zero.
■ Expressions cannot be greater than 2,147,483,647.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
if pnum mod 2 = 0
then
even_flag = true
else
even_flag = false
end
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
DIV
See also

NameOf
NameOf
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the NAMEOF statement to return the name of an instance.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
NAMEOF([library::]classname[(inst_id)] |
[library::]pointer-> | CURRENT)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class, parameter, or slot
exists. The library name is only required when duplicate class, parameter, or
slot names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classname
is the name of a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
inst_id
is one of the following instance identifiers:
inst_nm is the name of an instance.
->str_expr is a string expression.
int is an integer.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
pointer
is a parameter or slot with base type POINTER.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You should consider the use of pointers instead of the NAMEOF statement
to identify specific instances.
For more information: See Chapter 3, “Knowledge Definition Language,”
for information about specifying instances.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-185

NameOf
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
instancename = nameof(truck_ptr->)
Example
4-186 Language Reference

Not
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use NOT to reverse the meaning of a Boolean or numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
NOT expr
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr
is a Boolean or numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
Numeric expressions cannot be greater than 2,147,483,647.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement could appear in the Execution Conditions property
of a state:
not probable_error
When the Boolean parameter PROBABLE_ERROR is not TRUE, AionDS enters
the state.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
AND, OR, XOR
See also
Not
KDL Statement Syntax 4-187

Num
Num
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-188 Language Reference
Use NUM to convert a string to a number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
NUM (str)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
str
is a string expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ A run-time error results if str cannot be converted into a number.
■ The statement returns a real number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
part = num (input_str)
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
STR
See also

Or
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use OR to return the logical or bitwise OR of two expressions.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr1 OR expr2
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr1
is an integer or Boolean expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr2
is an integer or Boolean expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Both expressions must be the same type.
■ If expr1 is a Boolean that evaluates to TRUE, expr2 is not evaluated.
■ If the expressions are integers, AionDS executes a bitwise comparison to
test each bit of expr1 against the corresponding bit in expr2.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Consider the following premise of a rule:
if disabled or (age > 59) then ...
The parameter DISABLED is a Boolean. The expression AGE > 59 is a Boolean
expression. AionDS evaluates DISABLED first. If it is TRUE, the evaluation
stops and the actions of the rule can execute.
Or
KDL Statement Syntax 4-189

Or
4-190 Language Reference
Consider the following statement:
result = int_128 or int_1024
The integer parameters INT_128 and INT_1024 contain the values 128 and
1,024 respectively. When the statement executes, RESULT contains 1,152.
You should consider the operation in binary notation, as follows:
int_1024: 0000010000000000
int_128: 0000000010000000
result: 0000010010000000
The RESULT parameter contains the or of the bits.
The following statement sets a bit in FLAG:
flags = flags or hex('1000')
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
AND, BIN, HEX, XOR
See also

Parameter
Parameter
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use PARAMETER to make a parameter object a goal.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
PARAMETER ([library::]name [, option ...])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate parameter names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is the name of the object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
option
is one of the following sourcing or processing options:
FINALVALUE Backward chain for parameters.
SOURCEVALUE Backward chain for parameters without values.
CURRENTVALUE Do not backward chain.
COMPLETE Do not execute the object until all parameters are
resolved.
LASTCHANCE Execute the object before exiting the state in which the
object is defined.
IMMEDIATE Execute the object immediately.
INSTATE Finish with the object before exiting the current state.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-191

Parameter
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The sourcing options are mutually exclusive. You must choose between
FINALVALUE, SOURCEVALUE, and CURRENTVALUE.
4-192 Language Reference
■ The following processing options are mutually exclusive: COMPLETE,
LASTCHANCE, and IMMEDIATE.
■ The default options are SOURCEVALUE and LASTCHANCE.
■ You cannot specify a processing option for an agenda statement used in a
class. The statement is always executed immediately.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
parameter(pa_1,complete,instate)
Example

Process
Process
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use PROCESS to make a process object a goal.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
PROCESS (name [, option ...])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is the name of the object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
option
is one of the following sourcing or processing options:
FINALVALUE Backward chain for parameters.
SOURCEVALUE Backward chain for parameters without values.
CURRENTVALUE Do not backward chain.
COMPLETE Do not execute the object until all parameters are
resolved.
LASTCHANCE Execute the object before exiting the state in which the
object is defined.
IMMEDIATE Execute the object immediately.
INSTATE Finish with the object before exiting the current state.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The sourcing options are mutually exclusive. You must choose between
FINALVALUE, SOURCEVALUE, and CURRENTVALUE.
■ The following processing options are mutually exclusive: COMPLETE,
LASTCHANCE, and IMMEDIATE.
■ The default options are SOURCEVALUE and LASTCHANCE.
■ You cannot specify a processing option for an agenda statement used in a
class. The statement is always executed immediately.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
process(pr_1,finalvalue,lastchance,instate)
Example
KDL Statement Syntax 4-193

ReadStr
ReadStr
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-194 Language Reference
Use READSTR to copy the contents of a variant record into fields, parameters,
or slots.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
READSTR (buffer, [library::]index, [library::]dest
[, [library::]dest])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
buffer
is a string or a record that contains a single string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter, instance, or slot
exists. The library name is only required when duplicate parameter, instance,
or slot names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
index
is an integer parameter or constant.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
dest
is a record, instance, record field, parameter or slot.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Variant records are records from an external file with fields that vary
depending upon the type of record. The record type is stored in the same
position of each record.
■ You should read the variant record into a STRING buffer and use
READSTR to copy the record into fields. Alternatively, you can use
READSTR to copy the record into parameters.
■ index specifies the beginning location for transfer of the data. The first
location in buffer is 1.

ReadStr
■ READSTR returns the starting position in buffer of the next substring to
transfer. If you want to process buffer sequentially, you can use the
return value to set index to the beginning of the next field to process.
■ AionDS does not backward chain for buffer.
■ Specify the NOTRIM attribute for strings that contain NULL values
before other valid values; otherwise the strings are truncated incorrectly.
By default, AionDS terminates input strings at the first NULL value
encountered. When the NOTRIM attribute is used, the string is not
truncated at any NULL value. Also, all leading and trailing blanks are
preserved. Because all leading and trailing blanks are preserved, you
might need to increase the buffer size to accommodate the resulting
string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Consider the following example that reads variant records into AionDS and
transfers the fields into other records, depending on the record type:
openfile(f,'coerce.dat','read')
loop
getrec(f)
breakif eof(f)
readstr(f->.data,1,format)
if format = 1 then
readstr(f->.data,1,rec1)
add rec1 to rec1_list
elseif format = 2 then
readstr(f->.data,1,rec2)
add rec2 to rec2_list
elseif format = 3 then
readstr(f->.data,1,rec3)
add rec3 to rec3_list
end
The base types of the records and the parameter FORMAT are as follows:
F REC1
file of record(noattr) record(noattr)
data is string(20) type is integer(2)
end name is string(10)
end
KDL Statement Syntax 4-195

ReadStr
4-196 Language Reference
REC2 REC3
record(noattr) record(noattr)
type is integer(2) type is integer(2)
code1 is integer(4) amt is real(8)
code2 is integer(4) name is string(10)
name is string(10) end
end
FORMAT
integer (noattr,2)
The file is opened for reading. The file parameter is F. The base type of F is
the DATA record. Records are read into AionDS using a loop, which
terminates when there are no more input records. During execution of the
loop, the following actions occur:
■ A READSTR executes, which transfers from the first byte of DATA to
FORMAT. The base type of FORMAT controls how much data is
transferred as well as the conversion. After the transfer, FORMAT
contains a two-byte integer that represents the record type.
■ Depending on the contents of FORMAT, one of three additional
READSTR statements execute. In all cases, the conversion starts from byte
1. You could start the conversion from byte 3, which might improve
performance because less data is transferred. You would, however, need
to code several READSTR statements, one for each field that you need to
transfer.
■ If FORMAT equals 1, REC1.NAME receives 10 bytes from DATA. The
remaining 8 bytes of data are not transferred.
■ If FORMAT equals 2, four bytes of data are transferred to REC2.CODE1,
the next four bytes are transferred to REC2.CODE2, and the next ten
bytes are transferred to REC2.NAME.
■ If FORMAT equals 3, eight bytes of data are transferred to REC3.AMT and
the next ten bytes are transferred to REC3.NAME.

Consider the following example:
openfile(f,'coerce.dat','read')
loop
getrec(f)
breakif eof(f)
readstr(f->.data,1,format)
if format = 1 then
readstr(f->.data,3,class1_ptr->)
elseif format = 2 then
readstr(f->.data,3,class2_ptr->)
elseif format = 3 then
readstr(f->.data,3,class3_ptr->)
end
ReadStr
It is similar to the previous example. Instead of transferring data to records,
the READSTR statements transfer the data to instances. The instances are
referenced by pointers. Note that the format type code is not present in the
respective classes, therefore, it is not assigned.
Consider the following example:
openfile (f,'elements.dat','read')
rec_no =1
loop
getrec(f)
breakif eof(f)
pos = readstr(f->.data,1,n_values)
for i = 1 to n_values
pos = readstr(f->.data,pos,rec_list(
rec_no).value(i))
end
rec_no = rec_no +1
end
The base type of F, N_VALUES, and REC_LIST are as follows:
F N_VALUES
record(noattr) integer(noattr,2)
data is string(20)
end
REC_LIST
list of record(noattr)
value is list(9)
of integer(2)
end
KDL Statement Syntax 4-197

ReadStr
4-198 Language Reference
The first two bytes of data contain the number of two-byte integers in the
record. A FOR loop operates over each record. For each iteration of the loop,
a number is transferred from DATA to the next VALUE.
The READSTR statement returns POS, the next position from which to
transfer data. Note that although the number of values that are transferred
vary, each DATA record is the same length, 20 bytes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
WRITESTR
See also

Report
Report
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use REPORT to make a report object a goal.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
REPORT (name [, option ...])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is the name of the object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
option
is one of the following sourcing or processing options:
FINALVALUE Backward chain for parameters.
SOURCEVALUE Backward chain for parameters without values.
CURRENTVALUE Do not backward chain.
COMPLETE Do not execute the object until all parameters are
resolved.
LASTCHANCE Execute the object before exiting the state in which the
object is defined.
IMMEDIATE Execute the object immediately.
INSTATE Finish with the object before exiting the current state.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The sourcing options are mutually exclusive. You must choose between
FINALVALUE, SOURCEVALUE, and CURRENTVALUE.
■ The following processing options are mutually exclusive: COMPLETE,
LASTCHANCE, and IMMEDIATE.
■ The default options are SOURCEVALUE and LASTCHANCE.
■ You cannot specify a processing option for an agenda statement used in a
class. The statement is always executed immediately.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
report(re_1)
Example
KDL Statement Syntax 4-199

Return
Return
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-200 Language Reference
Use RETURN to terminate a rule or function.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
RETURN [(arg)]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
arg
is an optional argument that is returned from a function.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The RETURN statement terminates the entire rule or function. If you
want to terminate a loop, use a BREAK or BREAKIF statement.
■ You can only use arg in a function.
■ arg can be any expression except one that results in a record, instance, set,
or list.
■ A function that does not return arg is also called a procedure.
■ You cannot return arg from a rule.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
In functions, the RETURN statement can return a single value, such as the
integer SUM, or a constant, such as -1.
if size(list_pa) >0
then
...
return(sum)
else
return(-1)
end
In the following example, a pointer to an instance is returned:
ptr = create(statistics)
...
return(ptr)

Consider the following procedural rule:
for listq
if listq(i).key = key_num
then
goal = listq(i).name
return
end
...
end
Return
The RETURN statement terminates the entire rule. If the RETURN statement
in this example is replaced by a BREAK or BREAKIF or statement, only the
FOR loop would terminate. Any other actions would be executed.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
BREAK, BREAKIF
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-201

Round
Round
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-202 Language Reference
Use ROUND to round a real expression to the nearest integer.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ROUND (nexpr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr
is a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ If the fraction is exactly .5, nexpr is rounded away from zero.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following statement:
int_val = round (real_val)
The following table shows the effect of rounding:
REAL_VAL INT_VAL
-1.5 -2
1.5 2
-2.5 -3
2.5 3
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
TRUNC
See also

Rule
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use RULE to make an If-Then rule object a goal.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
RULE (name [, option ...])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is the name of the object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
option
is one of the following processing options:
COMPLETE Do not execute the object until all parameters are
resolved.
LASTCHANCE Execute the object before exiting the state in which the
object is defined.
IMMEDIATE Execute the object immediately.
INSTATE Finish with the object before exiting the current state.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
■ RULE is not valid for Ifmatch-Then rules.
Remarks
■ The following processing options are mutually exclusive: COMPLETE,
LASTCHANCE, and IMMEDIATE.
■ The processing options determine whether or not are partially processed
rule is placed on the pending list.
■ The default option is LASTCHANCE.
Rule
■ RULE is only allowed in an Agenda property.
Tip: You usually let rules be invoked automatically by the backward or
forward chainer, rather than explicitly invoking a rule with the RULE Agenda
statement.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
SET
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-203

SelectAll
SelectAll
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-204 Language Reference
Use SELECTALL to retrieve pointers to instances that match your criteria.
Beginning with AionDS Version 6.3, the SELECTALL statement operates over
all instances of subclasses of the class whose name appears in the syntax of the
statement.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
SELECTALL (CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS [WITH
bool_expr])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate class names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classname
is the name of a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bool_expr
is a Boolean expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Specify your criteria in bool_expr. If the WITH clause is omitted, WITH
TRUE is assumed.
■ The statement returns a list of pointers.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ptr_list = selectall(class(truck) with color = 'red')
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
EXISTS, SELECTONE
See also

SelectOne
SelectOne
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use SELECTONE to retrieve the pointer to an instance that matches your
criteria.
Beginning with AionDS Version 6.3, the SELECTONE statement operates over
all instances of subclasses of the class whose name appears in the syntax of the
statement.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
SELECTONE (CLASS([library::]classname) |
CURRENTCLASS [WITH bool_expr])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate class names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classname
is the name of a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bool_expr
is a Boolean expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Specify your criteria in bool_expr. If the WITH clause is omitted, WITH
TRUE is assumed.
■ The statement returns a pointer.
■ If more than one instance matches the criteria, the statement returns a
pointer to the first instance that matches the criteria.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ptr = selectone(class(truck) with color = 'red')
Example
KDL Statement Syntax 4-205

SelectOne
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
EXISTS, SELECTALL
See also
4-206 Language Reference

Send (to class)
Send (to class)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use SEND to send a message to invoke a method on a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
SEND (method TO CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS
[WITH valuelist])
or
{CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS |
[library::]classname}.method [(valuelist)]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate class names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
method
is the name of a method.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classname
is the name of a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
valuelist
are the input and output arguments for the method.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Use this syntax when a method is intended to operate upon the entire
class.
■ Within a method, you should use CURRENTCLASS so that the method
can be inherited.
■ You can use a short-hand dot syntax as an alternative to the SEND
statement. The advantage of the dot syntax is that it is more concise.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-207

Send (to class)
4-208 Language Reference
■ If you pass a valuelist, the method must invoke a function or an
independent state. The valuelist must follow the calling convention for
the function or independent state.
■ If no output arguments are specified for the method, a return value can
be specified and the SEND statement can be used as a function.
■ Message passing is implemented using an indirect function call facility.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statements invoke the MAKE method for class TRUCK:
send(make to class (truck) with 'ford bronco')
class(truck).make('ford bronco')
currentclass.make('ford bronco')
Consider the following statement:
send (new_acct to class (accounts))
No instance is current when you send a message to a class. You must specify
instances within the method. The CREATE_ACCOUNT function that is
attached to the NEW_ACCT method is as follows:
inst_ptr = create (account with
checking_balance =0,
savings_balance =0)
ask (inst_ptr->)
This method creates an instance of an account and returns its pointer in the
parameter INSTANCE_PTR. This is an example of using a class variable to
hold information that is not part of an instance. The pointer is used to
identify the instance within the method. The function uses the pointer in the
ASK statement to collect data for the other slots in the instance.

Send (to instance)
Send (to instance)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use SEND to send a message to invoke a method on an instance.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
SEND (method TO [library::]classname[(inst_id)] |
[library::]pointer-> | CURRENT | [library::]inst_nm
[WITH valuelist])
or
{[library::]classname[(inst_id)] | [library::]pointer-> |
CURRENT | [library::]inst_nm}.method [(valuelist)]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class, parameter, or slot
exists. The library name is only required when duplicate class, parameter, or
slot names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
method
is the name of a method.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classname
is the name of a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
inst_id
is one of the following instance identifiers:
inst_nm is the name of an instance.
->str_expr is a string expression.
int is an integer.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
pointer
is a parameter or slot with base type POINTER.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-209

Send (to instance)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
inst_nm
4-210 Language Reference
is the name of an instance.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
valuelist
are the input and output arguments for the method.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Use this syntax when the method is intended to operate on an instance.
■ You can use a short-hand dot syntax as an alternative to the SEND
statement. The advantage of the dot syntax is that it is more concise.
■ If you pass a valuelist, the method must invoke a function or an
independent state. The valuelist must follow the calling convention for
the function or independent state.
■ If no output arguments are specified for the method, a return value can
be specified and the send statement can be used as a function.
■ Message passing is implemented using an indirect function call facility.
For more information: See Chapter 3, “Knowledge Definition Language,”
for additional information about instance references.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statements invoke the SHOWME method for instances of class
TRUCK:
send (showme to truck(fordbronco))
truck(fordbronco).showme
send (showme to truckptr->)
truckptr->.showme
current.showme
You can specify arguments to be sent to a method. Optionally, the method
can return a value. Consider the following messages, which are equivalent:
send (credit to account with 'checking', amount)
account.credit('checking', amount)

The following function is attached to the CREDIT method:
Input Arguments:
acct is string
amt is real
Function Body:
if acct is 'checking'
then
checking_balance is checking_balance + amt
else
savings_balance is savings_balance + amt
end
Send (to instance)
The WITH clause of the SEND statement defines the arguments. The
arguments in the function must correspond to the arguments in the WITH
clause. You must use AionDS conventions for passing arguments.
You can capture return values. Consider the following examples:
new_balance = send(update to account with 'credit',
amount)
new_balance = account.update('credit', amount)
if send (update to account with 'credit',amount) < 0
then ...
if account.update('credit', amount) < 0 then ...
In the examples, the method returns a value when its attached function
terminates. In the first two examples, the return value is assigned to the
parameter NEW_BALANCE. In the second two examples, the return value is
used in a condition of an IF statement and the return value is not retained.
Consider the following ORDERBY clause in a pattern-matching rule:
ORDERBY (flight.fl_time)
When you create the knowledge base, FL_TIME might be a slot that contains
the average flight time. Later you could modify the knowledge base and
replace the FL_TIME slot as a method that calculates the time using factors
such as weather, airport delays, and so on.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-211

Send Up
Send Up
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-212 Language Reference
Use SEND UP to send a message to invoke a method in the parent class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
SEND (method UP [WITH valuelist])
Syntax
or
UP.method [(valuelist)])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
method
is the name of the method that responds to the message in the parent class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
valuelist
is a list of arguments to the method.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Use this format in a method that is implemented as a specialization of a
method in the parent class.
■ You can use a short-hand dot syntax as an alternative to the SEND
statement.
■ If you pass a valuelist, the method must invoke a function or an
independent state. The valuelist must follow the calling convention for
the function or independent state.
■ If no output arguments are specified for the method, a return value can
be specified and the send statement can be used as a function.
■ Message passing is implemented using an indirect function call facility.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statements invoke the SHOWME method in the parent class of
a subclass:
up.showme
send (showme up)

Send Up
You can create a method in a class that is a specialization of the method in its
parent. For example, consider the following messages, which are equivalent:
send (calc_sale to discount(->this_sale))
discount(->this_sale).calc_sale
The CALC_SALE method responds by invoking a function that contains the
following lines for instances of DISCOUNT:
send (calc_sale up)
total = total *.85
You can also specify the function as follows:
up.calc_sale
total = total *.85
The message is sent up to the parent class, which calculates the TOTAL for the
current instance. The local method reduces the value in the TOTAL slot of
the instance by 15 percent.
If you send the CALC_SALE message directly to the parent class, the method
in the parent responds. Since the parent method does not have the
specialized logic, the sale is not discounted.
Specialization of methods reduces the maintenance effort. If you change the
general way that sales are calculated in the parent, the change is automatically
reflected in methods in subclasses. If you change the discounting logic, you
only make the change in the DISCOUNT subclass. You do not need to change
the general method in the parent class.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-213

Set
Set
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-214 Language Reference
Use SET to change the property of an object during a consultation.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
SET (obj_type(obj_name), prop(value))
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
obj_type
is the type of object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
obj_name
is the name of the object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
prop
is the property to change.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
value
is the new value of the property.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
■ You can use SET only to specify the Priority property of a rule or group.
Remarks
■ The SET statement is useful if you want to change the order in which a
rule fires or to change the group object to use during user sourcing.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
set(rule(r1),priority(10))
Example

SIN
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use SIN to return the real result for the sine of a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
SIN (nexpr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr
is a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
nexpr contains a value representing radians, not degrees. It must be in the
range of -1 and 1, inclusive.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
sin_b = sin (angle_b)
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ARCTAN, COS
See also
SIN
KDL Statement Syntax 4-215

Size
Size
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-216 Language Reference
Use SIZE to find the number of elements in a set or list.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
SIZE (expr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr
is a set or list expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
For certainty sets, all values are counted, even those that have a certainty
factor less than the threshold value.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
size(customers)
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
LENGTH
See also

Slot
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use SLOT to make a slot object a goal.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
SLOT ([library::]name [, option ...])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the slot exists. The library name
is only required when duplicate slot names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is the name of the object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
option
is one of the following sourcing or processing options:
FINALVALUE Backward chain for parameters.
SOURCEVALUE Backward chain for parameters without values.
CURRENTVALUE Do not backward chain.
COMPLETE Do not execute the object until all parameters are
resolved.
LASTCHANCE Execute the object before exiting the state in which the
object is defined.
IMMEDIATE Execute the object immediately.
INSTATE Finish with the object before exiting the current state.
Slot
KDL Statement Syntax 4-217

Slot
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The sourcing options are mutually exclusive. You must choose between
FINALVALUE, SOURCEVALUE, and CURRENTVALUE.
4-218 Language Reference
■ The following processing options are mutually exclusive: COMPLETE,
LASTCHANCE, and IMMEDIATE.
■ The default options are SOURCEVALUE and LASTCHANCE.
■ You cannot specify a processing option for an agenda statement used in a
class. The statement is always executed immediately.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
slot(slot_1,complete,instate)
Example

SourceValue
SourceValue
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use SOURCEVALUE to backward chain for parameters that do not currently
have a value.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
SOURCEVALUE (expr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr
is an expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Only the current scope is used to determine value sources. If a value
cannot be determined because sources for a parameter in expr are out of
scope, AionDS terminates execution of the KDL statement. The
structure of your knowledge base determines whether these statements are
executed later.
■ SOURCEVALUE differs from BESTVALUE because backward chaining does
not occur for parameters that already have values.
■ This is the default sourcing option.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
BESTVALUE, CURRENTVALUE, FINALVALUE
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-219

SQR
SQR
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-220 Language Reference
Use SQR to find the square of a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
SQR (nexpr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr
is the numeric expression to be squared.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
sqr(r)*pi
Example

SQRT
SQRT
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use SQRT to find the square root of a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
SQRT (nexpr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr
is the numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
sqrt(finalvalue(proj_variance))
Example
KDL Statement Syntax 4-221

State
State
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-222 Language Reference
Use STATE to make a state object a goal.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
STATE [(name[(in_parameter, ..., out_parameter)]
[, option])]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is the name of the object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
in_parameter
is an input parameter for the state.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
out_parameter
is an output parameter for the state.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
option
is one of the following sourcing or processing options:
FINALVALUE Backward chain for parameters.
SOURCEVALUE Backward chain for parameters without values.
CURRENTVALUE Do not backward chain.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You must specify the STATE statement in the agenda if you want AionDS
to process substates.
■ If name is omitted, AionDS processes all sub-states not explicitly listed in
the agenda.
■ If you are using the statement in a rule, name must be the name of an
independent state. In this case, name is not optional.
■ The default option is SOURCEVALUE.
■ AionDS never places a state on the pending list.
■ The sourcing options only apply to input parameters.

State
■ If the state being executed has input and output parameters, you must
list the input parameters before the output parameters. The parameters
listed in the STATE statement must match in number and base type with
those in the state being executed.
For more information: See Chapter 3, “Knowledge Definition Language,”
for more information about sourcing options for states.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
state /* from agenda */
Examples
state (ind_1,sourcevalue) /* from agenda */
if common_info is true /* from a rule */
then
state(ind_1,currentvalue)
end
state(ind_2(in_pa,out_pa1,out_pa2),currentvalue)
KDL Statement Syntax 4-223

Str (from Booleans)
Str (from Booleans)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-224 Language Reference
Use STR to convert a Boolean to a string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
STR ([library::]param [:width])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter or slot exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate parameter or slot names exist in
any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
is a Boolean parameter or slot.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
width
is the number of positions to reserve in the output string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ param is converted to TRUE, FALSE, or UNKNOWN and is returned in a
string.
■ If width is a positive number that specifies more positions than are
needed to hold the conversion, param is right-justified in the string and
padded with spaces on the left.
■ If width is a negative number and specifies more positions than are
needed to hold the conversion, param is left-justified in the string and
padded with spaces on the right.
■ If width is too small to hold the string, the string is truncated.

Str (from Booleans)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
String specification Type Value Result
str (bool_val:8) Boolean unknown ' unknown'
str (bool_val:-8) Boolean true 'true '
str (bool_val:1) Boolean false 'f'
KDL Statement Syntax 4-225

Str (from dates and times)
Str (from dates and times)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-226 Language Reference
Use STR to convert a date or time to a string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
STR ([library::]number [:width [:format]])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter or slot exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate parameter or slot names exist in
any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
number
is a date or time constant, slot, or parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
width
is the number of positions to reserve in the string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
format
is a number that specifies the output format, as follows:
1 specifies DD-MMM-YYYY for dates and HH:MM:SS.hh for times.
2 specifies DD-MMM-YY for dates and HH:MMam for times.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement converts number and returns a string.
■ If width is a positive number that specifies more positions than are
needed to hold the conversion, number is right-justified in the string and
padded with spaces on the left.
■ If width is a negative number and specifies more positions than are
needed to hold the conversion, number is left-justified in the string and
padded with spaces on the right.

Str (from dates and times)
■ If width is too small to hold the string, the string is truncated.
■ If you do not specify format, AionDS uses format 1.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-227

Str (from dates and times)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
4-228 Language Reference
String specification Type Value Result
str (currentdate) '10-Jun1987'
str (currenttime) '12:01:30.05'
str (dat_val:14) Date 2-Feb-1988 '2-Feb-1988'
str (dat_val:-14) Date 2-Feb-1988 '2-Feb-1988 '
str (dat_val:14:2) Date 2-Feb-1988 '2-Feb-88'
str (tim_val:14) Time 23:30:02.01 '23:30:02.01'
str (tim_val:-14) Time 23:30:02.01 '23:30:02.01'
str (tim_val:14:2) Time 23:30:02.01 ' 11:30pm'
str (tim_val:8) Time 23:30:02.01 '23:30:02'

Str (from integers)
Str (from integers)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use STR to convert an integer to a string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
STR ([library::]number [:width [:base]])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter or slot exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate parameter or slot names exist in
any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
number
is an integer constant, slot, or parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
width
is the number of positions to reserve in the string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
base
is the constant 2, 10, or 16.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement converts number and returns a string.
■ If width is a positive number that specifies more positions than are
needed to hold the conversion, number is right-justified in the string and
padded with spaces on the left if base is not specified.
■ If width is a negative number and specifies more positions than are
needed to hold the conversion, number is left-justified in the string and
padded with spaces on the right if base is not specified.
■ If width is too small to hold the string, the string is expanded to hold the
value.
■ If you do not specify width, the string does not contain leading or trailing
spaces.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-229

Str (from integers)
4-230 Language Reference
■ If you specify base, the string is padded with leading zeros and the size of
the string is width.
■ If you specify base as 2, the string contains the binary representation of
number. If you specify base as 16, the string contains the hexadecimal
representation.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
String specification Type Value Result
str (int_val:10) Integer 5000 ' 5000'
str (int_val:-10) Integer 5000 '5000 '
str (int_val) Integer 5000 '5000'
str (int_val:8:16) Integer 255 '000000FF'
str (int_val:10:16) Integer 256 '00000000100'
str (int_val:10:2) Integer 256 '00100000000'

Str (from real numbers)
Str (from real numbers)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use STR to convert a real number to a string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
STR ([library::]number [:width [:right]])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter or slot exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate parameter or slot names exist in
any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
number
is an integer constant, slot, or parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
width
is the number of positions to reserve in the string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
right
is the number of digits to place to the right of the decimal point in the string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement converts number and returns a string.
■ If width is a positive number that specifies more positions than are
needed to hold the conversion, number is right-justified in the string and
padded with spaces on the left.
■ If width is a negative number and specifies more positions than are
needed to hold the conversion, number is left-justified in the string and
padded with spaces on the right.
■ If width is too small to hold the string, the string is expanded to hold the
value.
■ If you specify width but do not specify right, number is placed in the
string in exponent format; for example, 1.23E+003.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-231

Str (from real numbers)
4-232 Language Reference
■ If you do not use width and right, number is stored in fixed-point
notation with two digits after the decimal point; for example, 100.00.
■ If you use width and right, leave space for the decimal point. If you only
use width, leave enough space for the decimal point, the character E, the
sign, and the precision that you want.

Str (from real numbers)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
String specification Type Value Result
str (real_val:10) Real 5000 ' 5.00E+003'
str (real_val:10:0) Real 5000 ' 5000'
str (real_val) Real 5000 '5000.00'
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
NUM
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-233

Str (with strings)
Str (with strings)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-234 Language Reference
Use STR to convert a string to a string with another format.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
STR ([library::]param [:width [:format]])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter or slot exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate parameter or slot names exist in
any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
width
is the number of positions to reserve in the string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
format
specifies one of the following trimming actions for leading or trailing spaces:
-1 Left trim
0 Left and right trim
1 Right trim
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The statement converts param and returns a string.
■ If width is a positive number that specifies more positions than are
needed to hold the conversion, param is right-justified in the string and
padded with spaces on the left.
■ If width is a negative number and specifies more positions than are
needed to hold the conversion, param is left-justified in the string and
padded with spaces on the right.
■ Trimming occurs before formatting. If you specify zero width along with
the trim format, enough space is reserved for the result of the trim
operation.

Str (with strings)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
String specification Type Value Result
str (tim_val:8) Time 23:30:02.01 '23:30:02'
str (str_val:8) String 'red' ' red'
str (str_val:-8) String 'red' 'red '
str (str_val:2) String 'red' 're'
str (str_val:-2) String 'red' 're'
str (str_val:0:0) String ' red ' 'red'
str (str_val:0:1) String ' red ' ' red'
str (str_val:0:-1) String ' red ' 'red '
str (str_val:2:0) String ' red ' 're'
str (str_val:2) String ' red ' ' '
str (str_val:-8:-1) String ' red ' 'red '
str (str_val:8:-1) String ' red ' ' red '
str (str_val:8:1) String ' red ' ' red'
KDL Statement Syntax 4-235

Substring
Substring
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-236 Language Reference
Use SUBSTRING to return a substring from a string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
SUBSTRING (str, start [, len])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
str
is a string expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
start
is the position in the string from which copying starts.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
len
is the number of characters to be copied from the string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
If you do not specify len, the substring contains the characters from start to
the end of the string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
string1 = substring (long_str,1,10)
Examples
string2 = substring (long_str,11)

Time
Time
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use TIME to convert a string into the number of one hundredth seconds since
midnight.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
TIME (str)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
str
is a string that contains the time.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The complete format for str is as follows:
'HH:MM:SS.hh'
where HH is the hour, MM is the minute, SS is the second, and hh is
the hundredth second.
■ You do not have to specify the complete format. For example, '12' is
exactly twelve o’clock, and '12:30' is twelve thirty and no seconds.
■ You can use the TIME function in a constraint.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
time ('09:10:43.86')
Examples
time ('10:10:10')
time ('00:01')
time ('23')
time (currenttime)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
DATE
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-237

Trunc
Trunc
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-238 Language Reference
Use TRUNC to truncate a numeric expression to an integer.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
TRUNC (nexpr)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nexpr
is a numeric expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
The fractional part of nexpr is dropped, leaving a whole number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement rounds PRICE to the nearest whole number:
rounded_price = trunc (price +.5)
For example, if price is 4.3, the TRUNC of PRICE+.5 is 4. If price is 4.8, the
TRUNC of PRICE+.5 is 5.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ROUND
See also

Union
Union
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use UNION to find all elements in two or more sets.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
UNION (sexpr, sexpr [, sexpr])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
sexpr
is a set expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ No duplicates are contained in the result.
■ From all matching elements, the most positive certainty factor is
associated with the resulting certainty set element.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
common_err is union (instruction_errors,
bad_interpretation,
stupid_mistakes)
KDL Statement Syntax 4-239

Unknown
Unknown
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-240 Language Reference
Use UNKNOWN to test whether a parameter or slot has a known value.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
{[IS | ARE | =] [NOT | ] UNKNOWN} | {INCLUDES UNKNOWN}
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You can only use the IS UNKNOWN format to test a parameter in a
condition, such as the premise of a rule.
■ If you test a non-structured parameter for IS UNKNOWN, such as an
integer or string, the condition is TRUE if the parameter is processed with
no value or the certainty factor for the parameter is between -0.2 and
+0.2.
■ If you test an empty list or set for IS UNKNOWN, the condition is TRUE.
A list or set is empty if no elements are assigned.
■ If you test a structured parameter, such as a set or record, all elements or
fields must be processed with no value or the certainty factor for each
element or field must be between -0.2 and +0.2 for the condition to be
TRUE. If any elements or fields contain a known value, the condition is
FALSE.
■ You can only use INCLUDES UNKNOWN with lists, sets, or records.
■ If you test an empty set or list for INCLUDES UNKNOWN, the condition
is TRUE.
■ If you test for INCLUDES UNKNOWN and any element or field is
processed with no value or the certainty factor for the element or field is
between -0.2 and +0.2, the condition is TRUE. If all elements or fields
contain known values, the condition is FALSE.
■ If you use UNKNOWN, the inference engine may backward chain to
determine the object’s value, unless it has already processed the object.
To prevent backward chaining when testing for unknown, use
CURRENTVALUE instead.

■ If you use CLEAR with the SOURCING option, the object becomes
UNKNOWN.
Unknown
■ If you delete an instance via a pointer, the pointer becomes UNKNOWN.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
if currentvalue(interest_rate) is unknown then
process(get_irate)
end
if credit_rec includes unknown then
process(get_missing_values)
end
KDL Statement Syntax 4-241

With
With
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-242 Language Reference
Use WITH to change the certainty factor for the premise of a rule or to set the
certainty factor when you add an element to a certainty set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Format 1 Syntax
The WITH statement has two formats. Set the certainty factor for a premise:
bexpr1 WITH bexpr2
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bexpr1
is a Boolean expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bexpr2
is a certainty factor.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Format 2 Syntax
Set the certainty factor for an element of a certainty set:
WITH bexpr2
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
bexpr2
is a certainty factor.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
In Format 1, bexpr2 specifies the certainty factor to use when you test bexpr1.
If bexpr1 is less than bexpr2, the premise evaluates to FALSE with a certainty
factor of -1.0.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
if roi > .15 with cf(0.7) then
add project to high_pri with cf(0.4)
end

WriteStr
WriteStr
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use WRITESTR to copy the contents of fields, parameters, or slots into a file
buffer or string parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
WRITESTR (buffer, [library::]index, [library::]source [,
[library::]source])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
buffer
is a string or a record that contains a single string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter, slot, or instance
exists. The library name is only required when duplicate parameter, slot, or
instance names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
index
is an integer parameter or constant.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
source
is a record, instance, record field, parameter or slot.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Variant records are records from an external file with fields that vary
depending upon the type of record. The record type is stored in the same
position of each record.
■ WRITESTR copies source to buffer. The size of the base type for source
controls the number of bytes transferred.
■ index specifies the beginning location for placement of the data in buffer.
The first location in buffer is 1.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-243

WriteStr
4-244 Language Reference
■ WRITESTR returns the starting position in buffer of the next available
location. If you want to fill buffer sequentially, you can use the return
value to set index, which starts placement of data at that location.
■ AionDS does not backward chain for source.
■ WRITESTR can be used for coercing any data type into a string. This can
be useful in setting up hexadecimal or ASCII data in a knowledge base.
■ When the buffer is longer than the source and you specify an index before
the end of the buffer, the source is appended to the buffer at the index
point and the rest of the buffer is deleted.
■ Specify the NOTRIM attribute for strings that contain NULL values
before other valid values; otherwise the strings are truncated incorrectly.
By default, AionDS terminates input strings at the first NULL value
encountered. When the NOTRIM attribute is used, the string is not
truncated at any NULL value. Also, all leading and trailing blanks are
preserved. Because all leading and trailing blanks are preserved, you
might need to increase the buffer size to accommodate the resulting
string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Consider the following example:
openfile(f,'instance.dat','append')
format = 1
for class(class1),class1_ptr
writestr(f->.data,1,format)
writestr(f->.data,3,class1_ptr->)
putrec(f)
end
format = 2
for class(class2),class2_ptr
writestr(f->.data,1,format)
writestr(f->.data,3,class2_ptr->)
putrec(f)
end
closefile(f)
The base type for F and FORMAT are as follows:
F FORMAT
file of record(noattr) integer(noattr,2)
data is string(22)
end

WriteStr
The base types of the slots can be anything as long as the total size does not
exceed 20 bytes, which is the size remaining in DATA starting in position 3.
In this example, instances do not contain a FORMAT code. The FORMAT is
placed in the buffer starting at position 1. For each instance, The instance is
placed in the buffer starting at position 3. Pointers are used to refer to the
instances.
Consider the following example that moves binary zeros into the string
parameter LOW-VALUES:
bin_zero = o
writestr(low_values,1,bin_zero)
The base type for the parameters are as follows:
LOW-VALUES BIN_ZERO
string integer(2, noattr)
The WRITESTR command coerces the integer formatted as a binary 2-byte
number into the LOW-VALUES string. The resulting value of LOW-VALUES is
X'0000' (that is, 2 bytes of binary zeros).
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
READSTR
See also
KDL Statement Syntax 4-245

XOR
XOR
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
4-246 Language Reference
Use XOR to return the logical EXCLUSIVE OR of two Boolean expressions
or bitwise EXCLUSIVE OR of two integer expressions.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr1 XOR expr2
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr1
is an integer or Boolean expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr
is an integer or Boolean expression.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ Both expressions must be the same type.
■ If the expressions are integers, AionDS executes a bitwise comparison to
test each bit of expr1 against the corresponding bit in expr2.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
value xor switch
Example
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
AND, BIN, HEX, OR
See also

KDL syntax summary by data type
KDL syntax summary by data type
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
The following sections summarize KDL statements by the data types or
objects that you can use with the statements:
■ Numeric, string, Boolean, date, and time data types
■ Integers and reals
■ Strings
■ Booleans
■ Dates and times
■ Lists
■ Sets
■ Certainty sets
KDL Statement Syntax 4-247

KDL syntax summary by data type
Numeric, string, Boolean, date, and time data types
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
4-248 Language Reference
The following statements can be used with numeric, string, Boolean, date,
and time data types.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr = expr
Comparison
operations
expr IS expr
expr expr
expr IS NOT expr
expr ARE NOT expr
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param = val_ref
Assignment
operations
param IS val_ref
param ARE val_ref
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param = UNKNOWN
Test for unknown
param IS UNKNOWN
param ARE UNKNOWN
param UNKNOWN
param IS NOT UNKNOWN
param ARE NOT UNKNOWN

Integers and reals
KDL syntax summary by data type
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
The following statements can be used with numeric parameters or slots.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param > nexpr
Constraint
operations
param >= nexpr
param < nexpr
param nexpr
More comparison
operations
nexpr >= nexpr
nexpr < nexpr
nexpr

KDL syntax summary by data type
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ABS (nexpr)
Numeric functions
4-250 Language Reference
ARCTAN (nexpr)
COS (nexpr)
DATE (INTEGER,day,month,year)
EXP (nexpr)
LN (nexpr)
MAX (nexpr, nexpr [, nexpr ...])
MIN (nexpr,nexpr [, nexpr ...])
ROUND (nexpr)
SIN (nexpr)
SQR (nexpr)
SQRT (nexpr)
STR ([library::]number [:width [:right]])
STR ([library::]number [:width [:base]])
TRUNC (nexp)

Strings
KDL syntax summary by data type
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
The following statements can be used with string parameters or slots.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param IS FROM (stexpr, stexpr [,strexpr ...])
Constraint
operations
param ARE FROM (stexpr, stexpr [,strexpr...])
param IS NOT FROM (stexpr, stexpr [,strexpr...])
param ARE NOT FROM (stexpr, stexpr [,strexpr...])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
strexpr > strexpr
More comparison
operations
strexpr >= strexpr
strexpr < strexpr
strexpr

KDL syntax summary by data type
Booleans
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
4-252 Language Reference
The following statements can be used with Boolean parameters and slots.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr > expr
More comparison
operations
expr >= expr
expr < expr
expr

Dates and times
KDL syntax summary by data type
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
The following statements can be used with dates and times.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr > expr
More comparison
operations
expr >= expr
expr < expr
expr

KDL syntax summary by data type
Lists
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
4-254 Language Reference
The following statements can be used with list parameters or slots.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr INCLUDES element
More comparison
operations
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ADD item TO [library::]param
More assignment
operations
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
APPEND (target, lexpr [, lexpr ...])
List operations
ASORT (expr [ON key])
DELETE (param,index)
DSORT (expr [ON key])
FIRST num OF lexpr
INDEX (expr1 expr2 [, iexpr])
LAST num OF lexpr
SIZE (expr)
param(nexpr) identifies an element in a list.

Sets
KDL syntax summary by data type
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
The following statements can be used with set parameters.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
More comparison
operations
expr INCLUDES element
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ADD item TO [library::]param
More assignment
operations
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ASORT (expr [ON key])
Set operations
DELETE (param,index)
DIFFERENCE (set_expr, set_expr [, set_expr] ...)
DSORT (expr [ON key])
INDEX (expr1 expr2 [, iexpr])
INTERSECTION (sexpr, sexpr [, sexpr])
SIZE (expr)
UNION (sexpr, sexpr [, sexpr])
param(nexpr) identifies an element in a set.
KDL Statement Syntax 4-255

KDL syntax summary by data type
Certainty sets
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
4-256 Language Reference
The following statements can be used with certainty sets.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
expr INCLUDES element
More comparison
operations
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ADD item TO param [WITH CF(val)]
More assignment
operations
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CF([cert_no * ] AES_CF)
Certainty operations
CF(nexpr)
CERTAINTY (bexpr)
CSORT (csexpr)
bexpr1 WITH bexpr2
WITH bexpr2
param(nexpr) identifies an element in a certainty set.

Summary of additional KDL statement syntax
Summary of additional KDL statement syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
The following sections summarize the KDL syntax:
■ Control statements
■ Agenda statements
■ Object processing statements
■ Consultation monitor statements
■ AES statements
■ Other statements
KDL Statement Syntax 4-257

Summary of additional KDL statement syntax
Control statements
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Summary
ASK ([library::]param | inst_ref | [inst_ref.]slot |
CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS [,s_option])
4-258 Language Reference
BESTVALUE (expr)
BREAK
BREAKIF bool_expr
dest = source BYNAME
CLEAR ([library::]param | inst_ref | [inst_ref.]slot [,
CONSTRAINT | SOURCING])
CURRENTVALUE (expr)
EXITSTATE [(state)]
FINALVALUE (expr)
FOR param = low_val TO high_val stmts END
FOR expr, param stmts END
FOR expr stmts END
FOR [CLASS ([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS], cl_param
stmts END
FORWARDCHAIN [([ORDERBY (sequence, ...)] [, STOPWHEN
(condition)])]
IF condition THEN stmts [ELSEIF condition THEN stmts ... ]
[ELSE stmts] [END]
LOOP stmts END
RETURN [(arg)]
SOURCEVALUE (expr)

Agenda statements
Summary of additional KDL statement syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
FUNCTION (name [, option])
Summary
GRAPH (name [, option ...])
GROUP (name [, option ...])
MESSAGE (name [, option ...])
PARAMETER ([library::]name [, option ...])
PROCESS (name [, option ...])
REPORT (name [, option ...])
SLOT ([library::]name [, option ...])
STATE [(name [, option])]
KDL Statement Syntax 4-259

Summary of additional KDL statement syntax
Object processing statements
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Summary
ASORT (lexpr | CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS
[ON prop [, prop ... ]])
4-260 Language Reference
CREATE(CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS |
[library::]classname [,instance [WITH assertion
[, assertion ...]]])
DELETE([library::]classname[(inst_id)] | pointer-> |
CURRENT)
DSORT (lexpr | CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS
[ON prop [, prop ... ]])
EXISTS (CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS |
[library::]classname [WITH bool_expr])
IFMATCH [library::]classname1 WITH boolexpr
....
[library::]classnameN WITH boolexpr
[[library::]classname1, [...,] [library::]classnameN
with boolexpr]
[[NOT] EXISTS ([library::]classname |
CLASS([library::]classname)
WITH boolexpr)
[ORDERBY (intexpr)]
THEN
actions
[END]
NAMEOF([library::]classname[(inst_id)] | pointer-> |
CURRENT)
SELECTALL (CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS
[WITH bool_expr])
SELECTONE (CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS
[WITH bool_expr])
SEND (method TO CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS
[WITH valuelist])
SEND (method TO [library::]classname[(inst_id)] | pointer->
| CURRENT | inst_nm [WITH valuelist])
SEND (method UP [WITH valuelist])

Consultation monitor statements
Summary of additional KDL statement syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CM(ADD, [library::]type(name) [, append])
Summary
CM(BEEP)
CM(DELETE, [library::]type(name))
CM(ERROR, handle, err_str, [beep])
CM(GETCOORDINATES, row [, col])
CM(GETCURSOR, handle [, row[, col]])
CM(GETDIMENSIONS, handle, height, width)
CM(GETINFO, handle, name [, window[, part]])
CM(GETOUTLINECOLOR, handle, char [, cell [, bright
[, blink]]])
CM(GETPOSITION, handle, row, col)
CM(GETSTATUS, handle, status, [err_str])
CM(GETTEXT, handle, text)
CM(GETTEXTCOLOR, handle, char [, cell [, bright [, blink]]])
CM(GETTITLECOLOR, handle, char [, cell [, bright
[, blink]]])
CM(GETTITLEPOSITION, handle, row, col)
CM(GETWINDOW, handle, type(name) [, window [, part]])
CM(GETWINDOWLIST, handle_list [, window])
CM(GETWORD, word)
CM(POPUP, [library::]type(name))
CM(SETCURSOR, handle [, row [, col]])
CM(SETDIMENSIONS, handle, height, width)
KDL Statement Syntax 4-261

Summary of additional KDL statement syntax
4-262 Language Reference
CM(SETOUTLINECOLOR, handle, char [, cell [, bright
[, blink]]])
CM(SETPOSITION, handle, row, col)
CM(SETTEXTCOLOR, handle, char [, cell [, bright [, blink]]])
CM(SETTITLECOLOR, handle, char [, cell [, bright
[, blink]]])
CM(SETTITLEPOSITION, handle, row, col)
CM(SYSTEM, function)

AES statements
Summary of additional KDL statement syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
AES (ABORT [, bool_expr])
Summary
AES (BREAK [, bool_expr])
AES (CHAIN, chain_var [, bool_expr])
AES (ERROR, error_no [, bool_expr])
AES (EXITCODE, exitcode [, bool_expr])
AES (PROFILE, option, value [, bool_expr])
AES (TITLE, title [, bool_expr])
AES (TRACELEVEL [, trace_lev [, bool_expr]])
AES (WRITELOG, ret_code, output_str [, bool_expr])
AES (WRITETRACE, trace_str [, bool_expr])
KDL Statement Syntax 4-263

Summary of additional KDL statement syntax
Other statements
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
/* comment */
Summary
4-264 Language Reference
DBMS (option, CLASS([library::]classname) | CURRENTCLASS |
[library::]classname)
READSTR (buffer, [library::]index, [library::]dest
[, [library::]dest])
SET (obj_type([library::]obj_name),prop(value))
WRITESTR (buffer, [library::]index, [library::]source
[, [library::]source])

Chapter 5
Text Substitution Language
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Introduction
Use the Text Substitution Language (TSL) to display text during a
consultation. TSL provides formatting commands to control the appearance
of text you display. For example, you can set margins and center text. TSL
can also include parameter and slot values and instance names in your text.
In character-based AionDS, you can use the PREVIEW command to see how
your TSL text will look when it is presented to the user. This command
generates sample TSL output which AionDS displays in the Preview Monitor.
For more information: See the AionDS User’s Guide (Character-Based) for
information on previewing TSL at edit time.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
In this chapter
Topic Page
Properties that accept TSL 5-2
Displaying plain text 5-4
Displaying simple parameter and slot values 5-5
Displaying slot values 5-29
Displaying values from multiple instances 5-31
Displaying pointer values 5-34
Displaying lists and sets 5-40
Displaying records 5-49
Using functions in TSL 5-52
Sending messages to classes and instances from TSL 5-55
Setting up uniform defaults and headers 5-60
Summary of TSL substitution 5-62
Text Substitution Language 5-1

Properties that accept TSL
Properties that accept TSL
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
List of properties
5-2 Language Reference
The following properties use the formatting and substitution capabilities of
TSL.
Property Found in
Constraint Parameters and Slots
Description Displays, Functions, Graphs, Groups, Messages,
Parameters, Processes, Reports, Rules, Slots, and States
Explain Messages, Parameters, and Slots
Footer Reports
Heading Graphs
Message Text Messages
Prompt Parameters and Slots
Report Text Reports
Sub-Heading Graphs
Text Screen Editor, Window Properties Editor
Title Reports, Window Properties Editor
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
The WindowObject
class hierarchy
You can also use TSL in the titles and descriptive text for certain user
interface objects in the WindowObject class hierarchy. The WindowObject
class hierarchy is used to build graphical knowledge bases. The following
table lists the classes and slots that accept TSL.
Except for the TextWindow’s Text slot, you cannot specify TSL commands
used to format multiple lines (such as &BR (line break) and &SK (skip lines))
in these windows’ slots, because the text can be displayed only on a single
line. To use TSL to format multiple lines in the TextWindow, you must
select the Mult-Line style.

Class Slot
CheckBox Text
DialogBox Title
GroupBox Title
RadioButton Text
StandardWindow Title
TextWindow Text
Properties that accept TSL
Text Substitution Language 5-3

Displaying plain text
Displaying plain text
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
5-4 Language Reference
If you do not use any TSL commands, AionDS formats text to appear exactly
as it appears in the property of an object. For example, the following string
in the Prompt property of a parameter displays exactly as it appears in the
property window:
What is the amount of the purchase?
You can use TSL commands to specify formatting such as filled or justified
paragraphs, margins, tabs, indents, tables, and page headers and footers.
For more information: See Chapter 6, “TSL Commands,” regarding TSL
commands.

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Specifying object
name
In TSL, you specify substitution of a parameter or slot name with its value by
placing a percent sign ( % ) in front of the name. For example, you can
display the value of CREDIT_LIMIT in the following manner:
The new credit limit is %credit_limit.
The statement above uses the default format to display CREDIT_LIMIT. The
default format for the value depends upon the data type of the parameter.
For example, if the data type of the parameter is real, TSL displays the value
with two places after the decimal point and a comma every three digits to the
left of the decimal point as illustrated below:
The new credit limit is 12,000.00.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Unknown values
If CREDIT_LIMIT is UNKNOWN, TSL substitutes the word UNKNOWN,
regardless of the data type for the parameter or slot:
The new credit limit is Unknown.
Tip: You can specify a different string for unknown values using the TSL
command &UND.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Default formatting
In default substitution, all values are left justified, and all values except dates
and times are displayed without any surrounding spaces. Dates and times
have a single space on the left if the day or hour is only one digit (1-9).
You can change the format of a value either by specifying a new default for its
data type or by using specific formatting instructions for the individual value.
See the following sections for specific information about the default formats
for particular data types.
Text Substitution Language 5-5

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Displaying a colon
5-6 Language Reference
TSL uses the colon ( : ) in formatted substitution. If you want to display a
colon, you must precede it with the ampersand ( & ). The following example
prints a colon after the value for CUST_NO:
Credit limit for %cust_no&: %credit_limit
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Using predefined
parameters
Note that you can also display the values of AionDS predefined parameters,
such as AES_TITLE. You display these parameters using the percent sign,
exactly as you would display parameters you define in your knowledge base.
For more information: For more information about predefined
parameters, see the AionDS General Reference.

Associating text with parameters and slots
Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Using plain text
You can associate text with a parameter or slot in two ways. One way is to
surround the parameter or slot with the text that you want to associate with
the parameter or slot. Consider the following TSL statements:
Old credit limit: %old_limit:10:2 %last_update:11
Amount of purchase: %new_purchase:10:2
New credit limit: %credit_limit:10:2
The statements result in the following message:
Old credit limit: 10000.00 1-Jan-1990
Amount of purchase: 500.00
New credit limit: 12000.00
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Using angle brackets
The other way is to identify the parameter or slot, enclose the text in angle
brackets ( < > ), and use the percent sign ( % ) to indicate placement of the
parameter or slot value. The following examples show this format:
%old_limit %last_update
%new_purchase
%credit_limit
The output is exactly the same as the first method. The percent sign ( % )
inside the angle brackets causes substitution of the parameter to the left of the
angle brackets. The number of spaces between the parameter or slot name
and the opening angle bracket is irrelevant. The spacing inside a pair of angle
brackets, however, controls positioning of the text.
The formatting of a parameter or slot is associated with the percent sign
inside the angle brackets. If no formatting commands are associated with the
percent sign, TSL uses the default format for the data type.
Text Substitution Language 5-7

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Nesting inside
brackets
5-8 Language Reference
The TSL inside the angle brackets can contain other parameters or slots. For
example, you can use the following TSL text to display the values for
OLD_LIMIT and LAST_UPDATE together.
%old_limit
If you want to display a parameter or slot value more than once, you can
repeat the percent sign within the angle brackets. For example, the following
TSL statement displays the date on the left and right sides of a message:
%last_update
The angle bracket format is especially useful with Boolean or structured
parameters or slots.

String values
Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Default format
The default format for displaying string values is to display the string without
formatting and without any surrounding spaces. For example, if
CUST_NAME is a string parameter that contains the value MARGARET
MCAFEE, the following statement:
Account summary for %cust_name.
produces the result:
Account summary for Margaret McAfee.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Changing the format
You may specify a different format using the following syntax.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param:[-]width
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate parameter names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
is the name of the parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
width
is the number of positions for the display.
Text Substitution Language 5-9

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
5-10 Language Reference
■ The minus sign ( - ) in front of width specifies left justification of the
parameter value. Right justification is the default.
■ If the value can be displayed in less space than width positions, the value
is padded with blanks. Padding occurs on the left when you use right
justification, and on the right when you use left justification.
■ If the value cannot be displayed in width positions, it is truncated on the
right to display within width characters.
■ If width is 0, TSL uses the default substitution format with no
surrounding spaces.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
In the following examples, the delta symbol ( ) represents a blank space.
TSL Parameter value Display
%cust_name:9 AionDS AionDS
%cust_name:-9 AionDS AionDS
%cust_name:9 Aion Development System Aion Deve

Integer values
Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Default format
For integer values, the default format is to display the number without
formatting. For example, if CREDIT_LIMIT is an integer parameter with the
value 12,000, the following statement:
The new credit limit is %credit_limit.
produces the result:
The new credit limit is 12000.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Changing the format You can specify the format for an individual parameter using one of the two
following syntaxes. You can change the default format for all integer values
within a property by using the TSL command &IDF.
For more information: See Chapter 6, “TSL Commands,” for information
about this command.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param:[-]width
Syntax 1
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate parameter names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
is the name of the parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
width
is the number of positions for the display.
Text Substitution Language 5-11

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
5-12 Language Reference
■ The minus sign ( - ) in front of width specifies left justification of the
parameter value. Right justification is the default.
■ If the value can be displayed in less space than width positions, the value
is padded with blanks. Padding occurs on the left when you use right
justification, and on the right when you use left justification.
■ If the value cannot be displayed in width positions, the number displays
in as many positions as required for the display.
■ If width is 0, TSL uses the default substitution format, specifically, left
justified without any surrounding spaces.
■ Because of the similar syntax for displaying integers in hexadecimal or
binary format, if you want to display a colon after an integer substitution,
you must use the &: command. For example, the following TSL
statement prints the value of CUST_NO in the default format, followed by
a colon and the number 16.
%cust_no:0&:16
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
In the following examples, the delta symbol ( ) represents a blank space.
TSL Parameter value Display
%cust_no:10 1000 1000
%cust_no:-10 1000 1000
%cust_no:10 -1000 -1000
%cust_no:-10 -1000 -1000
%cust_no:2 1000 1000
%cust_no:4&:16 1000 1000:16
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%param:'mask'[:'mask']
Syntax 2
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
is the name of the parameter.

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
mask
is a valid mask for integers.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The first mask specifies the mask for positive numbers.
■ The second, optional mask specifies the mask for negative numbers. If no
second mask is specified, the negative mask defaults to be the same as the
positive mask, except that a minus sign is substituted for the first
character.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Displaying numbers in hexadecimal and binary
The first example below shows a five-digit integer mask that displays a zero if
there is no digit in the ones place and blank spaces if there are no digits in
any other place. The second example uses the same mask for a negative
number. The third example is a mask for hexadecimal digits. The delta
symbol ( in the third column represents a blank space.
TSL Parameter value Display
%cust_no:'99990' 1000 1000
%cust_no:'99990' -1000 -1000
%acct_id:'HHHH' FFFFFABC hex FABC
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
You can display integer values in hexadecimal or binary format using either
Syntax 2 above or the following syntax.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param:width:nfmt
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate parameter names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
Text Substitution Language 5-13

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
5-14 Language Reference
is the name of the parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
width
is the number of positions for the display.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nfmt
is one of the following constants:
2 specifies a binary display.
10 specifies a decimal display.
16 specifies a hexadecimal display.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ If you specify numeric base, including decimal, the display is right
justified and filled with leading zeros.
■ If you want to display a colon immediately after an integer parameter,
you must precede the colon with an ampersand (&). For example, the
following statement prints a colon after the value of the parameter INT.
%int:0&:
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
TSL Parameter value Display
%int:4:16 1961 07A9
%int:0:2 1961 11110101001
%int:4&:16 1961 1961:16

Real values
Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Default format
For real number values, the default format is to display the number with a
decimal point, two digits to the right of the decimal point, and a comma
every three digits to the left of the decimal point. For example, if
CREDIT_LIMIT is a real parameter with the value 12,000, the following
statement:
The new credit limit is %credit_limit.
produces the result:
The new credit limit is 12,000.00.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Changing the format You can change the default format for all real values within a property of a
display object. You do this with the TSL command &RDF.
For more information: See Chapter 6, “TSL Commands,” about this
command.
You can specify the format for an individual parameter using one of the two
following syntaxes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param:[-]width[:precision]
Syntax 1
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate parameter names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
is the name of the parameter.
Text Substitution Language 5-15

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
width
5-16 Language Reference
is the number of positions for the display.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
precision
is the number of digits to the right of the decimal point.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The minus sign ( - ) in front of width specifies left justification of the
parameter value. Right justification is the default.
■ If you specify precision, the number is formatted in fixed point notation
without commas, such as 1000.00.
■ If you do not specify precision, the number is formatted in exponential
notation, in at least nine character positions, as shown in the following
example:
9.9E±999
The delta ( ) is a blank that is reserved for the sign of a negative
number. The exponent is always represented in three digits.
■ If the value can be displayed in less space than width positions, the value
is padded with blanks. Padding occurs on the left when you use right
justification, and on the right when you use left justification.
■ If the value cannot be displayed in width positions, the number displays
in as many positions as required for the display.
■ If width is 0, TSL uses the default substitution format: a decimal point,
two digits to the right of the decimal point, and a comma every three
digits to the left of the decimal point.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
In the following examples, the delta symbol ( ) represents a blank space.
TSL Parameter value Display
%credit_limit:10 1000 1.00E+003
%credit_limit:10 -1000 -1.00E+003
%credit_limit:10:2 -1000 -1000.00
%credit_limit:6:2 -1000 -1000.00

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param:'mask'[:'mask']
Syntax 2
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate parameter names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
is the name of the parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
mask
is a valid mask for reals.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The first mask specifies the mask for positive numbers.
■ The second, optional mask specifies the mask for negative numbers. If no
second mask is specified, the negative mask defaults to be the same as the
positive mask, except that a minus sign is substituted for the first
character.
Text Substitution Language 5-17

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
5-18 Language Reference
The following examples specify masks for both positive and negative
numbers. In the first two examples, the N character causes the dollar sign to
be displayed next to the first digit, regardless of how many digits are in the
number. The zeros specify that a zero be displayed if there is no digit in that
position. In the third and fourth examples, the dollar sign is always printed
in the leftmost position. In the last example, if there are no digits right of the
decimal point, no decimal point or trailing zeros are displayed.
The delta symbol ( ) represents a blank space.
TSL Parameter
value
Display
%balance:'$NNNN0.00':'-$NNN0.00' 1000.0 $1000.00
%balance:'$NNNN0.00':'-$NNN0.00' -1000.0 -$1000.00
%balance:'$99990.00':'-$9990.00' 1000.0 $1000.00
%balance:'$99990.00':'-$9990.00' -1000.0 -$1000.00
%balance:'$NNNN.NN':'-$NNN.NN' 1000.0 $1000

Date values
Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Default format
For date values, the default display format shows the day, month, and year as
in 1-Jan-91, where the delta ( ) is a blank.
You can change the default format for all date values within a property of a
display object. You do this with the TSL command &DDF.
You can specify the format for an individual parameter using one of the two
following syntaxes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param:[-]width
Syntax 1
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate parameter names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
is the name of the parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
width
is the number of positions for the display.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The minus sign ( - ) in front of width specifies left justification of the
parameter value. Right justification is the default.
■ If the value can be displayed in less space than width positions, the value
is padded with blanks. Padding occurs on the left when you use right
justification, and on the right when you use left justification.
■ If the value of cannot be displayed in width positions, it is truncated on
the right to display within width characters.
Text Substitution Language 5-19

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
5-20 Language Reference
■ If width is 0, TSL uses the default substitution format specified by the
&DDF command.
For more information: For more information about this command,
see Chapter 6, “TSL Commands.”

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
In the following examples, the delta symbol ( ) represents a blank space.
TSL Parameter value Display
%last_update:-12 July 4, 1990 4-jul-1990
%last_update:12 July 4, 1990 4-jul-1990
%last_update:6 July 4, 1990 4-jul
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param[:dfmt]:'mask'
Syntax 2
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate parameter names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
is the name of the parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
dfmt
is one of the following options:
D specifies use of a date mask to display dates.
J specifies Julian date display, which is the number of days since the
beginning of the year, inclusive.
A specifies display of dates as the number of days since January 1, 1900,
inclusive.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
mask
is a valid mask for either dates or integers.
Text Substitution Language 5-21

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
5-22 Language Reference
■ If you do not specify dfmt, the default is D.
■ If you specify the D option or do not specify dfmt, you must use a date
mask.
■ If you specify either the J or A options, you must use an integer mask.
For more information: See the &DDF and &IDF commands in Chapter 6,
“TSL Commands,” for information about date and integer masks in TSL.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following example uses a date mask to print the full name of the month,
a comma, a space, and then a four-digit year. The delta symbol ( ) in the
third column represents a blank space.
TSL Parameter
value
Display
%last_update:d:'NN1, Z' 3-Sep-89 September,1989

Time values
Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Default format
For time values, the default display format is two digits for hours, a colon,
two digits for minutes, and the string AM or PM, as in 9:30pm.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Changing the format You can change the default format for all time values within a property. You
do this with the TSL command &TDF.
For more information: See Chapter 6, “TSL Commands,” for information
about the &TDF command.
You can specify the format for an individual parameter using one of the two
following syntaxes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param:[-]width
Syntax 1
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate parameter names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
is the name of the parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
width
is the number of positions for the display.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The minus sign ( - ) in front of width specifies left justification of the
parameter value. Right justification is the default.
■ In addition to using the specified justification and width, TSL uses the
following display format: HH:MM:SS.hh, as in 14:30:00.00.
Text Substitution Language 5-23

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
5-24 Language Reference
■ If the value can be displayed in less space than width positions, the value
is padded with blanks. Padding occurs on the left when you use right
justification, and on the right when you use left justification. In
addition, if the hour is less than 10, a single zero (0) is printed
immediately before the hour.
■ If the value of cannot be displayed in width positions, it is truncated on
the right to display within width characters.
■ If width is 0, TSL uses the default substitution format, as in 12:30pm.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
In the following examples, the delta symbol () represents a blank space.
TSL Parameter value Display
%trans_time:11 4:30pm 16:30:00.00
%trans_time:8 4:30pm 16:30:00
%trans_time:5 4:30pm 16:30
%trans_time:11 2:30am 02:30:00.00
%trans_time:5 2:30am 02:30
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param[:tfmt]:'mask'
Syntax 2
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate parameter names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
is the name of the parameter.

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
tfmt
is one of the following options:
T specifies use of a time mask to display times.
H specifies time in hours since midnight.
M specifies time in minutes since midnight.
S specifies time in seconds since midnight.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
mask
is a valid mask for either times or reals.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ If you do not specify tfmt, the default is T.
■ If you specify the T option or do not specify tfmt, you must use a time
mask.
■ If you specify either the H, M, or S options, you must use a real number
mask.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The first example below uses a time mask to specify the hour in a 12-hour
format, followed by a space and the string O’CLOCK. The second example
uses a real number mask to display the time as the number of minutes since
midnight, and allows five spaces for the display.
TSL Parameter value Display
%t:t:'H o''clock' 12:05pm 12o'clock
%t:m:'99990' 12:05pm 725
Text Substitution Language 5-25

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
Boolean values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Default format
5-26 Language Reference
The default format for displaying Boolean values is either YES, NO, or
UNKNOWN, without any surrounding spaces. For example, if CREDIT_OK is
a Boolean parameter with the value TRUE, the following statement:
Credit ok: %credit_ok.
produces the result:
Credit ok: Yes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Changing the format
You may specify a different format using the following syntax.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param:[-]width
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate parameter names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
param
is the name of the parameter.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
width
is the number of positions for the display.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The minus sign ( - ) in front of width specifies left justification of the
parameter value. Right justification is the default.
■ If the value can be displayed in less space than width positions, the value
is padded with blanks. Padding occurs on the left when you use right
justification, and on the right when you use left justification.

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
■ If the value cannot be displayed in width positions, it is truncated on the
right to display within width characters.
■ If width is 0, TSL uses the default substitution format: YES, NO, or
UNKNOWN.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Associating Text With Booleans
In the following examples, the delta symbol ( ) represents a blank space.
TSL Parameter value Display
%credit_ok:1 true y
%credit_ok:-10 false no
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
Up to three sets of text in angle brackets can be associated with a Boolean.
The sets specify the text that AionDS displays when the Boolean is true,
unknown, or false, respectively. For example, you can replace the default
output from a Boolean with the following TSL statement:
%credit_ok .
When AionDS executes the statement, one of the three messages appears:
is ok.
is not known.
was not ok as of 27-Aug-90.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
There are three formats for associating text with Booleans:
%[library::]Boolean_param
%[library::]Boolean_param
%[library::]Boolean_param
Text Substitution Language 5-27

Displaying simple parameter and slot values
5-28 Language Reference
library is the name of the included library in which the parameter
exists. The library name is only required when duplicate
parameter names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
If the value of a Boolean is not specified, AionDS does not display anything.
This is equivalent to the following formats:
%[library::]Boolean_param
%[library::]Boolean_param
%[library::]Boolean_param
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Certainty factor
You can display a Boolean in numeric format with the following TSL
statement:
%[library::]Boolean_param
library is the name of the included library in which the parameter
exists. The library name is only required when duplicate
parameter names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
In this case, AionDS displays the certainty factor for the Boolean as a number
between -1.00 and 1.00, inclusive.
For more information: See Appendix A, “Certainty,” about certainty
factors.

Displaying slot values
Displaying slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
You can use TSL to display the values for any or all slots in an instance of a
class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Displaying all slot
values
You can display all slot values associated with an instance by specifying the
instance name. If you do not include formatting specifications, AionDS uses
the default format for each data value and for the instance as a whole.
For more information: The default formats for individual data types are
explained in the “Displaying simple parameter and slot values” section on
page 5-5.
The default format for an instance as a whole is to list each slot and value
followed by a comma, except for the last slot and value. The last slot and
value are preceded by the word AND.
The following example uses the default substitution for the instance of
ACCOUNTS specified in the INSTANCE_NAME parameter:
%accounts(%instance_name)
It displays in default format, giving the name and value for each slot.
acct_no: 1000, name: John Doe, location: San Francisco,
CA and acct_balance: 10,000.00
To print the values in the slots of a static instance, you can specify the
instance name directly. For example, if INSTANCE_NAME contained the
string a1001, the following statement produces the same result:
%accounts(a1001)
Text Substitution Language 5-29

Displaying slot values
5-30 Language Reference
You need not include the class name in your TSL statement if no other object
in scope has the same name. For example, the following two TSL statements
achieve the same result. They both print the values of the static instance
named CH14205.
%ch14205
%accounts(ch14205)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Displaying individual
slot values
If you do not want to print all slot values, or if you want to specify the format
for individual slot values, you can use slot names in the TSL statement. For
example, you can display the values of ACCT_NO, NAME, and
ACCT_BALANCE with the following statement:
%accounts(%instance_name)
You can override the default format of a slot value by specifying the format
after the slot name. In the following example, the Real Default Format
statement controls the display of ACCT_BALANCE. The formats specified for
ACCT_NO and NAME override the default integer and string formats.
&rdf(10,2,c)
%accounts(%instance_name)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Displaying values in
the current instance
When a message object in a class executes, the instance to which the message
was sent is the current instance. You can display the current instance with
the %CURRENT statement, as follows:
%current
You can display the data for specific slots of the current instance without
specifying the class or instance names, as follows:
%acct_no %name

Displaying values from multiple instances
Displaying values from multiple instances
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Displaying a class
You can display all values in all instances of a class with one TSL statement.
To display an entire class in the default format, use the percent sign ( % )
followed by the name of the class. For example, to display all slot values for
all instances in the ACCOUNTS class, you can use the following TSL
statement:
%accounts
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Displaying current
class
When a message is sent to a class or to an instance of a class, that class is
called the current class. You can display the current class with the
%CURRENTCLASS operator, as follows:
%currentclass
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Specifying slots
If you do not want to print all slot values, or if you want to specify the format
for individual slots, you can use slot names in the TSL statement. The
following example displays the values of the slots ACCT_NO and NAME for
every instance in the class ACCOUNTS. Each instance is displayed on a
separate line.
%accounts
The following list explains each part of the statement above, from outer
sections inward and from left to right:
■ %ACCOUNTS < ... > prints all instances of the class ACCOUNTS according
to the format specified in the brackets.
■ % < ... > prints each instance according to the format specified in the
angle brackets.
■ %ACCT_NO prints the value of the slot ACCT_NO in the default format.
The blank space following %ACCT_NO prints a blank space after the
value.
Text Substitution Language 5-31

Displaying values from multiple instances
5-32 Language Reference
■ %NAME prints the value of the slot NAME.
■ &BR starts a new line after each instance.
You can print slot values throughout a class in the default format with the
syntax %classname.slotname. This format displays all values of the specified
slot, separated by commas. Before the last value, AionDS inserts the word
AND, rather than a comma. For example, the following statement displays all
values for the NAME slot:
%accounts.name
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Formatting
You can use colon formatting or angle brackets to format individual values.
Even if you format the individual values, this syntax always separates the
values with commas and the word AND, except within the &TBL command.
This syntax is specialized within the &TBL command to print slot values in a
table.
For more information: See “&TBL” in Chapter 6, “TSL Commands.”

Using Boolean criteria to display instances
Displaying values from multiple instances
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
If a class contains a Boolean slot, you can use this Boolean value to select
which instances are displayed. The TSL statement to accomplish this is called
a constrained class reference.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following slots in the ACCOUNT class:
acct_no
name
location
acct_balance
overdue
The OVERDUE slot is a Boolean. You can use the following TSL statement to
display the instances in ACCOUNTS in which OVERDUE is true, printing one
instance per line:
%accounts(with overdue)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Multiple Booleans
You can use multiple Booleans. For example, if the ACCOUNTS class contains
another Boolean, LARGELOAN, you can use both slots to limit which accounts
are displayed. The following statement displays accounts that have large
loans and are overdue:
%accounts(with overdue)(with largeloan)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Specifying slots
The above examples display all slot values for each instance shown. You can
limit both the instances and slots displayed by using the Booleans and by
specifying the slot names in the TSL statement. The following statement
displays the name and balance for overdue accounts:
%accounts(with overdue)
Text Substitution Language 5-33

Displaying pointer values
Displaying pointer values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
5-34 Language Reference
You can use TSL to display parameter and slot values whose base type is
POINTER. A pointer identifies an instance. You can use pointers to display
the names of instances and to print their slot values.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Displaying an
instance name
You can print the full name of an instance by referring to the name of the
parameter or slot. For example, the value of the parameter PTR is a pointer to
an instance of the class TRUCK. The following TSL text prints the name of
the instance of TRUCK to which PTR refers:
%ptr
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Specifying text
The following statement prints the instance name surrounded by text:
Truck %ptr has been selected.
The following statement uses a different syntax than the example above, but
produces the same result:
%ptr

Displaying slot values using pointers
Displaying pointer values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
It is important to remember that a pointer is not an instance, but something
that refers to an instance. You can work with a pointer itself, as a reference to
an instance, or you can use the pointer to work with the instance. If you
want to work with the instance itself, you must dereference the pointer.
Dereferencing a pointer means using the pointer to find the instance, and
then working with the instance directly.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Displaying slot values
To display slot values by means of pointers, you must dereference the pointer.
In TSL, you dereference a pointer with the asterisk ( * ) character.
The following example prints all the slot names and values of the instance
referred to by PTR, using the default format:
%ptr*
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Specifying slots
The following example prints the value of the DESTINATION slot:
%ptr*.destination
The following example prints slot values of DESTINATION and DRIVER of the
instance referred to by PTR:
%ptr*
Text Substitution Language 5-35

Displaying pointer values
Displaying lists or sets of pointers
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Displaying instance
names
5-36 Language Reference
If a parameter or slot contains a list or set of pointers, you can display the full
names of all instances in the following manner:
%ptr_list
In the above example, PTR_LIST is the name of a parameter whose type is a
list of pointers. This prints the full names of all instances referred to by the
values of PTR_LIST.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Displaying slot values
To display slot values for the instances of a pointer list, you must dereference
the pointers using the asterisk ( * ) character. The following example displays
all slot values for every instance to which PTR_LIST points. AionDS uses the
default format for the entire list and for each slot because no other formats are
specified.
%ptr_list*
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Specifying a slot
To print specific slot values, you must dereference the pointers and specify
which slots to display. The following example prints the values of SLOT1 for
every instance. The &BR command specifies that each value of SLOT1 be
printed on a separate line.
%ptr_list
You can use this syntax to print the values from one slot for every instance.
This syntax is not appropriate for displaying the values from more than one
slot because the index counter of the list is incremented as the last step of the
%*.SLOT1 statement.

Displaying pointer values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Specifying multiple
slots
To display more than one slot, use bracket formatting after the %*, as shown
in the following example:
%ptr_list
The above example prints SLOT1 and SLOT2 values for each instance pointed
to by PTR_LIST. The values for each instance are on a separate line.
Text Substitution Language 5-37

Displaying pointer values
Displaying instances from multiple classes
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
5-38 Language Reference
You can display instances from multiple classes if an instance pointer is part
of one of the classes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following classes:
Accounts Transaction
acct_no trans_id
name acct_instance
location amount
acct_balance
The ACCT_INSTANCE slot in the TRANSACTION class is a pointer to an
instance in ACCOUNTS. You can use the pointer to identify the instance in
ACCOUNTS.
For example, you can use the following statement to display the account
number and name for the ACCOUNTS instance identified in the
TRANSACTION instance, as well as the amount from the TRANSACTION
instance:
%transaction(%trans_instance)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
TSL in method’s
attached object
If the TSL text is in the attached object of a method in the TRANSACTION
class, you can display the same information using the current instance of
TRANSACTION.
%acct_instance*
%amount

Displaying unknown pointers
Displaying pointer values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Default display
If AionDS tries to print a pointer value when it is unknown, AionDS prints
the following string instead of a value:
NUL
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Changing the default
You can change this string with the &UNDPTR command.
For more information: See Chapter 6, “TSL Commands,” for more
information about this command.
Text Substitution Language 5-39

Displaying lists and sets
Displaying lists and sets
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
5-40 Language Reference
To display a list or set you must consider both the format for the list or set as
a whole and the format for the individual elements. In addition you must
consider which elements you want to display.
This section first discusses how to display an entire list or set in the default
format. Then it explains how to specify and format an individual element of
a list or set. From this point it describes how to display multiple elements
and how to format a list or set of lists, sets, or records.

Displaying entire lists and sets in default format
Displaying lists and sets
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
To display an entire list or set in the default format, you can use the standard
syntax for displaying a parameter or slot.
For more information: See the sections “Displaying simple parameter and
slot values” on page 5-5 and “Displaying slot values” on page 5-29 for syntax.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Default format
In the default format for a list, set, or record, TSL places a comma after each
element or field, except the last two elements or fields. The last two elements
or fields are separated by the word AND.
For example, consider the parameter SP_CUST, an integer list that contains
the following customer numbers:
1000, 1001, 2099, 3000
The following TSL statement uses the default format to display the elements
of the list:
Special customers: %sp_cust.
TSL displays the following text:
Special customers: 1000, 1001, 2099 and 3000.
You can achieve the same result with angle brackets and the %IS operator, as
shown in the following example. %IS specifies the display of all of the
elements in a list or set.
%sp_cust
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Display of elements
The display of individual elements depends on the basic data type of the
element or field. For example, the following list of dates is in the default
format:
12-Jan-91, 2-Feb-91 and 31-Jan-91
Text Substitution Language 5-41

Displaying lists and sets
5-42 Language Reference
Lists or sets of lists, sets, and records display in the same format as individual
lists, sets, or records. Consider the following set of lists:
set_val(1) contains ( 1, 3, 5)
set_val(2) contains ( 2, 4, 6)
set_val(3) contains (10,20,30)
In default substitution format, %SET_VAL is displayed in the following
manner:
1, 3 and 5, 2, 4 and 6 and 10, 20 and 30

Individual elements of lists and sets
Displaying lists and sets
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
You can display an individual element of a list or set by specifying its position
in the list or set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]name(element)[(element) ...]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter or slot exists. The
library name is only required when duplicate parameter or slot names exist in
any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
name
is the name of a parameter or slot whose type is list or set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
element
is an integer parameter, constant, or field name in a record.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ If you specify an element that is out of the range of the list or set, TSL
substitutes the value UNKNOWN.
■ You can use this syntax within a record display. See the “Displaying
records” section on page 5-49 for more information.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Consider the integer parameter IVAL with a value of 3, and the list of real
numbers RLIST that contain the following elements:
10.2, 20.1, 30.3, 40.0, 50.5
Text Substitution Language 5-43

Displaying lists and sets
5-44 Language Reference
The following TSL statements use the values of the parameters:
TSL statement Display
%rlist(1) 10.20
%rlist(2):5:1 20.1
%rlist(%ival):5:2 30.30
%rlist(5):3:0 51
%rlist(6) Unknown
Consider the following set of integer lists IMATRIX, which corresponds to an
integer matrix:
IMATRIX(1) contains (10,20,30,40)
IMATRIX(2) contains ( 1, 2, 3, 4)
IMATRIX(3) contains (11,22,33,44)
The integer IVAL contains the value of 3. The following TSL statements use
the value of the parameters:
TSL statement Display
%imatrix(1)(2) 20
%imatrix(2)(%ival) 3
%imatrix(%ival)(%ival) 33
%imatrix(3)(4) 44
%imatrix(4)(3) Unknown

Multiple elements of lists and sets
Displaying lists and sets
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
You can use angle brackets and a percent sign ( % ) to print elements of a list
or set. The following three rules apply in this case:
■ The percent sign ( % ) inside the angle brackets represents the next
element to be displayed for the current list or set.
■ If the number of percent signs inside the angle brackets does not match
the number of elements in the list or set, TSL reuses the percent signs in
the command to format the remaining elements in the list or set.
■ After the last element is displayed, TSL ignores all other text within the
angle brackets, including percent sign operators.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
In the following example, one percent sign is inside the angle brackets and
four elements are in the list.
%ilist
TSL uses the only percent sign to format each number. Since the default
format for integers is used in the example, all of the numbers display without
any surrounding blanks. In this case, TSL produces the following output:
10203040
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Formatting
You can take advantage of the above rules by specifying an appropriate format
inside the angle brackets. The following example shows one way to format
ILIST:
The list contains: %ilist
which results in the following display:
The list contains: 10, 20, 30, 40
Text Substitution Language 5-45

Displaying lists and sets
5-46 Language Reference
In the example, each element is followed by a comma ( , ) and a space. The
comma and the space are not present after the last element of the list. TSL
ignores any text after the last element in a list or set. If you want additional
text to display after the last element, you must place the text after the closing
angle bracket.
The following TSL statement uses the percent sign three times to specify the
format. To format the fourth element of ILIST, AionDS reuses the first
percent sign.
%ilist
This results in the following display:
10 20 30
40

Lists or sets of lists, sets, and records
Displaying lists and sets
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
You can display lists or sets of lists, sets, and records. Consider the following
examples that use the set of integer lists IMATRIX:
IMATRIX(1) contains (10,20,30,40)
IMATRIX(2) contains ( 1, 2, 3, 4)
IMATRIX(3) contains (11,22,33,44)
You can format each element of the set using nested angle brackets. The
outside pair of angle brackets controls the list or set, while the inside pair
controls the list, set, or record that is contained within each element of the list
or set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following TSL statement:
%imatrix
The following list explains each part of this statement, from the outer sections
inward and from left to right:
■ %IMATRIX < ... > prints the value of the parameter IMATRIX according to
the format in the brackets. IMATRIX is a set of lists.
■ % < ... > steps through each element of IMATRIX and formats it
according to the format in the brackets. Each element is a list.
■ %:3 formats each subelement of the current element of IMATRIX. Each
subelement is an integer and is formatted to display in three positions.
Since there is only one percent sign, its format is reused for each
subelement.
■ &BR goes to the next line before printing the next element of IMATRIX.
For more information: See Chapter 6, “TSL Commands,” about the
&BR command.
The TSL statement produces the following output:
10 20 30 40
1 2 3 4
11 22 33 44
Text Substitution Language 5-47

Displaying lists and sets
5-48 Language Reference
You can display a list or set of records in the same way. The outside pair of
angle brackets controls the list or set, while the inside pair of angle brackets
controls formatting for the record. The following TSL statement displays the
second element of the list of records, CUST_LIST:
%cust_list(2)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Nesting angle
brackets
You can nest angle brackets to the level that matches your structure. For
example, if COMPLEX_STRUC is a list of sets of records, you can display each
record with the following TSL statement:
%complex_struc
The outermost pair of angle brackets controls the format of the list, the
middle pair controls each set, and the innermost pair controls each record.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Displaying fields
You can display a field in a list or set of records. For example, if CUST_NO is
a field in the list CUSTOMER_LIST, you can display the customer of each
record with the following statement:
%customer_list.cust_no
The numbers appear in default format separated by commas. The last two
fields are separated by the word AND. If you include a formatting command,
such as :3, TSL formats each field but does not remove the commas or the
AND.

Displaying records
Displaying records
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Default format
Each field in a record displays in the default substitution format of the field.
The contents of each field are displayed after the field name. Consider the
following record:
record
cust_no is integer
cust_name is string
payment_hist is string
credit_limit is real
last_update is date
end
The record shows the default format:
cust_no: 1000, cust_name: Xyz Corp, payment_hist: under
30 days, credit_limit: 9,500.00 and last_update: 1-Sep-
90
Although the display is two lines in this example, the record actually displays
on one line, unless you use additional formatting commands.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Displaying fields
You can display a field in a record by specifying the record name, a dot ( . ),
and the field name. The following statement displays the field
CREDIT_LIMIT in the record CUSTOMER.
%customer.credit_limit
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Formatting
You can specify any format commands that are appropriate for the type of the
field. For example, the following command displays the field in ten positions,
with two digits to the right of the decimal point:
%customer.credit_limit:10:2
Text Substitution Language 5-49

Displaying records
5-50 Language Reference
For records, the percent sign ( % ) and %IS commands are the same. The
entire record displays in default format when you use either of the following
commands:
%customer
%customer
You can specify display of selected fields within a record. The following
statement displays the customer number, credit limit, and payment history
for a customer:
%customer

Using a record field to index into a list or set
Displaying records
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
You can use the contents of a field as an index into a list or set. Consider the
list PAYMENT_HIST_TABLE that contains the following elements:
'under 30 days','not under 30 days'
Rather than keep the payment history as a string in a record, you can keep
the index into PAYMENT_HIST_TABLE in an integer field in a record. For
example, if PAYMENT_HIST_FIELD is an integer field in the CUSTOMER
record, you can store 1 in the field to represent under 30 days and 2 to
represent not under 30 days.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement displays the string in the list element using the
record field:
%customer
Text Substitution Language 5-51

Using functions in TSL
Using functions in TSL
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
5-52 Language Reference
You can write functions to be called when AionDS executes TSL statements.
The purpose of a function in TSL is to display the return value.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following TSL statement:
Annual Sales: %sum(%monthly_sales)
The function SUM totals the values in the MONTHLY_SALES list.
MONTHLY_SALES is an input argument to the function. The function is
defined in the following manner:
Input Arguments:
values is real_list
Local Variables:
total is real
Function Body:
total = 0
for values
total = total + values(i)
end
return(total)
When AionDS displays the TSL statement, the function SUM executes. You
can use a function in TSL whenever you want to cause actions to occur before
displaying the result.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Calling functions
When you use functions in TSL, consider the following points:
■ You must precede the function name and each input argument with a
percent sign ( % ), except where input arguments are constants.
■ The function must return a value.
■ The function cannot have output arguments.

Using functions in TSL
■ If the function does not have input arguments, you can include or omit
the parentheses after the function name. The following statements are
equivalent:
%generate_random_no()
%generate_random_no
■ You cannot pass records or record fields as input parameters.
■ In addition to parameter and slot values, the following items are valid
input arguments:
Input argument Description
% Substitution operator
%AES_PAGENUM Current page number
%CERTAINTY Certainty value
%CURRENT Current instance
%CURRENTDATE Date
%CURRENTTIME Time
%INDEX Element number
%instance Instance reference
%IS Substitution operator
■ To pass an instance as an input argument, you can use a parameter or
slot whose base type is pointer. You must dereference the pointer by
using a asterisk ( * ) after the parameter or slot name. The following
statement sends an instance as an input argument to the function FUNC.
The parameter PTR holds a pointer to the instance.
%ptr*
Text Substitution Language 5-53

Using functions in TSL
5-54 Language Reference
■ If you pass an instance or pointer as an argument to a function, AionDS
does not automatically source the slots of the instance before executing
the function. If you want AionDS to source the slots, set the Backward
Chain property of the function to TRUE. When the Backward Chain
property is true, AionDS sources all slots used in the function.
■ You can format the result of a function as you would format an
individual parameter value. The kind of formatting must correspond to
the kind of return value. The following shows formatting for the SUM
function that returns a real number:
%sum(%monthly_sales):10:2

Sending messages to classes and instances from TSL
Sending messages to classes and instances from TSL
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
You can send messages to classes and instances from within any object
property that takes TSL text. These messages invoke methods that contribute
to the text. The attached objects of the methods must be messages or
functions.
You might invoke methods from TSL for several reasons:
■ To include instance-specific information within a prompt
■ To print information from many instances in a report
■ To tailor general messages, text windows, prompts, or reports according
to the data available
To accomplish these goals you might use message passing in the following
ways:
■ Embedding a message from a parent class within the message of a
subclass
■ Sending a message to a class to print information for each instance
■ Embedding a slot value in the prompt for another slot value
■ Sending a message whose attached object is a function that returns a
value
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Syntax
You can invoke methods with one of the following formats:
.............................................................................................................................................................................
Format 1
Use this format to send a message to a class. This format is used when the
method is associated with the class itself, rather than with specific instances of
the class.
&SEND (method TO %classref [WITH arg1 [, arg2...]]) [format]
Text Substitution Language 5-55

Sending messages to classes and instances from TSL
5-56 Language Reference
.............................................................................................................................................................................
Format 2
Use this format to send a message to an instance. This format is used when a
method is intended to operate upon a particular instance.
&SEND (method TO %instanceref [WITH arg1 [, arg2...]])
[format]
.............................................................................................................................................................................
Format 3
Use this format to send a message which resides in the parent of the current
class to the current instance. The command causes the parent message to be
embedded in the current message.
&SEND (method UP [WITH arg1 [, arg2...]]) [format]
.............................................................................................................................................................................
Format 4
Use this format to send a message to an instance. This format is used when a
method is intended to operate upon a particular instance.
%instanceref.method[(arg1 [, arg2 ...])] [format]
.............................................................................................................................................................................
Format 5
Use this format to send a message which resides in the parent of the current
class to the current instance. The command causes the parent message to be
embedded in the current message.
%UP.method[(arg1 [, arg2 ...])] [format]
.............................................................................................................................................................................
Format 6
Use this format to send a message to the current instance or within a nested
instance reference.
%method[(arg1 [, arg2 ...])] [format]

Sending messages to classes and instances from TSL
.............................................................................................................................................................................
Format 7
Use this format to send a method to every instance of a class. TSL displays
the text returned from each instance in default format, separated by commas.
A specialized use of this syntax is available within the &TBL command.
For more information: See the section “&TBL” in Chapter 6, “TSL
Commands.”
%classref.method[(arg1 [, arg2 ...])] [format]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
method
is the name of the method to be invoked.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classref
is a class. %classref can have one of the following forms:
%[library::]class
%currentclass
class is the name of a class
library is the name of the included library in which the parameter
exists. The library name is only required when duplicate
parameter names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
instanceref
is the instance to which the message is sent. %instanceref can have one of the
following forms:
%
%classref(static)
%classref(%str_param)
%current
%is
%ptr*
%[library::]static
ptr is the name of a slot or parameter whose type is pointer.
Text Substitution Language 5-57

Sending messages to classes and instances from TSL
5-58 Language Reference
static is the name of a static instance.
str_param is the name of a parameter or slot whose type is string and
whose value is the name of an instance.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
arg#
is an argument to be passed to the attached function.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
format
is formatting appropriate to the type of value returned by the attached
function.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The object attached to the method must be a message or a function. The
message or return value is embedded exactly as it would be using the
&MSG statement or a function call.
■ To specify arguments with the &SEND command, place arguments after
the word WITH and separate the arguments with commas. For example,
the following statement sends a message to the static instance FORD. The
method name is SPECS. The first argument is the value of ENGINE,
which is a slot of the current instance. The second argument is the string
THROTTLE.
&send (specs to %ford with %engine, 'throttle')
■ If you do not use the &SEND command, place arguments in parentheses,
separated by commas. The following statement produces the same result
as the previous example:
%ford.specs (%engine, 'throttle')
■ You can format the return value of a function with TSL formatting
commands such as colon formatting, masks, brackets, and so on.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statement displays text as a result of sending a message to the
class CUSTOMERS:
&send(SalesTotal to %Customers)
The following statements each send a message to the current instance. The
second and third statements format the value (in this case it is a real number)
with a width of 10 and precision of 2.

&send(OrderTotal to %Current)
Sending messages to classes and instances from TSL
&send(OrderTotal to %Current):10:2
%OrderTotal:10:2
The following statements both send a message to the instance referred to by
the pointer CUSTPOINTER:
&send(OrderTotal to %CustPointer*)
%CustPointer*.OrderTotal
The following statement uses Format 6 within a nested instance reference.
This statement sends two messages to the instance pointed to by
CUSTPOINTER.
%CustPointer*
The following statements both send a message to an instance of the class
CUSTOMERS. The instance name is the value of the parameter BIGGEST.
&send(OrderTotal to %Customers(%Biggest))
%Customers(%Biggest).OrderTotal
The following statements both send a message to the current instance or class.
The method ORDERTOTAL is defined in the parent of the current class. The
second statement formats the value returned by the function attached to
ORDERTOTAL.
&send(OrderTotal up)
%up.OrderTotal:10:2
Text Substitution Language 5-59

Setting up uniform defaults and headers
Setting up uniform defaults and headers
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
5-60 Language Reference
You can specify headers or TSL defaults that are consistent among all
messages, reports, text windows, or prompts in your knowledge base.
You can specify these defaults and headers by defining message objects with
these names:
■ AES_TSLMESSAGE
■ AES_TSLREPORT
■ AES_TSLTEXT
■ AES_TSLPROMPT
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Scope of messages
You can create these special messages in more than one place in a knowledge
base, including in vocabularies. Whenever one is needed, AionDS uses the
one in scope.
When you define one of these objects, AionDS includes the contents of its
Message Text property in every message, report, text window, or prompt that
it displays in scope. To create uniform messages, define AES_TSLMESSAGE,
for reports you need to define AES_TSLREPORT, and so forth.
The message you define is included before any other TSL text, so you can use
these objects to set up defaults and headers. Each message, report, text
window, or prompt will follow the defaults and header.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
For example, you can set the default format for date and time in a message
you name AES_TSLMESSAGE. When AionDS displays any message object in
the knowledge base, it uses the default in the AES_TSLMESSAGE that is in
scope.

Setting up uniform defaults and headers
You can define a message called AES_TSLREPORT. In this message you might
have the following TSL text:
&tm 8
&footer
&cPLATINUM technology&c555 Twin Dolphin Drive, Suite
400&cRedwood City, CA&br
AionDS uses this text at the top of every report the system creates. Every
report has a top margin of 8, prints the page number in the footer, and prints
the following text at the beginning of the report:
PLATINUM technology
555 Twin Dolphin Drive, Suite 400
Redwood City, CA
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Calling one message
from another
If you want to specify the same header or default for more than one type of
object, you can reference one message in the definition of another. For
example, if you want to specify the same header for prompts and messages,
you could define the header in AES_TSLPROMPT, and place the following
TSL statement in the Message Text property of AES_TSLMESSAGE:
&msg aes_tslprompt
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Reports with
Continue = TRUE
Note that if you are using reports whose Continue property is TRUE, your
AES_TSLREPORT message in that scope should not print anything such as a
header or blank lines, since the message will be included every time a report is
executed. The result would be an output file with unwanted text in the
middle, text that was meant to be included only at the top of the report.
Text Substitution Language 5-61

Summary of TSL substitution
Summary of TSL substitution
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
5-62 Language Reference
This section gives a summary of the TSL substitution syntax described in this
chapter. You can use this summary as a quick syntax guide.
Any text following the word param in the “Simple parameter values” section
on page 5-63 can be substituted for the word [format] in later sections of the
summary. For example,
:[-]width
is a valid [format] specification for string values of any parameter or slot.

Simple parameter values
Summary of TSL substitution
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param
Default substitution
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param
Associating text with
parameters
String values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param:[-]width
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param:[-]width
Integer values
%[library::]param:'mask'[:'mask']
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param:width:nfmt
Integers in hex or
binary
%[library::]param:'mask'[:'mask']
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param:[-]width[:precision]
Real values
%[library::]param:'mask'[:'mask']
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param:[-]width
Date values
%[library::]param:[dfmt:]'mask'
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param:[-]width
Time values
%[library::]param:[tfmt:]'mask'
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]param:[-]width
Boolean values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Associating text with
Boolean values
%[library::]Boolean_param
%[library::]Boolean_param
%[library::]Boolean_param
Text Substitution Language 5-63

Summary of TSL substitution
Slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%class(%string_param)
All slots of an
instance
5-64 Language Reference
%class(static_instance)
%static_instance
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%instanceref.slot [format]
One individual slot
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%instanceref
Individual slots
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%CURRENT [format]
Slots of the current
instance
% [format]
%IS [format]
%slot [format]
%CURRENT.slot [format]

Values from more than one instance
Summary of TSL substitution
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%class %CURRENTCLASS
All slots of all
instances
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%classref.slot [format]
One slot of all
instances
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%classref

Summary of TSL substitution
Pointer values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%pointer [format]
Instance name
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%pointer*
All slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%pointer*
Some slot values
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%pointer_list [format]
Instance names in list
or set
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%pointer_list*
All slots of all
instances in list or set
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%pointer_list
One slot of all
instances in list or set
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%pointer_list
Some slots of all
instances in list or set
5-66 Language Reference

Instances from multiple classes
Summary of TSL substitution
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Using a class and its
pointer slot
%cl1
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Using current class
and its pointer slot
%ptr_to_class2* %class1_slot
[format]
Text Substitution Language 5-67

Summary of TSL substitution
Lists and sets
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]list_param
All elements
5-68 Language Reference
%[library::]list_param
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]list_param(element)[(element)...] [format]
Individual element
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]list_param
Next element
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]list_param
Element number

Records
Summary of TSL substitution
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]record_param.field [format]
One individual field
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]record_param
Individual fields
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]record_param
All fields
%[library::]record_param
%[library::]record_param
Text Substitution Language 5-69

Summary of TSL substitution
Using functions
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%funct (arg1 [, arg2...]) [format]
Calling a function
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%funct [format]
With no arguments
5-70 Language Reference
%funct() [format]

Sending messages
Summary of TSL substitution
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&SEND(method TO %classref [WITH arg1 [, arg2...]]) [format]
Send to a class
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Send to an instance &SEND(method TO %instanceref [WITH arg1 [, arg2...]])
[format]
%instanceref.method[(arg1 [, arg2 ...])] [format]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&SEND(method UP [WITH arg1 [, arg2...]]) [format]
Send message which
resides in parent
%UP.method[(arg1 [, arg2 ...])] [format]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%method[(arg1 [, arg2 ...])] [format]
Send to current or
nested instance
reference
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%classref.method[(arg1 [, arg2 ...])] [format]
Send to every
instance
Text Substitution Language 5-71

Summary of TSL substitution
5-72 Language Reference

Chapter 6
TSL Commands
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Introduction
This chapter describes the syntax of all TSL commands except those related to
certainty. See Appendix A, “Certainty,” for TSL commands for certainty sets.
This chapter provides syntax, explanation, and examples of each command.
At the end of the chapter is a summary of TSL commands.
The following types of commands are described in this chapter:
■ Predefined functions
■ Special characters
■ Text modes
■ White space
■ Margins
■ Formatting tables
■ Developer-definable strings
■ Embedded text
■ Message passing
■ Default formats/masks
■ Comments
■ Report commands
This chapter lists the commands alphabetically, not by category.
TSL Commands 6-1

TSL command syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
In this chapter
6-2 Language Reference
Topic Page
TSL command syntax 6-5
% (percent substitution operator) 6-9
%AES_PAGENUM (current page number) 6-10
%CURRENT (current instance) 6-11
%CURRENTCLASS (current class) 6-12
%CURRENTDATE (current date) 6-14
%CURRENTTIME (current time) 6-15
%INDEX (element number in a list or set) 6-16
%IS (substitution operator) 6-20
%NAMEOF (name of an instance) 6-22
%UP (method in parent class) 6-24
&% (display percent sign) 6-26
&& (display ampersand) 6-27
&( (display opening parenthesis) 6-28
&) (display closing parenthesis) 6-29
&/* (begin comment) 6-32
&. (display period) 6-31
&/* (begin comment) 6-32
&: (display colon) 6-33
&< (display opening angle bracket) 6-34
&> (display closing angle bracket) 6-35
& BLK (mark a block of text) 6-36
&BM (bottom margin) 6-37
&BR (line break) 6-39
continued

TSL command syntax
continued
Topic Page
&C (center line) 6-40
&DDF (date default format) 6-41
&EMP (empty lists, sets, or classes) 6-44
&EMPTBL (empty table) 6-45
&ESC (send escape sequence) 6-46
&FI (fill mode) 6-47
&FOOTER (set footer) 6-49
&IDF (integer default format) 6-51
&INCLUDE (insert text from a file) 6-54
&J (justify mode) 6-56
&LI (left indent) 6-58
&LM (left margin) 6-60
&LN (line numbers) 6-61
&LT (text in the left margin) 6-63
&MSG (substitute a message) 6-65
&N (number pages) 6-66
&PG (eject page) 6-67
&RDF (real default format) 6-68
&RI (right indent) 6-73
&RM (right margin) 6-74
&RT (text in right margin) 6-75
&SEND (send a message to an object) 6-77
&SK (skip lines) 6-81
&SPC (insert spaces) 6-82
continued
TSL Commands 6-3

TSL command syntax
6-4 Language Reference
continued
Topic Page
&SSPC (set spaces in fill, justify, and table modes) 6-83
&STAB (set tabs) 6-84
&TAB (Move to next tab) 6-85
&TB (table mode) 6-86
&TBL (table) 6-88
&TDF (time default format) 6-96
&TITLE (set title) 6-99
&TM (top margin) 6-101
&UND (unknown values) 6-103
&UNDPTR (unknown pointer) 6-105
Summary of TSL commands 6-106

TSL command syntax
TSL command syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
This section describes the syntax of each TSL command. Following the
syntax you will find remarks and examples to guide you in your use of the
command. The commands are listed in alphabetical order.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Predefined functions
% Display parameter or list element.
%AES_PAGENUM Display the current page number.
%CURRENT Display the current instance.
%CURRENTCLASS Display the current class.
%CURRENTDATE Display the current date.
%CURRENTTIME Display the current time.
%INDEX Display index of current list element, or use one list to
index into other lists.
%IS Display entire list.
%NAMEOF Display the name of an instance.
%UP Send a message up.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Special characters
&% Display '%' character.
&& Display '&' character.
&( Display '(' character.
&) Display ')' character.
&. Display '.' character.
&: Display ':' character.
&< Display '' character.
&ESC Transmit printer control sequences or display graphics
characters.
TSL Commands 6-5

TSL command syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Text modes
6-6 Language Reference
&C Center a line.
&FI Set fill mode.
&J Set justify mode.
&TB Set table mode.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
White space
&BR Force a line break.
&SK Skip lines.
&SPC Insert spaces.
&SSPC Set the number of spaces to insert.
&STAB Set tabs stops.
&TAB Position at next tab stop.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Margins
&LI Set left indent for current line.
&LM Set left margin.
&LN Display line numbers in the left margin.
&LT Set text to display in the left margin.
&RI Set right indent for current line.
&RM Set right margin.
&RT Set text to display in the right margin.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Formatting tables
&TBL Display a columnar table.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Developer-definable
strings
&EMP Set string to display for empty list/set/class.
&EMPTBL Set string to display for empty table.
&UND Set string to display for unknown value.
&UNDPTR Set string to display for unknown or deleted pointer.

TSL command syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Embedded text
&INCLUDE Insert file into text.
&MSG Insert message into text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Message passing
&SEND Insert message or function return value into text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Default
formats/masks
&DDF Set the default format for display of dates.
&IDF Set the default format for display of integers.
&RDF Set the default format for display of real numbers.
&TDF Set the default format for display of times.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Comments
&/* Begin comment.
&*/ End comment.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Report commands
&BLK Keep a block on one page.
&BM Set bottom margin.
&FOOTER Specify report footer.
&N Turn page numbering on or off.
&PG Cause page eject.
&TITLE Specify report title.
&TM Set top margin.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Default and mode
commands
Commands that specify defaults or modes, such as &DDF or &FI, apply until
a new default or mode is specified or until the end of the property in which
they are specified. For example, if you specify a left margin at the beginning
of a message, that margin continues to apply throughout the message until
you change it. After the end of the message, AionDS returns to the default
margin.
TSL Commands 6-7

TSL command syntax
6-8 Language Reference
These commands are listed as follows.
&BM &IDF &RDF &TDF
&DDF &J &RM &TITLE
&EMP &LM &RT &TM
&EMPTBL &LN &SSPC &UND
&FI &LT &STAB &UNDPTR
&FOOTER &N &TB
If the contents of one TSL property are included within another TSL
property, the defaults and modes defined in one property continue to apply in
the other. For example, if you use &UNDPTR in a TSL property and later in
the property you use the &MSG command, the default will continue to apply
in the included message. Likewise, if you include a message with &MSG and
the included message contains the &UNDPTR command, the default will
continue to apply when AionDS returns to the first property.

% (percent substitution operator)
% (percent substitution operator)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the percent sign ( % ) to substitute a class, instance, parameter or slot
value, or the next element of a list or set. You may follow the percent sign
with formatting instructions.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]object[format]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the class, instance, parameter, or
slot exists. The library name is only required when duplicate class, instance,
parameter, or slot names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
object
is the name of a class, instance, parameter, slot, list element, or set element.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
format
is formatting appropriate to the type of value.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remark
The formatting instructions in format must be appropriate to the type of
substitution. For example, if % represents an integer value, format can be a
colon format for integers or an integer mask.
For more information: See Chapter 5, “Text Substitution Language,”
about formatting each type of value.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
SLOT1 is a slot of the current instance, and SLOT1 is not a list or set. The
percent sign in the following statement displays the value of SLOT1.
%slot1
TSL Commands 6-9

%AES_PAGENUM (current page number)
%AES_PAGENUM (current page number)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-10 Language Reference
Use %AES_PAGENUM to display the current page number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%AES_PAGENUM[format]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
format
is formatting appropriate to integer values.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ %AES_PAGENUM displays the current page number according to the
format specified. You can use this command wherever you can use
parameter substitution.
■ The formatting instructions in format must be appropriate to integer
values.
For more information: See the “Integer values” section in Chapter 5,
“Text Substitution Language,” about appropriate formatting.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement centers the word Page plus the current page
number.
&cPage %aes_PageNum

%CURRENT (current instance)
%CURRENT (current instance)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use %CURRENT to display the current instance.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%CURRENT[format]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
format
is formatting appropriate to instances.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
■ %CURRENT is equivalent to the KDL function CURRENT.
Remarks
■ You can only use %CURRENT when the current instance is known within
a class. For example, you can use %CURRENT in a report that is printed
as a result of a message being sent to an instance. Note that you cannot
use it if the message is sent to a class rather than an instance.
■ You can use %CURRENT in any syntax where instance substitution is
allowed.
■ The formatting instructions in format must be appropriate to instances.
For more information: See the “Displaying slot values” section in
Chapter 5, “Text Substitution Language,” about appropriate formatting.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following example displays all slot names and values for the current
instance in the default format:
%current
If the instance in the example above has slots SIZE, WEIGHT, and COLOR,
with the values medium, 3.5, and green, the following output will be
produced:
size: medium, weight: 3.50 and color: green
The following TSL text sends a message to the current instance to execute the
method PRINT_SUMMARY:
&send(print_summary to %current)
TSL Commands 6-11

%CURRENTCLASS (current class)
%CURRENTCLASS (current class)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-12 Language Reference
Use %CURRENTCLASS function to display the current class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%CURRENTCLASS[format]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
format
is formatting appropriate to classes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
■ %CURRENTCLASS is equivalent to the KDL function CURRENTCLASS.
Remarks
■ You can only use %CURRENTCLASS when the current class is known.
For example, you can use %CURRENTCLASS in a report that is printed as
a result of a message being sent to an instance or a class.
■ You can use %CURRENTCLASS in place of any class substitution, with
the following exceptions. You cannot substitute %CURRENTCLASS for
class_name in the following two types of syntax:
%class_name(instance_name)
%class_name(%string_subst)
In the above syntax, instance_name is the name of a static instance, and
string_subst is a parameter or slot whose type is string and whose value is
the name of an instance.
■ The formatting instructions in format must be appropriate to classes.
For more information: See the “Displaying values from multiple
instances” section in Chapter 5, “Text Substitution Language,” about
appropriate formatting.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following example displays out all slot values of all instances of the
current class in the default format.
%currentclass
The following example refers to the class STUDENTS and its subclasses:
FRESHMEN, SOPHOMORES, JUNIORS, and SENIORS. The TSL text displays

%CURRENTCLASS (current class)
the name and grade point average for all students in a certain grade. This one
statement displays slot values for instances of any subclass.
&tbl < %currentclass.name %currentclass.gpa >
The following example sends a message to the current class. You can use this
syntax when the current object is either a class or an instance.
%send (print_summary to %currentclass)
Tip: This is the only syntax that sends a message to a class. If you use
another syntax, such as %CURRENTCLASS.PRINT_SUMMARY, AionDS sends
the message to every instance in the class, not to the class as a whole.
TSL Commands 6-13

%CURRENTDATE (current date)
%CURRENTDATE (current date)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-14 Language Reference
Use the function %CURRENTDATE to display the current date.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%CURRENTDATE[format]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
format
is formatting appropriate to date values.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
■ %CURRENTDATE is equivalent to the KDL function CURRENTDATE.
Remarks
■ %CURRENTDATE displays the current date according to the format
specified. You can use this command wherever you can use parameter
substitution.
■ The formatting instructions in format must be appropriate to date values.
For more information: See the “Date values” section in Chapter 5,
“Text Substitution Language,” for information about appropriate
formatting.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following line in the Report Body property of a report object displays the
current date in the report.
%currentdate

%CURRENTTIME (current time)
%CURRENTTIME (current time)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the function %CURRENTTIME to display the current time. You can use
it wherever you can use parameter substitution.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%CURRENTTIME[format]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
format
is formatting appropriate to time values.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
■ %CURRENTTIME is equivalent to the KDL function CURRENTTIME.
Remarks
■ %CURRENTTIME displays the current time according to the format
specified. You can use this command wherever you can use parameter
substitution.
■ The formatting instructions in format must be appropriate to time values.
For more information: See the “Time values” section in Chapter 5,
“Text Substitution Language,” for information about appropriate
formatting.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following line in the Report Body property of a report object displays the
current time in the report.
Incident reported: %currenttime
TSL Commands 6-15

%INDEX (element number in a list or set)
%INDEX (element number in a list or set)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-16 Language Reference
Use the %INDEX command to display the element number for a set or list.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%INDEX[:[-]width]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
width
is the number of positions for display of the element number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ If width is not used, or is zero, the element number is displayed without
surrounding spaces.
■ If the minus sign ( - ) is present, the element number is left-justified;
otherwise it is right-justified.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The parameter CITIES holds a list of strings. Its value includes the following
items as elements 8 through 10:
'San Francisco', 'Chicago', 'Baltimore'
The following TSL command uses %INDEX to display the number of each
element before the element:
%cities
The following lines are a portion of the output:
8 San Francisco
9 Chicago
10 Baltimore
The following TSL statement allows two spaces for the number of each
element:
%cities

The following lines are a portion of the output:
8 San Francisco
9 Chicago
10 Baltimore
%INDEX (element number in a list or set)
The following TSL statement left justifies the number of each element within
four spaces:
%cities
The following lines are a portion of the output:
8 San Francisco
9 Chicago
10 Baltimore
The following example displays a period after the index numbers:
%cities
The following lines are a portion of the output:
8. San Francisco
9. Chicago
10. Baltimore
Side-by-side display of list or set elements
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
You can display the contents of two or more lists or sets side-by-side using the
%INDEX function. To do this, you write a TSL statement that uses the index
values of one list to control the values printed from other lists.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
Consider the following example. Three parameters, LIST1, LIST2, and LIST3,
have the base type of INTEGER_LIST. These parameters have the following
values:
list1 contains (10,20,30,40)
list2 contains (21,22,23,24)
list3 contains (11,22,33,44)
TSL Commands 6-17

%INDEX (element number in a list or set)
6-18 Language Reference
The following TSL statement displays the three lists in a three-column
format.
%list1 < % < % &tab %list2(%index) &tab %list3(%index) >
&br >
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Explanation
The following list explains each part of this statement, from the outer sections
inward and from left to right:
■ %LIST1 < ... > initializes the index number to 1 and displays the value of
the parameter list1 according to the format in the brackets.
■ % < ... > displays the element that corresponds to the index number,
according to the format in the brackets. When finished, it increments
the index.
■ % displays the element.
■ &TAB goes to the next tab stop.
■ %LIST2(%INDEX) displays the element of LIST2 that has the same index
number as the current LIST1 index.
■ &TAB goes to the next tab stop.
■ %LIST3(%INDEX) displays the element of LIST3 that has the same index
number as the current LIST1 index.
■ &BR goes to the next line before displaying the next element of LIST1.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Incrementing the
index counter
Because of the use of % < ... > within this statement, AionDS displays values
from each element of the list before incrementing the index counter. If you
do not use this syntax, you must make sure that the index counter is
incremented at the proper time.
AionDS increments the index counter after displaying the indexed value.
Thus, when you want to display several values according to the index
counter, you must display the indexed value last.

%INDEX (element number in a list or set)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Alternative
The following statement produces the same result as the example above.
Note that this statement uses the index counter on LIST3 in order to
increment the counter after values from each list have been displayed.
%list3
TSL Commands 6-19

%IS (substitution operator)
%IS (substitution operator)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-20 Language Reference
You can display the current instance with the %IS operator.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%IS[format]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
format
is formatting appropriate to the type of value.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ When %IS is not inside angle brackets ( < > ), it represents the current
instance. You can use it exactly as you would %CURRENT or %. You
should always use %CURRENT to refer to the current instance.
■ When %IS is within angle brackets, it represents the value of the object
to the left of the brackets.
■ The formatting instructions in format must be appropriate to the type of
substitution. For example, if %IS represents an integer value, format can
be a colon format for integers or an integer mask.
For more information: See Chapter 5, “Text Substitution Language,”
for information about formatting each type of value.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
SLOT1 is a slot of the current instance. The following statement displays the
value of SLOT1.
%slot1
The following message formats and displays the values of the parameters
OLD_LIMIT, LAST_UPDATE, NEW_PURCHASE, and CREDIT_LIMIT:
%old_limit %last_update
%new_purchase
%credit_limit

The statements result in the following message:
Old credit limit: 10000.00 1-Jan-1990
Amount of purchase: 500.00
New credit limit: 12000.00
%IS (substitution operator)
TSL Commands 6-21

%NAMEOF (name of an instance)
%NAMEOF (name of an instance)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-22 Language Reference
Use the NAMEOF statement to display the name of an instance.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%NAMEOF(instance)[format]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
instance
is TSL text that evaluates to an instance or a pointer. The following list
shows valid TSL text that you can use for instance:
%
%current
%is
%[library::]ptr
%[library::]ptr*
library is the name of the included library in which the parameter or
slot exists. The library name is only required when duplicate
parameter or slot names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
ptr is the name of a parameter or slot whose type evaluates to
pointer.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
format
is formatting appropriate to string values.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ %NAMEOF displays the name of an instance in output text.
■ You can only use %CURRENT within a class when the current instance is
known. For example, you can use %CURRENT in a report that is printed
as a result of a message being sent to an instance. Note that you cannot
use it if the message is sent to a class.
■ %NAMEOF(%ptr) displays the instance name only. Use %ptr to display
the full instance name including the owning class.

%NAMEOF (name of an instance)
■ %ptr* dereferences the pointer, using the instance itself rather than the
pointer to the instance. The %NAMEOF function produces the same
result for %ptr* as for %ptr.
■ If the value of ptr is unknown, AionDS displays the string defined in the
&UNDPTR command, if available, or the following string:
NUL
■ The formatting instructions in format must be appropriate to string
values.
For more information: See “String values” in Chapter 5, “Text
Substitution Language,” for information about formatting strings.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The two following TSL statements are equivalent. Each displays the name of
every instance of truck, with each name on a separate line.
%truck
%truck
The following text displays the text INSTANCE NAME = followed by the name
of the current instance.
instance name = %nameof(%current)
In the following example, TRUCKPTR is the name of a parameter whose type
is pointer. TRUCKPTR points to an instance of the class TRUCK. The two
TSL statements are equivalent. Each displays the name of the instance
referenced by the pointer.
%nameof(%truckptr)
%nameof(%truckptr*)
TSL Commands 6-23

%UP (method in parent class)
%UP (method in parent class)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-24 Language Reference
Use %UP to execute a method which resides in the parent of the current class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%up.method[(arg [, arg ...])] [format]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
method
is the name of a method.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
arg
is an argument to the function attached to the method.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
format
is formatting appropriate to the type of value returned.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ %UP sends a message to the current instance. The method associated
with the message must be defined in the parent of the current class.
■ The object attached to the method must be a message or a function. The
message or return value is embedded exactly as it would be using the
&MSG statement or a function call.
■ The use of arg or format with %UP is only appropriate when the attached
object of the method is a function.
■ TSL uses the formatting instructions in format to display the value
returned from the function attached to the method. For this reason,
format must be appropriate to the type of value returned. For example, if
the function attached to method returns an integer, format can be a colon
format for integers or an integer mask.
For more information: See Chapter 5, “Text Substitution Language,”
about formatting each type of value.
■ Refer to &SEND in this chapter for another way to execute a method.

%UP (method in parent class)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement sends a message to the current instance. The
ORDERTOTAL method is defined in the parent of the current class. The
method returns a real number, which is formatted with a width of 10 and
precision of 2.
%up.OrderTotal:10:2
TSL Commands 6-25

&% (display percent sign)
&% (display percent sign)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-26 Language Reference
Use &% to display the percent character ( % ) in TSL text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&%
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
The percent character is a special character in TSL because it is used in TSL
commands. To display the character itself in TSL text, use the &%
command. This command is required any time you display a percent
character with TSL text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement displays the percent character after the value of
PCT_INCREASE:
Increase in value %pct_increase&%

&& (display ampersand)
&& (display ampersand)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use && to display the ampersand character ( & ) in TSL text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&&
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
The ampersand character is a special character in TSL because it is used in
TSL commands. To display the character itself in TSL text, use the &&
command. This command is required any time you display an ampersand
character in TSL text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement displays the ampersand character in the title of a
report:
&cAnalysis && Results
TSL Commands 6-27

&( (display opening parenthesis)
&( (display opening parenthesis)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-28 Language Reference
Use &( to display an opening parenthesis in TSL text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&(
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The opening parenthesis is a special character in TSL because it is used in
TSL substitution and command syntax. To display an opening
parenthesis immediately after a TSL substitution, use the &( command.
■ The &( command is not required to display parentheses that are not
immediately following a TSL value substitution.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statement displays (BEST TO WORST) after displaying all
elements of the list parameter WINNERS. The &( command is required
because a parenthesis character in that location would indicate the display of
a particular element of WINNERS.
Winners: %winners &(Best to Worst&)
The following statement displays parentheses around the word DRAFT in the
title of a report. The &( command is not required because the parenthesis
does not immediately follow a TSL value substitution or a command.
&cRecommendations (Draft)

&) (display closing parenthesis)
&) (display closing parenthesis)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use &) to display a closing parenthesis in TSL text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&)
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The closing parenthesis is a special character in TSL because it is used in
TSL substitution. Use &) to display the character.
■ The &) command is never required. You might use it for clarity when
you display parentheses that are immediately following a TSL value
substitution.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement displays (BEST TO WORST) after displaying all
elements of the list parameter WINNERS. The &) command, though not
required, clearly identifies that the closing parenthesis is part of the text to be
displayed rather than part of a TSL substitution.
Winners: %winners &(Best to Worst&)
TSL Commands 6-29

&*/ (close comment)
&*/ (close comment)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-30 Language Reference
Use the &*/ command to indicate the end of a block of comments.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&/* comment &*/
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
comment
is a comment.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The &*/ closes a comment block. All characters in the comment block
are ignored by AionDS.
■ The comment can be longer than one line and include carriage returns,
line feeds, or other special characters.
■ A carriage return immediately after the end of a comment is part of the
display text, not part of the comment.
■ You can nest comments.
■ You can override carriage returns in the text by placing a &/* at the end
of the line and a &*/ and the beginning of the next line.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement uses comments to cancel the effect of a line break
and to include a note in the text.
This is a single line &/*
&*/of display text. &/* Sample Line &*/

&. (display period)
&. (display period)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use &. to display a period in TSL text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&.
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The period character is a special character in TSL because it is used in
TSL substitution. Use &. to display the period character.
■ The &. command is not required to display a period that is not
immediately following a TSL value substitution.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement displays all slots of the current instance, followed by
a period.
The values of the current instance are %current&.
TSL Commands 6-31

&/* (begin comment)
&/* (begin comment)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-32 Language Reference
Use the &/* and &*/ commands to create blocks of comments.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&/* comment &*/
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
comment
is a comment.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The &/* opens a comment block. The &*/ closes a comment block. All
characters in the comment block are ignored by AionDS.
■ The comment can be longer than one line and include carriage returns,
line feeds, or other special characters.
■ A carriage return immediately after the end of a comment is part of the
display text, not part of the comment.
■ You can nest comments.
■ You can override carriage returns in the text by placing a &/* at the end
of the line and a &*/ and the beginning of the next line.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
This is a single line &/*
&*/of display text. &/* Sample Line &*/

&: (display colon)
&: (display colon)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use &: to display a colon in TSL text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&:
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The colon ( : ) is a special character in TSL because it is used in TSL
substitution syntax. To display a colon immediately after a TSL
substitution, use the &: command.
■ The &: command is not required to display a colon that is not
immediately following a TSL value substitution.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
In the following TSL statement, &: is required after the value of CUST_NO.
Without the ampersand, the colon would be interpreted as an illegal
formatting command:
Credit limit for %customer.cust_no&: %old_limit:10:2
TSL Commands 6-33

&< (display opening angle bracket)
&< (display opening angle bracket)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-34 Language Reference
Use &< to display an opening angle bracket in TSL text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&<
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The opening angle bracket ( < ) is a special character in TSL because it is
used in TSL substitution syntax. To display an opening bracket, use the
&< command.
■ The &< command is always required to display an opening angle bracket
in TSL.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement displays an opening angle bracket in TSL text:
Hit F1 if age &< 21
This statement produces the following message:
Hit F1 if age < 21

&> (display closing angle bracket)
&> (display closing angle bracket)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use &> to display a closing angle bracket in TSL text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&>
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The closing angle bracket ( > ) is a special character in TSL because it is
used in TSL substitution syntax. To display a closing bracket, use the
&> command.
■ The &> command is always required to display a closing angle bracket in
TSL.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement displays a closing angle bracket in TSL text:
Hit F1 if age &>= 21
This statement produces the following message:
Hit F1 if age >= 21
TSL Commands 6-35

& BLK (mark a block of text)
& BLK (mark a block of text)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-36 Language Reference
Use the &BLK command to mark a block of text in a report.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&BLK{ + | - }
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The &BLK command is useful for setting up a block of text that you do
not want divided between two pages. For example, you can define the
heading and body of a table as a block. This action prevents AionDS
from displaying the heading on one page and the body on the next page.
■ The &BLK+ command specifies the beginning of a block. The &BLKcommand
terminates the block.
■ If AionDS cannot display the entire block on the remainder of the page,
AionDS displays the block starting at the top of the next page.
■ You do not need a &BLK- command after each &BLK+ command. For
example, if you specify two &BLK+ commands without an intervening
&BLK- command, AionDS operates as if a &BLK- command comes
immediately prior to the second &BLK+ command. A BLK- command by
itself has no effect.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following report forces the table heading and body to be displayed on the
same page:
&blk+
Customer No. Credit Limit Payment History Credit Status
------------ ------------ --------------- - ------------
%customer_list
&blk-

&BM (bottom margin)
&BM (bottom margin)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the &BM command to set the bottom margin of a report.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&BM[ + | - ] number
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
number
is either the relative or absolute position of the margin.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The plus ( + ) and minus ( - ) sign options move the margin up and
down, respectively, in relation to the current margin.
■ If you do not specify relative positioning using the plus or minus sign,
number represents the absolute position for the margin.
■ Absolute margins are measured in lines from the bottom of the report.
Thus, the following command sets the margin five lines from the bottom
of the page:
&bm 5
■ The default margin is specified in the Bottom Margin property of the
report object.
■ If you want to use a footer or page numbers, you must specify at least one
line for the bottom margin.
■ If the top and bottom margins are both zero, printing is continuous.
Page eject commands are ignored.
■ This command works in reports and in messages that are included in
reports. If you put it in any other TSL property, AionDS ignores the
command.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statement sets the bottom margin two lines higher on the page
than the current margin.
&bm+2
TSL Commands 6-37

&BM (bottom margin)
6-38 Language Reference
The following statement lowers the bottom margin three lines from its
current position.
&bm-3
The following statement sets the bottom margin at six lines from the bottom
of the page.
&bm6

&BR (line break)
&BR (line break)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use &BR to force a line break.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&BR
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
In fill, justify, or table modes, you must use this command to cause a line
break. In default formatting, you can either use this command or enter a line
break directly in the text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statements use the &BR command to insert a blank line
between the first and second lines of text, and to cause line breaks after the
values of the slots OLD_LIMIT and PAYMENT_HIST.
Credit information for Customer No. %customer.cust_no &br
&br
Credit Limit: %customer.old_limit &br
Payment History: %customer.payment_hist &br
The following statement displays the values of the slots ACCT_NO and NAME
for every instance of the class ACCOUNTS. The &BR command causes the
values for each instance to be displayed on a separate line.
%accounts
TSL Commands 6-39

&C (center line)
&C (center line)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-40 Language Reference
Use &C to center a line.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&C
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ When this command appears at the beginning of a line, it centers the
entire line of text.
■ When this command appears within a line of text, it causes a line break
and then centers the text that follows it.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following TSL commands create a centered heading, whether in fill,
justify, or default mode.
&cPLATINUM technology, inc.&c555 Twin Dolphin Dr.,
Ste.400&cRedwood City, CA&br
This produces the following output:
PLATINUM technology, inc.
555 Twin Dolphin Dr., Ste.400
Redwood City, CA

&DDF (date default format)
&DDF (date default format)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use &DDF to set the default format for the display of dates.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&DDF ([dfmt,] 'mask')
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
dfmt
is one of the following options:
D specifies use of a date mask to display dates. This is the default.
J specifies Julian date display, which is the number of days since
the beginning of the year, inclusive.
A specifies display of dates as the number of days since January 1,
1900, inclusive.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
mask
is either a date mask or integer mask.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You can reset the date default format to its initial format with the
following command:
&ddf ('D1-N1-Y2')
■ If you use the J or A dfmt, you must specify an integer mask.
■ Date masks can contain the following symbols:
D specifies a one- or two-digit day of the month (for example,
3 or 24).
D1 specifies a two-digit day of the month. A blank space
(shown as in the example) is used with numbers less than
10 (for example, 3 or 24).
D2 specifies a two-digit day of the month. A zero is used with
numbers less than 10 (for example, 03 or 24).
TSL Commands 6-41

&DDF (date default format)
6-42 Language Reference
X specifies an ordinal abbreviation in upper case (ST, ND,
RD, TH). Use this in addition to specifications for the day,
month, and year.
X1 specifies an ordinal abbreviation in lower case (st, nd, rd, th).
Use this in addition to specifications for the day, month, and
year.
M specifies a one- or two-digit month (for example, 3 or 11).
M1 specifies a two-digit month. A blank space is used with
numbers less than 10 (for example, 3 or 11).
M2 specifies a two-digit month. A zero is used with numbers
less than 10 (for example, 03 or 11).
N specifies a three-character abbreviation of the month, in all
upper case (for example, MAR).
N1 specifies a three-character abbreviation of the month, with
the first letter in upper case (for example, Mar).
N2 specifies a three-character abbreviation of the month, in all
lower case (for example, mar).
NN specifies the complete month name, in all upper case (for
example, MARCH).
NN1 specifies the complete month name, with the first letter in
upper case (for example, March).
NN2 specifies the complete month name, in all lower case (for
example, march).
Y specifies a one- or two-digit year (for example, 3 or 90).
Y1 specifies a two-digit year. A blank space is used with
numbers less than 10 (for example, 3 or 90).
Y2 specifies a two-digit year. A zero is used with numbers less
than 10 (for example, 03 or 90).
Z specifies a four-digit year (for example, 1903 or 1990).
For more information: See “&IDF (integer default format)” on page 6-51
for information about integer masks in TSL.

&DDF (date default format)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statement sets the date default format to display the full month
name, the day of the month followed by ST, ND, RD, or TH, and the four-digit
year.
&ddf ('nn1 dx1, z')
The following command is equivalent:
&ddf (d, 'nn1 dx1, z')
The following command sets the date default format to display dates in threedigit
Julian format.
&ddf(j, '990')
TSL Commands 6-43

&EMP (empty lists, sets, or classes)
&EMP (empty lists, sets, or classes)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-44 Language Reference
Ordinarily, when TSL displays a value that is UNKNOWN, and the value is a
list, set, or class, TSL displays the string * EMPTY LIST *. You can change this
default display with the &EMP command.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&EMP 'string'
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
string
is the string that replaces the default display.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The &EMP command replaces * EMPTY LIST * with string when a list, set,
or class is empty or unresolved.
■ If you want to include an ampersand ( & ) or angle brackets ( ) within
a quoted string, you must precede them with an ampersand.
■ If the list, set, or class is formatted to print in less space than is needed to
print string, string will be truncated within the space allowed.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following lines appear in the text of a message. PREFERENCES is a list
parameter. (The &FI+ command prevents a blank line from appearing
between the two lines of text.)
&fi+
Customer Preferences: %preferences &br
&emp 'None at this time'
Customer Preferences: %preferences
If the parameter PREFERENCES is empty or unresolved at the time this
message is displayed, the following text would appear in the message.
Customer Preferences: * Empty List *
Customer Preferences: None at this time
If a later message displayed an unresolved list parameter, without using
&EMP within the text of that message, * EMPTY LIST * would again be
displayed.

&EMPTBL (empty table)
&EMPTBL (empty table)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
The &EMPTBL command specifies text to be displayed when no data is
available for a table. If AionDS tries to display a table but finds that all the
columns refer to empty lists, it displays the string specified in the &EMPTBL
command.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&EMPTBL 'string'
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
string
is the string that replaces the default text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The &EMPTBL command works in conjunction with the &TBL
command.
■ AionDS uses the following default string if you do not specify another
with the &EMPTBL command:
* Empty Table *
■ If you want to include an ampersand ( & ) or angle brackets ( ) within
a quoted string, you must precede them with an ampersand.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following example specifies that the string NO INFORMATION
AVAILABLE be displayed for empty tables.
&EMPTBL 'No Information Available'
TSL Commands 6-45

&ESC (send escape sequence)
&ESC (send escape sequence)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-46 Language Reference
Use the &ESC command to transmit escape sequences, such as printer control
sequences.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&ESC (byte [,byte...])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
byte
is a number representing a character.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
A byte can be a number in either decimal or hexadecimal. You must precede
every hexadecimal number with a pound sign ( # ).
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following commands, which start underlining on some printers, are
equivalent:
&esc (27,67)
&esc (#1B,#43)

&FI (fill mode)
&FI (fill mode)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Fill mode formats the text to fill the area within the margins. The output
lines create a ragged right margin. You can switch into and out of the fill
formatting mode with the &FI command.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&FI{ + | - }
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The &FI command followed by the plus sign ( + ) cancels the previous
mode and sets the current mode to fill mode.
■ The &FI command followed by the minus sign ( - ) cancels fill mode and
returns to the previous mode.
■ In fill mode, groups of spaces and line breaks are replaced by a single
space character before the output is formatted.
■ In fill mode, AionDS displays two spaces after each period, exclamation
point, or question mark that is followed by one or more blank spaces.
For example, if a period, exclamation point, or question mark is followed
by three spaces, AionDS replaces the three spaces with two. If one of
these punctuation marks is followed by one space, AionDS replaces the
one with two. If it is followed by another character with no blank spaces,
AionDS does not insert any blank spaces.
■ If you want to display more than one space between words or less than
two spaces after a period, question mark, or exclamation point, you must
temporarily return to the default formatting mode or use the &SPC
command. For example, the following portion of TSL text preserves one
space after the period in the string ST. PAUL:
&fi+
Several aspects of the city of &fi-St. Paul&fi+ contribute
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following TSL statements use &FI to display the first sentence in a filled
format. The length of this sentence varies depending on the values of the
Boolean slots COSTLY, FAMILY, and SPORTY. Fill mode causes the text to
wrap within the margins regardless of the length of the sentence. In this
example, fill mode is cancelled in order to format the customer information.
TSL Commands 6-47

&FI (fill mode)
6-48 Language Reference
&fi +
The car of your dreams
%costly
%family
%sporty .
&fi -
%customer <
Customer No. %cust_no:17
Credit Limit: %old_limit:17:2
Payment History: %payment_hist:17
>
The example above produces the following text when COSTLY and SPORTY
are true and FAMILY is false:
The car of your dreams , though a bit expensive, is the
fastest car of the lot and will be the envy of all your
friends at work.
Customer No. 12345123451234512
Credit Limit: 50000.00
Payment History: ..... excellent

&FOOTER (set footer)
&FOOTER (set footer)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the &FOOTER command to set a footer that will appear at the bottom of
every page of a report.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&FOOTER [text | ]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
text
is the text that AionDS displays as a footer.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ If you do not enclose the text within angle brackets ( < > ), the text
cannot extend past the end of the input line and cannot contain TSL
commands or value substitution.
■ If you do not enclose the footer text in angle brackets and the bottom
margin is greater than one, the footer prints on the second line from the
bottom, regardless of the margin setting. If the margin is one, the footer
prints on the bottom line. If the margin is zero, the footer is not printed.
■ If you do not enclose the text in angle brackets, the footer is centered on
the line. Specifically, it is centered between position 1 and the line
length.
■ If you do not enclose the text in angle brackets, and if you do not use the
&N- command, AionDS prints the page number at the end of the footer
line preceded by the following text and a blank space:
page:
■ If you enclose the text within angle brackets, the text can extend for
multiple lines, can contain TSL commands, and can contain value
substitution.
■ If you enclose the text within angle brackets, the text prints starting at the
bottom margin. It does not extend past the bottom of the page.
■ If you enclose the text within angle brackets, you can use any TSL
command except the following ones: &BLK, &BM, &FOOTER, &LN,
&N, &PG, &TBL, &TITLE, &TM.
TSL Commands 6-49

&FOOTER (set footer)
6-50 Language Reference
■ If you enclose the text within angle brackets, AionDS performs the
following actions before printing the footer:
❐ Fill mode is cancelled
❐ Justify mode is cancelled
❐ Table mode is cancelled
❐ Line numbering is cancelled
❐ Left margin is set to 1
❐ Right margin is set to the line length
After printing the footer, AionDS resets all modes, margins, and defaults
to their previous settings, including any of these that have been reset
within the &FOOTER command.
■ This command works in reports and in messages that are included in
reports. If you put it in any other TSL property, AionDS ignores the
command.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The first example prints the text 3rd Quarter, 1987 centered on the
bottom of every page. The second example prints the page number centered
at the bottom of every page.
&footer 3rd Quarter, 1987
&footer

&IDF (integer default format)
&IDF (integer default format)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use &IDF to set the default format for the display of integers. For example,
using the &IDF command in a report object at the beginning of the report
text property sets the default integer format for the entire report.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&IDF ('mask'[,'mask'])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
mask
is an integer mask that can contain the following symbols:
9 reserves space for a decimal digit. The default display is a space.
0 reserves space for a decimal digit. The default display is a zero.
* reserves space for a decimal digit. The default display is an asterisk.
N reserves space for a decimal digit. The default display is nothing.
B reserves space for a binary digit. The default display is a zero.
H reserves space for a hexadecimal digit. The default display is a zero.
, specifies commas between every three digits.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ If you specify two masks, AionDS uses the first one for positive numbers
and the second one for negative numbers. On the second mask, the first
mask character is reserved for the sign. You should allow enough space
for the sign and the number.
■ If you specify only one mask, the mask is used for both positive and
negative numbers. If the number is negative, the first character of the
mask is replaced by a minus sign ( - ).
■ If you only use nines (9...) in the mask, AionDS blank fills all positions
to the left of the most significant digit.
■ If you only use zeros (0...) in the mask, AionDS zero fills all positions to
the left of the most significant digit.
■ If you only use asterisks (*...) in the mask, AionDS asterisk fills all
positions to the left of the most significant digit.
TSL Commands 6-51

&IDF (integer default format)
6-52 Language Reference
■ If you only use the character N (N...) in the mask, AionDS truncates all
positions to the left of the most significant digit.
■ If you use a comma ( , ) in the mask, AionDS displays commas in
positions that are multiples of three digits from the least significant digit.
If the digit to the left of a comma is suppressed, the comma is also
suppressed.
■ A negative mask is ignored when it specifies binary or hexadecimal
format.
■ To use a special character as a fixed character, precede it with an
ampersand ( & ). To display an ampersand, specify two ampersands
( && ).
■ The profile option THOUSANDS-SEPARATOR determines the display of
commas but not their interpretation in the mask.
■ Integers are right-justified up to the length of the mask. This is the last
step in formatting an integer. If the number is already longer than the
mask, it is not truncated. If the number overflows the mask, the extra
digits are put immediately before the first numeric position of the mask,
except in the case of binary and hexadecimal masks. In those cases,
instead of overflowing, the number is truncated at the left.
■ You cannot combine bases, such as decimal and hexadecimal, in the same
mask.
■ The default fill character, such as a space, is used to fill positions on the
left. For example, if the mask is 'BBBB' and the number is 5 (101
binary) then AionDS displays '0101'.
■ If you might display a negative number without specifying a negative
mask, it is important to allow space for a minus sign in the positive mask.
The mask must be at least two digits, one for the sign and one for a digit.
■ If you display a negative number using a mask that contains asterisks, the
sign displays to the left of the left-most asterisk.
■ If you are using a decimal mask, you should specify a '0' in the least
significant position of the mask if you want something to appear when
the number is zero.

&IDF (integer default format)
■ You can reset the default integer format to its initial format with the
following command:
&idf ('0','-0')
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
In the following examples, X contains the value 1,000 and Y contains the
value -1,000. The delta character ( ) indicates a blank space.
Mask X on output Y on output
'99999990','-9999990' 1000 -1000
',999,990','-999,990' 1,000 -1,000
',***,**0','-***,**0' ***1,000 -**1,000
',000,000','-000,000' 0001,000 -001,000
' 99,990 ','(99,990)' 1,000 (1,000)
' NN,NN0 ','(NN,NN0)' 1,000 (1,000)
' NN,NN0 ',' NN,NN0-' 1,000 1,000-
' $999,990 ','($999,990)' $1,000 ($1,000)
' $NNN,NN0 ','($NNN,NN0)' $1,000 ($1,000)
'$NNN,NN0','$-NN,NN0' $1,000 $-1,000
'0', '-0' 1000 -1000
In the next example, the value being displayed is indicated in the Value
column.
Mask Value Output
'HHHH:HHHH' ABC10DEF hex ABC1:0DEF
'BBBBBBBB' 101 binary 00000101
'000-00-0000',' &Bad SS #' 12345678 012-34-5678
'000-0000', '&Bad ph #' 5551212 555-1212
TSL Commands 6-53

&INCLUDE (insert text from a file)
&INCLUDE (insert text from a file)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-54 Language Reference
Use &INCLUDE to insert text from a file in any TSL property.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&INCLUDE { 'file_name' | %[library::]string_param }
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
file_name
is the name of any operating system file.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the parameter exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate parameter names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
string_param
is the name of any parameter with a base type of string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The value of string_param is the name of any operating system file.
■ You can use Fill or Justify mode to format the output file text.
■ To insert a line break at the end of the output file text, use &BR or,
while in the default mode, press ENTER after the &INCLUDE statement.
■ No command interpretation or parameter substitution is performed on
the text of the file.

&INCLUDE (insert text from a file)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following command inserts the contents of the file WORK.DOC in the
text of a message.
&include 'work.doc'
In the following example, the value of the parameter INCLUDE_FILE is the
name of a file. This command inserts the contents of the file in a report.
&include %include_file
TSL Commands 6-55

&J (justify mode)
&J (justify mode)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-56 Language Reference
Justify mode formats text to fill the area within the margins, and creates
output lines that are flush with the right margin. You can switch into and
out of the justify formatting mode with the &J command.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&J{ + | - }
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The plus sign ( + ) cancels the previous mode and sets the current mode
to justify mode.
■ The minus sign ( - ) cancels justify mode and returns to the previous
mode.
■ In justify mode, groups of spaces and line breaks are replaced by a single
space character before the output is formatted.
■ In justify mode, AionDS displays two spaces after each period,
exclamation point, or question mark that is followed by one or more
blank spaces. For example, if a period, exclamation point, or question
mark is followed by three spaces, AionDS replaces the three spaces with
two. If one of these punctuation marks is followed by one space, AionDS
replaces the one with two. If it is followed by another character with no
blank spaces, AionDS does not insert any blank spaces.
■ If you want to display more than one space between words or less than
two spaces after a period, question mark, or exclamation point, you must
temporarily return to the default formatting mode or use the &SPC
command. For example, the following portion of TSL text preserves one
space after the period in the string ST. PAUL:
&j+
Several aspects of the city of &j-St. Paul&j+ contribute

&J (justify mode)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following TSL statements use &J to display the first sentence in a
justified format. The length of this sentence varies depending on the values
of the Boolean slots COSTLY, FAMILY, and SPORTY. Justify mode causes the
text to wrap within the margins regardless of the length of the sentence in
addition to displaying the right edge of each line flush with the margin. In
this example, justify mode is cancelled in order to format the customer
information.
&j +
The car of your dreams
%costly
%family
%sporty
&j -
%customer <
Customer No. %cust_no:17
Credit Limit: %old_limit:17:2
Payment History: %payment_hist:17
>
When COSTLY and SPORTY are true and FAMILY is false the following text is
displayed:
The car of your dreams , though a bit expensive, is the
fastest car of the lot and will be the envy of all your
friends at work.
Customer No. 12345123451234512
Credit Limit: 50000.00
Payment History: ..... excellent
TSL Commands 6-57

&LI (left indent)
&LI (left indent)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-58 Language Reference
Use the &LI command to temporarily set the left margin.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&LI [ + | - ] number
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
number
is either the relative or absolute position for the margin.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The plus ( + ) sign moves the margin number positions to the right of the
current margin. The minus ( - ) sign moves the margin number positions
to the left of the current margin. This is called relative positioning.
■ If you do not use relative positioning, number represents the absolute
position. In a report, the absolute position is the number of spaces from
the left edge of the page. In all other TSL properties, the absolute
position is the number of spaces from the left edge of the window. In all
properties, the spaces are numbered with the leftmost position as 1.
■ &LI changes the indent for the current line. The next line of output uses
the previously established left margin.
■ You can use the &LI command anywhere in the line whose margin you
want to change. The command does not need to be at the beginning of
the line.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following TSL statements create numbered paragraphs. The first TSL
statements invoke fill mode and establish the left margin to be at the tenth
space from the left edge of the window or page. The &LI command sets the
left margin for the first line of each paragraph to be four spaces to the left of
the established margin.
&fi+&lm10
&li-4 1. As a further consideration and inducement for this
Agreement, %client hereby waives all rights under Section 1542 of the
California Civil Code or any analogous state, local, or federal law,
statute, rule, order or regulation.
&br

&LI (left indent)
&li-4 2. %client hereby expressly agrees that this Agreement shall
extend and apply to all unknown, unsuspected and unanticipated
injuries and damages, as well as to those that are now disclosed.
&br
AionDS displays the paragraphs in the following manner:
1. As a further consideration and inducement for this
Agreement, John Doe hereby waives all rights under
Section 1542 of the California Civil Code or any
analogous state, local, or federal law, statute, rule,
order or regulation.
2. John Doe hereby expressly agrees that this Agreement
shall extend and apply to all unknown, unsuspected and
unanticipated injuries and damages, as well as to those
that are now disclosed.
TSL Commands 6-59

&LM (left margin)
&LM (left margin)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-60 Language Reference
Use the &LM command to set the left margin.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&LM [ + | - ] number
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
number
is either the relative or absolute position for the margin.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The plus ( + ) sign moves the margin number positions to the right of the
current margin. The minus ( - ) sign moves the margin number positions
to the left of the current margin. This is called relative positioning.
■ If you do not use relative positioning, number represents the absolute
position. In a report, the absolute position is the number of spaces from
the left edge of the page. In all other TSL properties, the absolute
position is the number of spaces from the left edge of the window. In all
properties, the spaces are numbered with the leftmost position as 1.
■ For objects that are not reports, the default left margin is 1. For report
objects, the default left margin is specified by the Left Margin property.
■ If the command is not at the beginning of a line, it causes a line break.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following TSL command sets the left margin at position 5.
&lm 5
The following TSL command sets the left margin at 7 spaces to the right of
the current margin.
&lm+7

&LN (line numbers)
&LN (line numbers)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the &LN command to number lines of a display.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&LN { { : [ + | - ] number } | - }
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
number
is the number of positions in which to display the line number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The &LN: [+|-] number command turns line numbers on. The &LNcommand
turns line numbers off.
■ Line numbers are displayed in the area between the left edge of the
window or page, and the left margin.
■ The default position for displaying line numbers is left-justified at the left
edge of the window or page (position 1). Note that if the left margin is
at position 1, no line numbers will be displayed.
■ The number argument specifies the number of positions in which to
display the line number. If you use the number argument, line numbers
are right-justified within the positions, otherwise, the numbers are leftjustified.
■ You cannot use line numbers and display text in the left margin (with the
&LT command) at the same time. The last command that AionDS
executes overrides the previous command.
■ If the line number cannot fit within the left margin, it is truncated.
■ The first non-title line on a page is line 1.
■ Line numbers are reset to start each page with line number 1.
■ Line numbering is not available within titles or footers. An error occurs
if you attempt to specify line numbers within a title or footer.
TSL Commands 6-61

&LN (line numbers)
6-62 Language Reference
■ Line numbering appears on every line after the &LN command including
blank or skipped lines, except for titles and footers.
■ You can use the &LN command anywhere in the line at which you want
to begin numbering. The command does not need to be at the
beginning of the line.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following message shows the use of the line numbering command:
&ln:1&fi+&lm10&rm-5
&li-4 1. As a further consideration and inducement for this
Agreement, %client hereby waives all rights under Section 1542 of the
California Civil Code or any analogous state, local, or federal law,
statute, rule, order or regulation.
&br
&li-4 2. %client hereby expressly agrees that this Agreement shall
extend and apply to all unknown, unsuspected and unanticipated
injuries and damages, as well as to those that are now disclosed.
&ln-
The following output is displayed:
1 1. As a further consideration and inducement for this Agreement,
2 John Doe hereby waives all rights under Section 1542 of the
3 California Civil Code or any analogous state, local, or
4 federal law, statute, rule, order or regulation.
5 2. John Doe hereby expressly agrees that this Agreement shall
6 extend and apply to all unknown, unsuspected and unanticipated
7 injuries and damages, as well as to those that are now
8 disclosed.

&LT (text in the left margin)
&LT (text in the left margin)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the &LT command to place text in the left margin.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&LT 'string'
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
string
is a text string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The &LT command places string in the left margin of each line,
including blank and skipped lines.
■ Specifying an empty string cancels the command:
&LT ''
■ The string must be a single line. You cannot use carriage returns or line
feeds in string.
■ If you want to include an ampersand ( & ) or angle brackets ( ) within
a quoted string, you must precede them with an ampersand.
■ You cannot use line numbers (with the &LN command) and display text
in the left margin at the same time. The last command that AionDS
executes overrides the previous command.
■ You can use the &LT command anywhere in the line at which you want
to begin margin text. The command does not need to be at the
beginning of the line.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following message displays side bars ( | ) to the left of each line in the
second paragraph:
&fi+&lm10&rm-5
&li-4 1. As a further consideration and inducement for this
Agreement, %client hereby waives all rights under Section 1542 of the
California Civil Code or any analogous state, local, or federal law,
statute, rule, order or regulation.
&br&lt '|'
&li-4 2. %client hereby expressly agrees that this Agreement shall
extend and apply to all unknown, unsuspected and unanticipated
injuries and damages, as well as to those that are now disclosed.
&br&lt ''
TSL Commands 6-63

&LT (text in the left margin)
6-64 Language Reference
AionDS produces the following output:
1. As a further consideration and inducement for this Agreement,
John Doe hereby waives all rights under Section 1542 of the
California Civil Code or any analogous state, local, or
federal law, statute, rule, order or regulation.
| 2. John Doe hereby expressly agrees that this Agreement shall
| extend and apply to all unknown, unsuspected and unanticipated
| injuries and damages, as well as to those that are now
| disclosed.

&MSG (substitute a message)
&MSG (substitute a message)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the &MSG command to substitute a message inside another message or
inside a report.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&MSG [library::]msg_obj
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
library
is the name of the included library in which the message exists. The library
name is only required when duplicate message names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
msg_obj
is the name of a message object.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ When you include a message with &MSG, the execution conditions of
msg_obj are not executed. The message is included whether the execution
conditions would evaluate to TRUE or FALSE.
■ With &MSG you can create and maintain standard headings or messages
and use them throughout the knowledge base. This reduces redundancy
of TSL statements in the knowledge base and can reduce the size of the
knowledge base.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following lines are contained in the Report Text property of a report.
The resulting report consists of two sections, SALES_DETAIL and
SALES_SUMMARY. The contents of STANDARD_HEAD is included at the
beginning of each section.
&msg standard_head
&msg sales_detail
&pg
&msg standard_head
&msg sales_summary
TSL Commands 6-65

&N (number pages)
&N (number pages)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-66 Language Reference
Use the &N command to invoke or cancel page numbering of a report.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&N { + | - }
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The &N command can only be used in conjunction with the &FOOTER
command. In addition, the &FOOTER command must use the format
without text enclosed in angle brackets ( ).
■ The &N command adds a page number to the footer. The page number
is printed in the lower right corner of each page and is preceded by the
following text and a blank space:
page:
■ The plus sign ( + ) invokes page numbering; the minus sign ( - ) cancels
page numbering.
■ The default choice for page numbering is plus ( + ).
■ This command works in reports and in messages that are included in
reports. If you put it in any other TSL property, AionDS ignores the
command.

&PG (eject page)
&PG (eject page)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the &PG command to eject the current page of a report.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&PG
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ This command works in reports and in messages that are included in
reports. If you put it in any other TSL property, AionDS ignores the
command.
■ You do not need to use this command at the end of a report because the
page is automatically ejected at that time.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following example ejects the page between chapters of a manual.
** End of Chapter 9 **
&pg
&cCHAPTER 10
TSL Commands 6-67

&RDF (real default format)
&RDF (real default format)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-68 Language Reference
Use the &RDF command to set the default format for display of real
numbers. There are two formats to the &RDF command.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&RDF(width, precision [, nfmt])
Format 1 Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
width
is the number of positions used to display the formatted number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
precision
is the number of digits displayed to the right of the decimal point.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
nfmt
is an optional argument that specifies one of the following formats for
displaying real numbers.
S displays a leading minus sign in front of a negative number.
C displays CR after a negative number and two blanks after a positive
number.
D displays CR after a negative number and DB after a positive number.
P displays parentheses around a negative number and an extra blank on
each side of a positive number.
R displays a trailing minus sign after a negative number and an extra
space after a positive number.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ TSL places a comma every three digits to the left of the decimal point.
■ You should allocate a width large enough to display the value, the
decimal point, significant digits to the right of the decimal point, and
formatting characters.
■ If you do not specify enough positions, TSL displays the entire number.
It truncates trailing spaces, however.
■ If the value and formatting characters require less than width position,
TSL pads the positions with blanks to the left of the number.

&RDF (real default format)
■ The fractional part of the number is rounded to fit in precision positions.
■ You can reset the default real format to its initial format with the
following command:
&rdf (0,2,s)
■ If you specify precision as 0, TSL does not display the decimal point.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
In the following examples, X contains the value 10,000 and Y contains the
value -10,000. The delta character ( ) indicates a blank space.
TSL Output
&rdf(12,2,s)%x
&rdf(12,2,s)%y
&rdf(12,2,c)%x
&rdf(12,2,c)%y
&rdf(12,2,d)%x
&rdf(12,2,d)%y
&rdf(12,2,p)%x
&rdf(12,2,p)%y
&rdf(12,2,r)%x
&rdf(12,2,r)%y
10,000.00
-10,000.00
10,000.00
10,000.00CR
10,000.00DB
10,000.00CR
10,000.00
(10,000.00)
10,000.00
10,000.00-
The following message sets the real default format to format each number in
the message with a width of ten positions and no digits to the right of the
decimal point:
&rdf(10,0)
Old credit limit: %old_limit
Amount of purchase: %new_purchase
New credit limit: %credit_limit
The following message can be displayed with the above statements:
Old credit limit: 10,000
Amount of purchase: 1,000
New credit limit 12,000
TSL Commands 6-69

&RDF (real default format)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&RDF ('mask'[,'mask'])
Format 2 Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
mask
6-70 Language Reference
is a real number mask. The mask can contain the following symbols:
9 reserves space for a decimal digit. The default display is a space.
0 reserves space for a decimal digit. The default display is a zero.
* reserves space for a decimal digit. The default display is an
asterisk.
N reserves space for a decimal digit. The default display is nothing.
, specifies commas between every three digits.
. reserves space for the decimal point.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ If you specify two masks, AionDS uses the first one for positive numbers
and the second one for negative numbers.
■ If you specify only one mask, the mask is used for both positive and
negative numbers. If the number is negative, the first character of the
mask is replaced by a minus sign ( - ).
■ If you only use nines (9...) in the mask, AionDS blank fills all positions
to the left of the most significant digit.
■ If you use only zeros (0...) in the mask, AionDS zero fills all positions to
the left of the most significant digit.
■ If you use only asterisks (*...) in the mask, AionDS asterisk fills all
positions to the left of the most significant digit.
■ If you only use the character N (N...) in the mask, AionDS truncates all
positions to the left of the most significant digit.
■ Use the period ( . ) to display a decimal point. The first mask character
to the right of the decimal point determines whether the decimal point is
displayed. If the mask character and the data cause a space or asterisk to
display, or suppression of any character, the period is also displayed as a
space, asterisk, or nothing.

&RDF (real default format)
■ If you use a comma ( , ) in the mask, AionDS displays commas in
positions that are multiples of three digits from the least significant digit.
If the digit to the left of a comma is suppressed, the comma is also
suppressed.
■ To use a special character as a fixed character, precede it with an
ampersand ( & ). To display an ampersand, specify two ampersands
( && ).
■ The profile options DECIMAL-SEPARATOR and THOUSANDS-SEPARATOR
determine the display of periods and commas, but not their
interpretation in the mask.
■ Real numbers are right-justified up to the length of the mask. This is the
last step in formatting a number. If the number is already longer than
the mask, it is not truncated. If the number overflows the mask, the
extra digits are put immediately before the first numeric position of the
mask.
■ The default fill character for numeric positions, such as a space, is used in
the following cases:
❐ On the left side of the decimal, the default character is used to fill
positions on the left. For example, if the mask is '999.00' and the
number is 1.23 then TSL displays ' 1.23'. If no numeric
position character is used on the left of the decimal in the mask, the
default (for the 1’s position when printing 0.x or -0.x) is 0.
❐ On the right side of the decimal, the default character is used to fill
positions on the right. For example, if the mask is '999.99' and
the number is 123.50 then TSL displays '123.5 '.
■ If you might display a negative number without specifying a negative
mask, it is important to allow space for a minus sign in the positive mask.
■ If you display a negative number using a mask that contains asterisks, the
sign displays to the left of the left-most asterisk.
■ If you are using a decimal mask, you should specify a '0' in the least
significant position of the mask if you want something to appear when
the number is zero.
TSL Commands 6-71

&RDF (real default format)
6-72 Language Reference
■ You can reset the default real format to its initial format with the
following command:
&rdf (0,2,s)
■ A default specified with &RDF applies until a new default is specified or
until the end of the property in which it is specified.
If the contents of one TSL property are included within another TSL
property, the format defined in one property continues to apply in the
other. For example, if you use &RDF in a TSL property and later in the
property you use the &MSG command, the default will continue to apply
in the included message. Likewise, if you include a message with &MSG
and the included message contains the &RDF command, the default will
continue to apply when AionDS returns to the first property.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
In the following example, X contains the value 1,000.00 and Y contains the
value -1,000.00. The delta character ( ) indicates a blank space.
Mask X on output Y on output
'99999990.99','-9999990.99' 1000 -1000
',999,990.00','-999,990.00' 1,000.00 -1,000.00
',***,**0.**','-***,**0.**' ***1,000*** -**1,000***
',***,**0.00','-***,**0.00' ***1,000.00 -**1,000.00
',000,000.00','-000,000.00' 0001,000.00 -001,000.00
' 99,990.09 ','(99,990.09)' 1,000.0 (1,000.0)
' NN,NN0.NN ','(NN,NN0.NN)' 1,000 (1,000)
' NN,NN0.00 ',' NN,NN0.00-' 1,000.00 1,000.00-
' $999,990 ', '($999,990)' $1,000 ($1,000)
' $NNN,NN0 ', '($NNN,NN0)' $1,000 ($1,000)
'$NNN,NN0.00','$-NN,NN0.00' $1,000.00 $-1,000.00
'0.N', '-0.N' 1000 -1000
',.N', '-,.N' 1,000 -1,000

&RI (right indent)
&RI (right indent)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the &RI command to temporarily set the right margin.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&RI [ + | - ] number
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
number
is either the relative or absolute position for the margin.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The plus ( + ) sign moves the margin number positions to the right of the
current margin. The minus ( - ) sign moves the margin number positions
to the left of the current margin. This is called relative positioning.
■ If you do not use relative positioning, number represents the absolute
position. In a report, the absolute position is the number of spaces from
the left edge of the page. In all other TSL properties, the absolute
position is the number of spaces from the left edge of the window. In all
properties, the spaces are numbered with the leftmost position as 1.
■ &RI changes the indent for the current line. The next line of output uses
the previously established right margin.
■ You can use &RI anywhere in the line whose margin you want to change.
The command does not need to be at the beginning of the line.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following paragraph uses &RI to create a line item signature line.
&lm5&rm50&fi+
I agree not to hold %company responsible for any injury
or death that results directly or indirectly from my
taking part in skydiving lessons. Initial here.
&ri+6&stab(47)&tab______
This generates the following output:
I agree not to hold Acme Skydiving School
responsible for any injury or death that
results directly or indirectly from my taking
part in skydiving lessons. Initial here. ______
TSL Commands 6-73

&RM (right margin)
&RM (right margin)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-74 Language Reference
Use the &RM command to set the right margin.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&RM [ + | - ] number
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
number
is either the relative or absolute position for the margin.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The plus ( + ) sign moves the margin number positions to the right of the
current margin. The minus ( - ) sign moves the margin number positions
to the left of the current margin. This is called relative positioning.
■ If you do not use relative positioning, number represents the absolute
position. In a report, the absolute position is the number of spaces from
the left edge of the page. In all other TSL properties, the absolute
position is the number of spaces from the left edge of the window. In all
properties, the spaces are numbered with the leftmost position as 1.
■ For objects that are not reports, the default right margin is the right-most
position in the output window. For report objects, the default right
margin is specified by the Right Margin property.
■ If the command is not at the beginning of a line, it causes a line break.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following TSL command sets the right margin two characters to the left
of the current margin:
&rm -2
The following TSL command sets the right margin at position 66:
&rm 66

&RT (text in right margin)
&RT (text in right margin)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the &RT command to place text in the right margin.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&RT 'string'
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
string
is a text string.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The &RT command places string in the right margin of each line,
including blank or skipped lines.
■ Specifying an empty string cancels the command:
&RT ''
■ The string must be a single line. You cannot use carriage returns or line
feeds in string.
■ If you want to include an ampersand ( & ) or angle brackets ( ) within
a quoted string, you must precede them with an ampersand.
■ You can use the &RT command anywhere in the line at which you want
to begin margin text. The command does not need to be at the
beginning of the line.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following message displays side bars ( | ) to the right of each line in the
second paragraph:
&ln+&fi+&lm10&rm-5
&li-4 1. As a further consideration and inducement for this
Agreement, %client hereby waives all rights under Section 1542 of the
California Civil Code or any analogous state, local, or federal law,
statute, rule, order or regulation.
&br&rt ' |'
&li-4 2. %client hereby expressly agrees that this Agreement shall
extend and apply to all unknown, unsuspected and unanticipated
injuries and damages, as well as to those that are now disclosed.
&br&rt ''
TSL Commands 6-75

&RT (text in right margin)
6-76 Language Reference
AionDS produces the following output:
1 1. As a further consideration and inducement for this Agreement,
2 John Doe hereby waives all rights under Section 1542 of the
3 California Civil Code or any analogous state, local, or
4 federal law, statute, rule, order or regulation.
5 2. John Doe hereby expressly agrees that this Agreement shall |
6 extend and apply to all unknown, unsuspected and |
7 unanticipated injuries and damages, as well as to those |
8 that are now disclosed. |

&SEND (send a message to an object)
&SEND (send a message to an object)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the &SEND statement to send a message to an object. The &SEND
command has three formats.
For more information: See the “Sending messages to classes and instances
from TSL” section in Chapter 5, “Text Substitution Language,” about other
syntax for sending messages in TSL.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Format 1 Syntax
Use this format to send a message to a class. This format is used when a
message is intended to operate upon the entire class.
&SEND (method TO %classref [WITH arg1 [, arg2...]]) [format]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Format 2 Syntax
Use this format to send a message to an instance. This format is used when a
method is intended to operate upon a particular instance.
&SEND (method TO %instanceref [WITH arg1 [, arg2...]])
[format]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Format 3 Syntax
Use this format to send a message which resides in the parent of the current
class to the current instance or class. The command causes the parent
message to be embedded in the current message.
&SEND (method UP [WITH arg1 [, arg2...]]) [format]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
method
is the name of the method to be invoked.
TSL Commands 6-77

&SEND (send a message to an object)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
classref
6-78 Language Reference
is the class to which the message is sent. %classref can have one of the
following forms:
%[library::]class
%currentclass
library is the name of the included library in which the class exists.
The library name is only required when duplicate class
names exist in any of the following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
class is the name of a class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
instanceref
is the instance to which the message is sent. %instanceref can have one of the
following forms:
%
%classref(static)
%classref(%str_param)
%current
%is
%[library::]ptr*
%static
library is the name of the included library in which the slot or
parameter exists. The library name is only required when
duplicate slot or parameter names exist in any of the
following:
■ knowledge base and any included libraries
■ 2 or more included libraries
ptr is the name of a slot or parameter whose type is pointer.
static is the name of a static instance.

&SEND (send a message to an object)
str_param is the name of a parameter or slot whose type is string and
whose value is the name of an instance.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
arg#
is an argument to be passed to the attached function.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
format
is formatting appropriate to the type of value returned by the attached
function.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The object attached to the method must be a message or a function. The
message or return value is embedded exactly as it would be using the
&MSG statement or a function call.
■ To specify arguments with the &SEND command, place arguments after
the word WITH and separate the arguments with commas. For example,
the following statement sends a message to the static instance FORD. The
method name is SPECS. The first argument is the value of ENGINE,
which is a slot of the current instance. The second argument is the string
THROTTLE.
&send (specs to %ford with %engine, 'throttle')
■ You can format the return value of a function with TSL formatting
commands such as colon formatting, masks, brackets, and so on.
■ See %UP in this chapter for sending a message to the parent of the
current class.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statement displays text as a result of sending a message to the
class CUSTOMERS:
&send(SalesTotal to %Customers)
The following statements both send a message to the current instance. The
second statement formats the value (in this case it is a real number) with a
width of 10 and precision of 2.
&send(OrderTotal to %Current)
&send(OrderTotal to %Current):10:2
TSL Commands 6-79

&SEND (send a message to an object)
6-80 Language Reference
The following statement sends a message to the instance referred to by the
pointer CUSTPOINTER:
&send(OrderTotal to %CustPointer*)
The following statement sends a message to an instance of the class
CUSTOMERS. The instance name is the value of the parameter BIGGEST.
&send(OrderTotal to %Customers(%Biggest))
The following statement sends a message to the current instance or class. The
method ORDERTOTAL is defined in the parent of the current class.
&send(OrderTotal up)

&SK (skip lines)
&SK (skip lines)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use &SK to skip lines.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&SK number
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
number
is the number of lines that AionDS skips.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ If a line break does not precede the command, the command breaks the
line and then skips number lines.
■ If you specify margin text or line numbering with the &LT, &RT, or
&LN commands before the &SK command, the margin text will appear
on the lines that are skipped.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following TSL text skips two lines before and four lines after the
company name and address.
&sk 2
&cPLATINUM technology, inc.&c555 Twin Dolphin Dr., Ste. 400
&cRedwood City, CA 94065
&sk 4
TSL Commands 6-81

&SPC (insert spaces)
&SPC (insert spaces)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-82 Language Reference
Use &SPC in fill, justify, and table modes to include blank spaces.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&SPC
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
■ &SPC inserts the number of spaces specified in the &SSPC command.
Remarks
■ If you do not use the &SSPC command, each &SPC command reserves
five spaces.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following table uses spacing commands to format the heading:
&stab (16,31,51) &sspc 1 &tb+
Customer &spc No.
&tab Credit &spc Limit
&tab &spc &spc Payment &spc History
&tab Credit &spc Status &br
------------
&tab ------------
&tab -----------------
&tab ------------- &br
%customer_list < %>
&tb-

&SSPC (set spaces in fill, justify, and table modes)
&SSPC (set spaces in fill, justify, and table modes)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use &SSPC in fill, justify, and table modes to set the number of spaces to be
inserted with each &SPC command.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&SSPC number
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
number
is the number of spaces that AionDS uses with each &SPC command.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
If you do not use the &SSPC command, each &SPC command reserves five
spaces.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following table uses spacing commands to format the heading:
&stab (16,31,51) &sspc 1 &tb+
Customer &spc No.
&tab Credit &spc Limit
&tab &spc &spc Payment &spc History
&tab Credit &spc Status &br
------------
&tab ------------
&tab -----------------
&tab ------------- &br
%customer_list < %>
&tb-
TSL Commands 6-83

&STAB (set tabs)
&STAB (set tabs)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-84 Language Reference
Use the &STAB command to set tab stops.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&STAB (pos1 [, pos ...])
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
pos1
is the position of the first tab stop.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
pos
is the position of the next tab stop.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You can specify a maximum of 80 tab stops.
■ If you do not use this command, the default tab stops are every five
positions, starting with position 5.
■ The tab positions are relative to the left margin.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following command sets tab stops at positions 16, 31, and 51:
&stab (16,31,51)

&TAB (Move to next tab)
&TAB (Move to next tab)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use &TAB to position output to start at the next tab stop.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&TAB
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
The &TAB command is ignored if more &TAB commands are used than the
number of tab stops.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following statement displays the date and then moves to the next tab
stop to display the time.
%currentdate &tab%currenttime
TSL Commands 6-85

&TB (table mode)
&TB (table mode)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-86 Language Reference
Use table mode when you want TSL to ignore line breaks or to create a table.
You can create tables either with default formatting, table mode, or the &TBL
command. The fill (&FI) and justify (&J) commands are ignored in a table.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&TB { + | - }
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The &TB command invokes table mode.
■ The plus sign ( + ) cancels the previous mode and sets the current mode.
■ The minus sign ( - ) cancels the table mode and returns to the previous
mode.
■ When you use table mode, TSL ignores new lines and space characters.
■ The &TB command is unrelated to the &TBL command. It is not
necessary to be in table mode (&TB+) before issuing the &TBL
command.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following example uses table mode to prevent TSL from using the line
break to start a new line. This example uses default formatting, rather than
table mode or the &TBL command, to control spacing between the columns
of the table.
Consider the following output:
Customer No. Credit Limit Payment History Credit Status
------------ ------------ ----------------- -------------
1001 10000.00 under 30 days okay
1002 0.00 not under 30 days problem
The following TSL statements create the output:
Customer No. Credit Limit Payment History Credit Status
------------ ------------ ----------------- -------------
%customer_list

&TB (table mode)
Because the third TSL statement is long, it is necessary to use table mode to
temporarily cancel the effect of the new line. At the end of the third line,
table mode is invoked with the &TB command using the plus ( + ) option.
At the beginning of the next line, table mode is canceled with the minus ( - )
option. When table mode is canceled, TSL continues with the previous
mode, which is default formatting in this case.
The following example uses table mode and tab settings to produce the same
table for CUSTOMER_LIST. The tab stop command &STAB is used to set
three tabs. Default formatting is used to set up the table headings. After the
&TB command, AionDS ignores new lines and spaces. The &TAB command
specifies the next tab position for output.
&stab (16,31,51)
Customer No. Credit Limit Payment History Credit Status
------------ ------------ ----------------- -------------
&tb+
%customer_list < %>
&tb-
TSL Commands 6-87

&TBL (table)
&TBL (table)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-88 Language Reference
Use &TBL to format tables. With the &TBL command, AionDS can handle
many aspects of table creation automatically. AionDS can determine the
number and width of columns in the table, can provide titles for each
column, and can determine the appropriate type of justification for data in a
column. You can modify any of these defaults as appropriate for your table.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&TBL [option [, option ...]] < text >
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
option
is one of the following options:
CENTER specifies that the table is to be centered within the current
margins.
column(col_num [, LEFT |, RIGHT] [, TITLE ])
specifies attributes of individual columns.
col_num is the column number.
LEFT specifies that the column is to be leftjustified.
RIGHT specifies that the column is to be rightjustified.
TITLE specifies a title for the column.
title_text is TSL text for the column title.
ONETITLE specifies that the title is to be displayed only at the beginning
of the table, not at the top of subsequent pages of the report.
TITLEOFF specifies that TSL not generate automatic titles. AionDS
also does not display the blank line that is otherwise
automatically generated between the title and data.

&TBL (table)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
text
is TSL text, with exceptions noted below under Remarks.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ AionDS determines column widths at runtime. Each column is given
the width of the widest data that must fit in the column, including the
column title. You can set column widths manually with colon
formatting or fixed-width masking commands. See the examples below.
For more information: See “Displaying simple parameter and slot
values” in Chapter 5, “Text Substitution Language,” for more
information about colon formatting and masking.
■ If you do not use the TITLEOFF option, AionDS automatically generates
titles for any columns for which you have not provided titles. If you use
the TITLEOFF option, AionDS does not generate column titles.
■ You can specify column titles with the COLUMN TITLE option. The title
text can include TSL commands. For example, you can specify line
breaks for multiple-line titles.
■ If you do not use the TITLEOFF option, AionDS uses the Print Name
property of the object being displayed for the column title if it is
available. If the Print Name property has no value, AionDS uses the
Name property.
■ When AionDS uses the Name property to generate column titles,
AionDS substitutes blank spaces for all underscore characters (_) and
changes the first letter of the name to upper case.
■ There is an abbreviated syntax available within the &TBL command.
This allows you to refer to elements of a list, set, or class without using
the % character to move to the next element. For example, in standard
TSL text you need to use the following syntax to display the values of the
slot LAST_NAME for instances of the class PEOPLE:
%People
In the &TBL command you can use the following syntax:
&TBL < %People >
In the &TBL command, the following syntax is also equivalent to the
above, except that AionDS generates a different column title:
&TBL < %People.last_name >
TSL Commands 6-89

&TBL (table)
6-90 Language Reference
■ Commands that cause line breaks or change margins are not allowed in
text. Specifically, the following TSL commands are not allowed:
&BLK &LM &PG &SK
&BR &LN &RI &STAB
&C &LT &RM &TAB
&LI &N &RT &TBL
These commands are also not allowed in title_text, with the exception of
&BR and &SK, which can be used.
■ Each row of a table can contain only one line of text. You cannot create
a table with line breaks within a row.
■ Line breaks in table text have no effect on the table. You can include line
breaks for clarity or convenience in the &TBL command. If the
command extends more than one line, remember to include any
necessary blank spaces after the line break. Line breaks do, however,
affect title_text.
■ The syntax you use in the &TBL command determines the title AionDS
creates for a column. The following table shows what objects AionDS
uses for column titles according to the object reference in the &TBL
command. The column title comes from the Print Name or Name
property.
Reference Automatic column title
class-reference.slot slot
class-reference.method method
class-reference class
%list-of-pointers list
%list-of-pointers*.slot slot
%list-of-pointers*.method method
%list-of-pointers* list
%list list
%list list
%list-of-records.field field
class is the name of a class

&TBL (table)
class-reference can be %CURRENTCLASS or % followed
immediately by the class name. Classreference
can include the restriction (WITH
bool_slot_1) [(WITH bool_slot_2)...].
field is the name of a field in a list of records.
list is the name of a parameter or slot whose type is
a list or set.
list-of-pointers is the name of a parameter or slot whose type is
a list or set of pointers.
list-of-records is the name of a parameter whose type is a list
or set of records.
method is the name of a method.
slot is the name of a slot.
■ Unless you specify the TITLEOFF option, AionDS places a blank line
between the last row of the titles and the table. If you specify TITLEOFF
but you want a blank line, you can use &BR at the end of the titles you
specify.
■ AionDS creates a column in the table for each reference to a list, set, or
class. The syntax %class counts as one reference and AionDS creates
one column for it, regardless of the number of slots inside the angle
brackets.
■ Within the table text, any value substitutions that do not evaluate to a
list, set, or class are repeated in each row. Any other text between
columns is also repeated in each row.
■ If a column is formatted in angle brackets, AionDS left-justifies the data
and title for the column. Use the COLUMN LEFT and COLUMN RIGHT
options to override the default behavior.
■ If a column is not formatted in angle brackets, TSL uses the data type of
the data in a column to determine default justification. A column and its
title are right-justified for real or integer data, left-justified for other data
types. Use the COLUMN LEFT and COLUMN RIGHT options to override
the default behavior.
TSL Commands 6-91

&TBL (table)
6-92 Language Reference
■ AionDS determines the length of a table from the length of the longest
column. AionDS displays one line of the table for each element in the
longest list of elements. AionDS puts blank entries at the bottom of any
column that is shorter than the longest column.
■ To display values from a list or set of pointers, use the following syntax:
&TBL < %pointer_list*.slot1 %pointer_list*.slot2...>
■ Use the following syntax if you have a list or set of pointers and want to
display the full instance name for each pointer. The full instance name is
the class name followed by the instance name in parentheses.
&TBL < %pointer_list >
■ Use the following syntax if you have a list or set of pointers and want to
display only the instance name for each pointer:
&TBL < %pointer_list >
■ If no data is available for a table, TSL displays the string * EMPTY TABLE
* instead of a table. In other words, if all columns refer to empty lists,
sets, or classes, TSL does not display column titles or empty rows, but
displays the above string instead. You can customize this string with the
&EMPTBL command.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following command creates a table from two lists of different lengths.
TSL text:
&TBL < %Boys %Girls >
Resulting table:
Boys Girls
Bob Laura
Mike Susan
Carole

&TBL (table)
The following command creates a table with vertical lines between the
columns and with no column titles. Note that the line break between the
TITLEOFF option and the command text has no effect on the table.
TSL text:
&TBL titleoff
Resulting table:
| George Curnow | 55 |
| Hortense Stewart | 9 |
The following command creates a table that is centered in the current
margins, with the first column right-justified. The command specifies a title
for the first column. AionDS generates a title for the second column.
TSL text:
&TBL center, column(1,right,title )
< | %People | %People.age | >
Resulting table:
Name Age
| George Curnow | 55 |
| Hortense Stewart | 9 |
The following command creates a table with multiple lines in the column
titles:
TSL text:
&TBL column(1,title ),
column(2,title )
< | %People | %People.age | >
TSL Commands 6-93

&TBL (table)
6-94 Language Reference
Resulting table:
How
Name old
---- ---
| George Curnow | 55 |
| Hortense Stewart | 9 |
The following command creates a table with three columns, but with titles
for only the first and third columns. Note that the TITLEOFF option also
removes the blank line between the titles and the table.
TSL text:
&TBL titleoff,
column(1,title ),
column(3,title )
< | %People.first_name %People.last_name | %People.age | >
Resulting table:
Name Age
| George Curnow | 55 |
| Hortense Stewart | 9 |
The two following commands display the same information. Because of the
different syntax, AionDS creates three columns for the first example and two
columns for the second. Since no titles are specified, AionDS produces
default column titles.
&TBL < %People %People
%People >
&TBL < %People %People >
The first example above produces the following table:
People People People
George Curnow 55
Hortense Stewart 9

The two-column example above produces the following table:
People People
George Curnow 55
Hortense Stewart 9
&TBL (table)
AionDS creates the titles PEOPLE, FIRST NAME, and PEOPLE for the first,
second, and third columns in the following example:
&TBL < %People %People.first_name %People >
The following command creates a table that lists all instances of the class
PEOPLE for which the Boolean slot OVER_40 is TRUE. The table includes
values of the slots FIRST_NAME, LAST_NAME, and AGE.
&TBL < %People(with over_40).last_name %People(with
over_40).first_name %People(with over_40).age >
Note that all columns in the example above contain the constraint, since the
table as a whole is intended to include only people over 40. If you did not
include the constraint on one or more of the instance references, the column
for that slot would include information about all instances of the class.
The following TSL text overrides automatic calculation of column widths.
The column width for NAME is set to 20. The minus sign (-) indicates leftjustification.
The column width for AGE is set to 5 by the &IDF mask
specification. The column width for BIRTHDATE is set to 12.
&IDF ('99990')
&TBL
TSL Commands 6-95

&TDF (time default format)
&TDF (time default format)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
6-96 Language Reference
Use &TDF to set the default format for the display of times.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&TDF ([tfmt,] 'mask')
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
tfmt
is one of the following options:
T specifies use of a time mask to display times. This is the default.
H specifies time in hours since midnight.
M specifies time in minutes since midnight.
S specifies time in seconds since midnight.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
mask
is a time or real mask.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ You can reset the default time format to its initial format with the
following command:
&tdf ('H1:M2X2')
■ If you use the H, M, or S tfmt, you must specify a real mask.
■ Time masks can contain the following symbols:
H specifies a one- or two-digit hour, up to 12 (for example, 3
or 12).
H1 specifies a two-digit hour, up to 12. A blank space (shown
as in the example) is used with numbers less than 10 (for
example, 3 or 12).
H2 specifies a two-digit hour, up to 12. A zero is used with
numbers less than 10 (for example, 03 or 12).
X specifies the abbreviation for before or after noon, in upper
case (AM, PM). Use this in addition to specifications for
the hour.

&TDF (time default format)
X1 specifies the abbreviation for before or after noon, in lower
case (am, pm). Use this in addition to specifications for the
hour.
J specifies a one- or two-digit hour, in 24-hour format (for
example, 3 or 15).
J1 specifies a two-digit hour, in 24-hour format. A blank space
is used with numbers less than 10 (for example, 3 or 15).
J2 specifies a two-digit hour, in 24-hour format. A zero is used
with numbers less than 10 (for example, 03 or 15).
M specifies the number of minutes in one or two digits (for
example, 3 or 45).
M1 specifies the number of minutes in two digits. A blank space
is used with numbers less than 10 (for example, 3 or 45).
M2 specifies the number of minutes in two digits. A zero is used
with numbers less than 10 (for example, 03 or 45).
S specifies the number of seconds in one or two digits (for
example, 3 or 45).
S1 specifies the number of seconds in two digits. A blank space
is used with numbers less than 10 (for example, 3 or 45).
S2 specifies the number of seconds in two digits. A zero is used
with numbers less than 10 (for example, 03 or 45).
F specifies hundredths of a second in one or two digits (for
example, 3 or 45).
F1 specifies hundredths of a second in two digits. A blank space
is used with numbers less than 10 (for example, 3 or 45).
F2 specifies hundredths of a second in two digits. A zero is used
with numbers less than 10 (for example, 03 or 45).
For more information: See “&RDF (real default format)” on page
6-68 for information about real number masks in TSL.
TSL Commands 6-97

&TDF (time default format)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
6-98 Language Reference
The following command sets the time default format to display the hours,
minutes, seconds, and hundredths of seconds in 24-hour format. If the time
is earlier than ten o’clock, the first output position will be a space.
&tdf('h1:m2:s2.f2')
The following command is equivalent:
&tdf(t,'h1:m2:s2.f2')
The following command sets the time default format to display the number
of whole seconds into the day in five digits:
&tdf(s,'99990')

&TITLE (set title)
&TITLE (set title)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the &TITLE command to specify a title that will appear at the top of
every page of a report.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&TITLE [text | ]
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
text
is the text that AionDS displays as a title.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ If you do not enclose the text within angle brackets ( < > ), the text
cannot extend past the end of the input line and cannot contain TSL
commands or value substitution.
■ If you do not enclose the title text in angle brackets and the top margin is
greater than one, the title prints on the second line, regardless of the
margin setting. If the margin is one, the title prints on the first line. If
the margin is zero, the title is not printed.
■ If you do not enclose the title text in angle brackets, the title is centered
on the line. Specifically, it is centered between position 1 and the line
length.
■ If you enclose the text within angle brackets, the text can extend for
multiple lines, can contain TSL commands, and can contain value
substitution.
■ If you enclose the text within angle brackets, the text prints starting at the
top of the page. It does not extend past the top margin.
■ If you enclose the text within angle brackets, you can use any TSL
statement except the following ones: &BLK, &BM, &FOOTER, &LN,
&N, &PG, &TBL, &TITLE, &TM.
TSL Commands 6-99

&TITLE (set title)
6-100 Language Reference
■ If you enclose the text within angle brackets, AionDS performs the
following actions before printing the title:
❐ Fill mode is cancelled.
❐ Justify mode is cancelled.
❐ Table mode is cancelled.
❐ Line numbering is cancelled.
❐ Left margin is set to 1.
❐ Right margin is set to the line length.
After printing the title, AionDS resets all modes, margins, and defaults to
their previous settings, including any of these that have been reset within
the &TITLE command.
■ If you want the text to appear in the top margin of the first page, you
must specify the &TITLE command before any text or TSL statements
that cause output to be generated, such as &SK1.
■ This command works in reports and in messages that are included in
reports. If you put it in any other TSL property, AionDS ignores the
command.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following example displays the text Sales Summary centered on the
second line of every page.
&title Sales Summary
The following example displays the value of the parameter %REPORT_TITLE
in the first space of the first line of every page. On the second line of each
page, indented eight spaces, is the date.
&title

&TM (top margin)
&TM (top margin)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the &TM command to set the top margin of a report.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&TM[ + | - ] number
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
number
is either the relative or absolute position of the margin.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The plus ( + ) and minus ( - ) sign options move the margin down and
up, respectively, in relation to the current margin.
■ If you do not specify relative positioning using the plus or minus sign,
number represents the absolute position for the margin.
■ Absolute margins are measured in lines from the top of the page. Thus,
the following command sets the margin five lines from the top of the
page:
&tm 5
■ The default margin is specified in the Top Margin property of the report
object.
■ If you want to use a title, you must specify at least one line for the top
margin.
■ If the top and bottom margins are both zero, printing is continuous.
Page eject commands are ignored.
■ This command works in reports and in messages that are included in
reports. If you put it in any other TSL property, AionDS ignores the
command.
TSL Commands 6-101

&TM (top margin)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
6-102 Language Reference
The following statement sets the top margin two lines lower on the page than
the current margin:
&tm+2
The following statement raises the top margin three lines from its current
position:
&tm-3
The following statement sets the top margin at six lines down from the top of
the page:
&tm6

&UND (unknown values)
&UND (unknown values)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the &UND command to change the default display when a parameter or
slot value is unknown.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&UND 'string'
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
string
is the string that replaces the default display.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The &UND command causes string to be displayed when a parameter or
slot is unresolved.
■ AionDS uses the following default string if you do not specify another
with the &UND command:
Unknown
■ If you want to include an ampersand ( & ) or angle brackets ( ) within
a quoted string, you must precede them with an ampersand.
■ If the parameter or slot is formatted to print in less space than is needed
to print string, string will be truncated within the space allowed.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following lines appear in the text of a message. The &FI+ command
ensures that the line used by the &UND command does not cause a blank
line in the output.
&fi+
Height: %height &br
&und 'n.a.'
Weight: %weight
If the parameters HEIGHT and WEIGHT are unknown at the time this
message is displayed, the following text will appear in the message:
Height: Unknown
Weight: n.a.
TSL Commands 6-103

&UND (unknown values)
6-104 Language Reference
If a later message displays an unknown parameter, without using &UND
within the text of that message, UNKNOWN will again be displayed.
The following statement defines a string that is longer than is specified for the
slot value:
&und 'Unresolved'
%weight:3
This results in the following text if WEIGHT is unknown:
Unr

&UNDPTR (unknown pointer)
&UNDPTR (unknown pointer)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use the &UNDPTR command to specify text to be displayed when a pointer is
unknown. If AionDS tries to follow a pointer to display instance
information, but the pointer is unknown, AionDS displays the string
specified in the &UNDPTR command.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&UNDPTR 'string'
Syntax
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
string
is the string that replaces the default text.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ The &UNDPTR string is used whenever an unknown pointer is displayed,
including cases in which a pointer points to an instance that has been
deleted.
■ AionDS uses the following default string if you do not specify another
with the &UNDPTR command:
NUL
■ If you want to include an ampersand ( & ) or angle brackets ( ) within
a quoted string, you must precede them with an ampersand.
■ If the pointer is formatted to print in less space than is needed to print
string, string will be truncated within the space allowed.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following example specifies that UNKNOWN be displayed for unknown
pointers:
&UNDPTR 'Unknown'
TSL Commands 6-105

Summary of TSL commands
Summary of TSL commands
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
6-106 Language Reference
This section gives a summary of TSL commands, grouped according to their
use.
■ Predefined functions
■ Special characters
■ Text modes
■ White space
■ Margins
■ Formatting tables
■ Developer-definable strings
■ Embedded text
■ Message passing
■ Default formats and masks
■ Comments
■ Report commands
You can use this summary to identify commands you need and as a quick
syntax guide.

Predefined functions
Summary of TSL commands
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%CURRENTDATE [format]
Date
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%CURRENTTIME [format]
Time
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%AES_PAGENUM [format]
Page number (reports
only)
Class substitution
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%CURRENTCLASS [format]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%CURRENT [format]
Current instance
% [format]
%IS [format]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%slot_name [format]
Slot of current
instance
%CURRENT.slot_name [format]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%NAMEOF(instance) [format]
Name of instance
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%UP.method[(arg1 [, arg2 ...])] [format]
Send a message up
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]list_param
Next element of list,
set, or class
All elements of list,
set, or class
Element number
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%[library::]list_param
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%INDEX[:[-]width]
TSL Commands 6-107

Summary of TSL commands
Special characters
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&%
Percent
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&&
Ampersand
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&(&)
Parentheses
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&.
Period
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&:
Colon
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&< &>
Angle Brackets
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&ESC (byte[, byte...])
Escape sequence
6-108 Language Reference

Text modes
Summary of TSL commands
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&C
Center line
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&FI{ + | - }
Fill mode
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&J{ + | - }
Justify mode
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&TB{ + | - }
Table mode
TSL Commands 6-109

Summary of TSL commands
White space
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&BR
Break line
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&SK number
Skip lines
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&SSPC number
Set spaces
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&SPC
Insert spaces
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&STAB (pos1[, pos2 ...])
Set tab stops
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&TAB
Position at next tab
6-110 Language Reference

Margins
Summary of TSL commands
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&{LM | RM}[ + | - ] number
Left and right
margins
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&{LI | RI} [ + | - ] number
Temporary margins
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&LN{ { : [ + | - ] number } | - }
Line numbers
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&{LT | RT} 'string'
Text in margins
TSL Commands 6-111

Summary of TSL commands
Formatting tables
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&TBL [option [, option ...]] < text >
Display table
6-112 Language Reference

Developer-definable strings
Summary of TSL commands
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&UND 'string'
Set string for
unknown parameter
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&UNDPTR 'string'
Set string for
unknown pointer
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&EMP 'string'
Set string for empty
list, set, or class
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&EMPTBL 'string'
Set string for empty
table
TSL Commands 6-113

Summary of TSL commands
Embedded text
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&INCLUDE {'file_name' | %[library::]string_param}
Include a file
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&MSG [library::]msg_obj
Substitute a message
6-114 Language Reference

Message passing
Summary of TSL commands
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&SEND(method TO %classref [WITH arg1 [, arg2...]]) [format]
Send to a class
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Send to an instance &SEND(method TO %instanceref [WITH arg1 [, arg2...]])
[format]
%instanceref.method[(arg1 [, arg2 ...])] [format]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&SEND(method UP [WITH arg1 [, arg2...]]) [format]
Send message which
resides in parent
%UP.method[(arg1 [, arg2 ...])] [format]
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%method[(arg1 [, arg2 ...])] [format]
Send to current or
nested instance
Send to every
instance
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%classref.method[(arg1 [, arg2 ...])] [format]
TSL Commands 6-115

Summary of TSL commands
Default formats and masks
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&DDF([dfmt,] 'mask')
Date default format
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&IDF('mask'[, 'mask'])
Integer default
format
Real default format
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&RDF(width, precision [, nfmt])
6-116 Language Reference
&RDF('mask'[,'mask'])
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&TDF([tfmt,] 'mask')
Time default format

Comments
Summary of TSL commands
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&/* comment &*/
Embed comments
TSL Commands 6-117

Summary of TSL commands
Report commands
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&{TM | BM}[ + | - ] number
Top and bottom
margin
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&{TITLE | FOOTER} [text | ]
Titles and footers
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&N{ + | - }
Page numbers
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&PG
Page eject
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&BLK{ + | - }
Mark blocks of text
6-118 Language Reference

Appendix A
Certainty
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Introduction
Certainty is a measure of the strength of belief or confidence that the value of
a parameter is true. Certainty is not, however, the probability that the value
is true.
AionDS provides constructs that allow representation, manipulation, and
display of values that you are less than certain are true. This chapter
introduces the concept of certainty and discusses how to implement certainty
in knowledge bases.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
In this appendix
Topic Page
Introducing certainty A-2
Certainty sets A-4
Certainty factors A-6
Certainty set operations A-10
TSL statements A-25
Displaying certainty sets in tables A-31
Specifying certainty during consultations A-32
Certainty A-1

Introducing certainty
Introducing certainty
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
A-2 Language Reference
Consider the following example. Your knowledge base determines the return
on investment (ROI) for international investments. The rules and other
objects in the knowledge base establish an ROI in the following ranges:
'< 5%', '6-10%', '11-15%', '16-20%', '> 20%'
You might use the following rules that operate on ROI:
if near_term_interest_rate < .08 then roi is '6-10%'
if roi is '< 5%' then add project to reject_list
When you do not use certainty, your confidence is absolute that the action of
the first rule results in the correct choice. The second rule does not take into
account uncertainty about the premise.
When you use certainty, however, you can specify a confidence that is less
than absolute. You can replace the first rule with one that adds the element
6-10% to a set of possible returns on investment and, at the same time, you
can specify your confidence that the element is actually part of the set. You
can also replace the second rule with one that tests for inclusion of < 5% with
the degree of confidence that you specify.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Basic concepts
In AionDS, you can specify the strength of belief or confidence that an
element is a member of a certainty set. You can specify the certainty, which
is the degree of confidence that the element is actually part of the set.

Introducing certainty
The certainty is represented by a certainty factor A certainty factor is
associated with each element in the certainty set. Certainty factors range
from -1.0 to +1.0, inclusive. Unless you change the interpretation, AionDS
uses the certainty factor as follows:
Certainty factor Interpretation
>= 0.2 and -0.2 and < 0.2 The element might be in the set (UNKNOWN)
< -0.2 and >=-1.0 The element is not in the set (FALSE)
Certainty A-3

Certainty sets
Certainty sets
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Data types
A-4 Language Reference
When you use certainty, you must replace the data type of a parameter with a
certainty set of that data type because you need to associate more than one
value with a parameter. For example, consider a string ROI that holds the
return on investment.
If you do not use certainty, the string can only hold one value, for example
6-10%. When you use certainty, however, you need the ability to hold more
than one value. For example, you might need to hold 6-10% with one
degree of certainty and 11-15% with another degree of certainty.
To use certainty, you must create a type object that uses the following syntax
in the Type Definition property.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
[MULTIPLE] CERTAINTY SET OF type
Syntax
type is a basic or structured data type for each element.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
You create the parameter ROI with a Base Type property of a type object with
the following type definition:
certainty set of string
This allows ROI to contain more than one string element. A certainty factor
is associated with each element.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Using constraints
If you want to constrain the string, you can create another type object that
contains the constraint. For example, you can create ROI_VALUES with the
following type definition:
is from ('< 5%', '6-10%', '11-15%', '16-20%','> 20%')
You use the type object that contains the constraint in the type object for the
certainty set, as follows:
certainty set of roi_values

The data type of the certainty set, in this case, is still string.
Certainty sets
Alternatively, you can constrain the certainty set in ROI_VALUES as follows:
certainty set of
from ('< 5%', '6-10%', '11-15%', '16-20%','> 20%')
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Set characteristics
In general, certainty sets have the same characteristics as other sets, except
each element in a certainty set consists of a value and a certainty factor. You
should not, however, create a certainty set for Booleans.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Single certainty sets
Single certainty sets have a unique processing characteristic. As soon as an
element is added to the set with a certainty factor of 1.0, all other elements
are discarded and the set is processed.
You use single certainty sets when you know that there is only one possible
result. Because an element with a certainty factor of 1.0 indicates complete
confidence that a value is the correct result, other elements are no longer
relevant after an element with a certainty of 1.0 is added to the set. If an
element with a certainty factor of 1.0 is not added to the set during a
consultation, a single certainty set has the same characteristics as any other
set.
You create a single certainty set when you do not use the MULTIPLE keyword.
If you use MULTIPLE, you create a multiple certainty set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Multiple certainty
sets
Multiple certainty sets do not discard other elements when an element with a
certainty factor of 1.0 is added. A multiple certainty set can contain more
than one element with a certainty factor of 1.0.
You can use multiple certainty sets as follows:
■ When the set can contain more than one value in which you are
completely confident. For example, the result might allow more than one
correct answer.
■ When you are completely confident that the value is correct, but you
want to display other values that are close alternatives.
Certainty A-5

Certainty factors
Certainty factors
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Range of certainty
factors
A-6 Language Reference
A certainty factor is a number that represents the strength of belief that an
element is in a certainty set. The certainty factor is on a scale from -1.0 to
1.0, inclusive.
Certainty factors are stored as Boolean numbers. AionDS represents
Booleans internally as integers in the range of -100 to +100, inclusive. These
correspond to certainty factors from -1.0 to +1.0, inclusive.
The following diagram shows the range of certainty factors:
-1.0 -.2 +.2 +1.0
FALSE UNKNOWN TRUE
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Corresponding
Boolean values
AionDS interprets the meaning of a certainty factor. The meanings of TRUE,
FALSE, and UNKNOWN in certainty sets are as follows:
TRUE The element is included in the certainty set.
FALSE The element is not included in the certainty set.
UNKNOWN The element might be included in the certainty set.
AionDS considers certainty factors of less than .20 but greater than -.20 as
UNKNOWN. These values are still members of the set, however, and they can
be tested for inclusion by KDL and displayed by TSL.

Certainty factors
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Certainty factor
functions
You can use two functions to determine the certainty factor of an element or
to set its value:
CERTAINTY returns the certainty that an element is included in the
certainty set. You can also use this function to return a real
number from a Boolean value.
CF sets the certainty factor for an element of a certainty set.
You can also use this function to return a Boolean value
from a real number.
The main purpose of these functions is to convert between certainty factors,
which are Booleans, and real numbers that can be manipulated arithmetically.
Certainty A-7

Certainty factors
Certainty function
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
A-8 Language Reference
You can return the certainty factor for an element in one of two ways. If you
want the certainty factor of an element where you know the element number,
you can use the function in the following way:
cf_value = certainty(roi(i))
This statement assigns CF_VALUE with the certainty factor of the I th element
of ROI. CF_VALUE must be a real number.
If you do not know the position of the element, you can determine the
certainty factor of an element by testing for the existence of the element by
value. For example, the following statement determines the certainty factor
of the element of ROI containing 6-10%:
cf_value = certainty(roi includes '6-10%')
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Return values
The CERTAINTY function returns the following values:
■ The actual certainty factor for the element
■ -1.0 if the element does not exist in the certainty set

CF function
Certainty factors
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
The CF function converts a real number into a Boolean certainty factor. You
use CF to assign a certainty factor when you add an element to a certainty set,
or when you test the premise using a specific certainty factor.
The certainty factor actually associated with the element also depends on
whether the element already exists in the set.
For more information: See the “Adding an element” section on page
A-16.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following statement assigns 6-10% to ROI with a certainty factor of 0.5:
if near_term_interest_rate < .08
then add '6-10%' to roi with cf(.5)
The following statement tests whether 6-10% exists in the set with a certainty
factor of 0.5 or greater before AionDS executes the action:
if roi includes '6-10%' with cf(.5) then ...
Certainty A-9

Certainty set operations
Certainty set operations
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
A-10 Language Reference
Using certainty sets causes AionDS to change the way it evaluates a premise
and performs other set operations. The following sections discuss these
operations:
■ Testing a premise
■ Changing the system threshold
■ Adding an element
■ Combining certainty factors
■ Comparing certainty sets
■ Comparing certainty set elements to Unknown
■ Sorting certainty sets
■ Other set operations

Testing a premise
Certainty set operations
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
When you use a certainty set in a premise, you must consider the following
points:
■ The premise evaluates to TRUE only if the certainty factors that you use
evaluate to TRUE. Unless you override the system threshold, TRUE is any
certainty factor in the range of +0.2 to +1.0, inclusive.
■ If the premise includes parameters other than certainty sets, AionDS uses
the following constants for the certainty factor:
TRUE +1.0
FALSE -1.0
UNKNOWN NUL
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Results of premise
The following rules determine the certainty factor of a premise, where B1 and
B2 represent either Boolean parameters or Boolean expressions.
B1 AND B2 evaluates to the lower of the two certainty factors. B2 is not
executed if the certainty of B1 evaluates to NUL or -1.0.
B1 OR B2 evaluates to the greater of the two certainty factors. B2 is not
executed if the certainty of B1 evaluates to +1.0.
NOT B1 evaluates to the negation of the certainty factor. If the
certainty factor is NUL, the negation also results in NUL.
B1 = B2 evaluates to +1.0 if the value of B1 equals B2; otherwise the
certainty factor evaluates to -1.0.
B1 B2 both evaluate to +1.0 if the value of B1 does not equal B2;
B1 XOR B2 otherwise the certainty factor evaluates to -1.0.
B1 > B2 evaluates to +1.0 if the value of B1 is greater than the value
of B2; otherwise the certainty factor evaluates to -1.0.
Certainty A-11

Certainty set operations
A-12 Language Reference
B1 >= B2 evaluates to +1.0 if the value of B1 is greater than or equal to
the value of B2; otherwise the certainty factor evaluates to
-1.0.
B1 < B2 evaluates to +1.0 if the value of B1 is less than the value of
B2; otherwise the certainty factor evaluates to -1.0.
B1 >=
1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 -1.0 1.0 -1.0 1.0
1.0 -1.0 -1.0 1.0 -1.0 -1.0 1.0 1.0
1.0 nul nul 1.0 -1.0 nul nul nul
1.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 -1.0 -1.0 1.0 1.0
-1.0 1.0 -1.0 1.0 1.0 -1.0 -1.0 -1.0
-1.0 -1.0 -1.0 -1.0 1.0 1.0 -1.0 1.0
-1.0 nul -1.0 nul 1.0 nul nul nul
-1.0 0.0 -1.0 0.0 1.0 -1.0 -1.0 -1.0
nul 1.0 nul 1.0 nul nul nul nul
nul -1.0 nul nul nul nul nul nul
nul nul nul nul nul nul nul nul
nul 0.0 nul nul nul nul nul nul
0.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 -1.0 -1.0 -1.0
0.0 -1.0 -1.0 0.0 0.0 -1.0 1.0 1.0
0.0 nul nul nul 0.0 nul nul nul
continued

continued
Boolean
expressions
Resulting certainty factors
B1 B2 AND OR NOT
(B1)
Certainty set operations
= > >=
0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 -1.0 1.0
0.5 0.7 0.5 0.7 -0.5 -1.0 -1.0 -1.0
0.7 0.5 0.5 0.7 -0.7 -1.0 1.0 1.0
0.5 0.1 0.1 0.5 -0.5 -1.0 1.0 1.0
0.1 0.5 0.1 0.5 -0.1 -1.0 -1.0 -1.0
-0.5 -0.7 -0.7 -0.5 0.5 -1.0 1.0 1.0
-0.7 -0.5 -0.7 -0.5 0.7 -1.0 -1.0 -1.0
Certainty A-13

Certainty set operations
Changing the system threshold
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
A-14 Language Reference
In AionDS, the system threshold is +0.2. A rule fires when the certainty
factor of the premise is +0.2 or greater.
You can increase the certainty factor that is required to fire the rule by
including a WITH clause in the premise.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
IF bool1 WITH bool2 THEN actions
Syntax
bool1 is the premise of the rule.
bool2 is the certainty factor the premise must meet before the rule
executes.
actions are the actions of the rule.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
For example, the following rule executes only when the premise results in a
certainty factor of 0.5 or greater:
if (roi includes '16-20%' or roi includes '> 20%') with
cf(0.5)
then add project to possible_list
If ROI contains either 16-20% with a certainty factor of at least 0.5 or > 20%
with a certainty factor of at least 0.5, the rule executes. If you do not use
parentheses the WITH clause associates with the clause to its left.
If the certainty factor of the WITH clause is less than 0.2, the rule never fires,
regardless of the certainty factor. To handle this case, you must explicitly
compare certainty values. For example, the following rule executes when the
certainty factor of the Boolean is greater than or equal to 0.15:
if certainty(roi includes '16-20%'
or roi includes '> 20%') >= .15
then add project to possible_list

Certainty set operations
The CERTAINTY function returns a real number that represents the certainty
factor of the premise. The rule compares the certainty factor of the premise
with the constant .15, which represents the certainty factor that allows the
rule to fire.
For more information: To determine the certainty factor for the premise,
AionDS uses the rules defined in the “Testing a premise” section on page
A-11.
Certainty A-15

Certainty set operations
Adding an element
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Default certainty
factor
A-16 Language Reference
When you add an element to a certainty set, the default certainty factor is
+1.0. For example, the following rule adds 6-10% to ROI with a certainty
factor of 1.0:
if economic_indicators includes mild_inflation
then add '6-10%' to roi
If ROI is a single certainty set, it only contains 6-10% after the rule executes.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Changing the
certainty factor
You can change the certainty factor of the element by using the WITH clause
in the action. The following rule adds 6-10% to ROI with a certainty of 0.5:
if economic_indicators includes mild_inflation
then add '6-10%' to roi with cf(0.5)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Preserving certainty
Use the system parameter AES_CF to copy the certainty of the premise into a
certainty set element in the action of the rule. For example, if
ECONOMIC_INDICATORS is a certainty set, you can use the following rule to
add 6-10% to ROI with the same certainty as the premise:
if economic_indicators includes mild_inflation
then add '6-10%' to roi with cf(aes_cf)
.............................................................................................................................................................................
Example
AES_CF is a real number. You can use it arithmetically. The following
example specifies the certainty factor of the action to be slightly less than the
certainty factor for the premise.
if economic_indicators includes mild_inflation
then add '6-10%' to roi with cf(.9*aes_cf)
You must be careful not to perform arithmetic, however, that results in a
certainty factor outside the range of -1.0 to +1.0, inclusive.

Certainty set operations
.............................................................................................................................................................................
Else clauses
The certainty factor of the implied premise in an ELSE clause is always 1.0.
Therefore, AES_CF always contains 1.0 when AionDS executes an ELSE
clause. You must explicitly set the certainty factor if you do not want to use
1.0.
The following statement shows an example of setting the certainty factor of
an action in an ELSE clause to be the same as the certainty factor of the
premise:
if economic_indicators includes mild_inflation
then add '6-10%' to roi with cf(.9*aes_cf)
else add '6-10%' to roi
with economic_indicators includes mild_inflation
AES_CF is undefined outside of the action of an IF statement. Using AES_CF
elsewhere can cause unpredictable results.
Certainty A-17

Certainty set operations
Combining certainty factors
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
A-18 Language Reference
When you add an element to a certainty set for the first time, the initial
certainty factor is either what you specify in the rule or the default certainty
factor.
For more information: The “Adding an element” section on page A-16
shows how to add certainty factors.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Duplicate elements
Even though you add the same element to a certainty set several times, the
element and its certainty factor appear only once in the set. The certainty
factor of the element you add is weighted with the element that is already
present in the certainty set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Weighting factors
The following table shows the algorithm for weighting certainty factors.
Old CF New CF Rule
>=0 >=0 old + (new * (1-old))
>=0 < 0 (old + new) / (1-min(abs(old),abs(new)))
< 0 >=0 (old + new) / (1-min(abs(old),abs(new)))
< 0 < 0 old + (new * (1+old))
OLD is the certainty factor of the element in the set. NEW is the certainty
factor of the matching element that you add to the set. For example, if RED
exists in the certainty set with a certainty factor of 0.2, and you add RED to
the set again with an certainty factor of 0.5, the resulting certainty is 0.6, or:
0.2 + 0.5 * (1.0 - 0.2)
If the old certainty factor is -0.1 and the new certainty factor is +0.2, the
resulting certainty factor is 0.11, or:
(-0.1 + 0.2) / (1 - (min(0.1,0.2)))

Comparing certainty sets
Certainty set operations
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
List of operators
You can compare certainty sets for equality or inequality by using the
following operators:
=
is
are
is not
are not
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
AionDS only uses elements with certainty factors greater than or equal than
+0.2 in the comparison. Consider the following sets:
A: ('red' cf(0.6), 'white' cf(0.2), 'blue' cf(0.5))
B: ('red' cf(0.6), 'white' cf(0.5), 'blue' cf(-.5))
C: ('red' cf(0.4), 'white' cf(0.7))
For the purpose of comparison, AionDS does not consider blue to be a
member of set B because its certainty factor, -0.5, is less than 0.2. AionDS
considers only the following elements:
A: ('red' cf(0.6), 'white' cf(0.2), 'blue' cf(0.5))
B: ('red' cf(0.6), 'white' cf(0.5))
C: ('red' cf(0.4), 'white' cf(0.7))
Sets B and C are equal because they contain the same elements when elements
with certainty factors less than 0.2 are excluded from the comparison.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Certainty factors of
set comparisons
If certainty sets are not equal, the certainty factor of a Boolean result of the
comparison is -1.0. Thus, if you compare sets A and B in a premise, the
certainty factor is -1.0.
If certainty sets are equal, the certainty factor of a Boolean result is the lowest
certainty factor of all the elements in the comparison. If you compare sets B
and C, the lowest certainty factor is 0.4. Thus, the certainty factor of the
following premise is 0.4:
if a = b then ...
Certainty A-19

Certainty set operations
A-20 Language Reference
If you compare B to itself, the certainty factor for the comparison is 0.5,
which is the lowest certainty factor in set B.

Comparing certainty set elements to Unknown
Certainty set operations
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
Compare an element of a certainty set to UNKNOWN by using any of the set
comparison operators. An element is UNKNOWN if it is between -0.2 and
+0.2.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Results
A test for UNKNOWN always results in a certainty factor of +1.0 if the
premise is TRUE. Otherwise, the certainty factor is -1.0, representing FALSE.
If you compare an entire certainty set to UNKNOWN, the result is TRUE only
if the set is empty. If the set contains an element, the set is not UNKNOWN,
regardless of the certainty factor of the element.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Consider the following set COLORS:
('red' cf(0.6), 'white' cf(0.5),
'blue' cf(-.5), 'green' cf(0.1))
The following premises result in certainty factors of 1.0:
if colors(1) is not unknown then ...
if colors(3) is not unknown then ...
if colors(4) is unknown ...
The following premises result in certainty factors of -1.0:
if colors(1) is unknown ...
if colors(3) is unknown ...
if colors(4) is not unknown ...
Certainty A-21

Certainty set operations
Sorting certainty sets
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
A-22 Language Reference
You can sort certainty sets in three ways. They are as follows:
■ Ascending order by element value using ASORT
■ Descending order by element value using DSORT
■ Descending order by certainty factor using CSORT
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
CSORT
Use CSORT when you want to present the elements in order of confidence,
from the highest certainty factor to the lowest certainty factor. For example,
you can sort ROI into DISPLAY_ROI and use DISPLAY_ROI in a message
showing possible returns on investment and your confidence in each return
element. The following statement performs the sort:
display_roi = csort(roi)
You can retrieve the most certain element of the sorted set, as follows:
probable_roi = display_roi(1)
Alternatively, you can perform both actions in a single step, as follows:
probable_roi = csort(roi)(1)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
ASORT and DSORT
ASORT and DSORT are statements for sorting any list or set, including
certainty sets.
For more information: See the description of these statements in Chapter
4, “KDL Statement Syntax,” for more information.

Other set operations
Certainty set operations
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
The following additional set operations are defined for certainty sets:
UNION returns a unique list of elements in two or more sets.
INTERSECTION returns the common elements of two or more sets.
SIZE returns the size of the set.
These operators preserve UNKNOWN elements, which have a certainty factor
between -0.2 and 0.2.
Consider the following sets in the discussion of these set operations:
A: ('red' cf(0.6), 'white' cf(0.2), 'blue' cf(0.5))
B: ('red' cf(0.1), 'white' cf(0.5), 'blue' cf(-.5))
C: ('red' cf(0.4), 'white' cf(0.7))
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Union
The UNION operator returns the elements of all sets. When an element is
represented in two or more sets, the highest certainty factor is associated with
the element in the union set.
The following set results from the union of sets A, B, and C:
('red' cf(0.6), 'white' cf(0.7), 'blue' cf(0.5))
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Intersection
The INTERSECTION operator returns all elements that are common to all sets.
When an element is represented in all of the sets, the lowest certainty factor is
associated with the element in the intersection set.
The following set results from the intersection of sets A, B, and C:
('red' cf(0.1), 'white' cf(0.2))
Certainty A-23

Certainty set operations
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Size
A-24 Language Reference
The SIZE operator returns the number of elements in the certainty set,
regardless of UNKNOWN values. The sizes of A, B, and C are 3, 3, and 2,
respectively.

TSL statements
TSL statements
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
You can display certainty sets and individual elements of certainty sets just as
you display any set or element. AionDS provides additional TSL commands
to handle the selection of set elements and display of the certainty factors, as
follows:
&SCF sets the display format of the certainty factor.
&SCS sets the substitution criteria for the certainty set elements.
%CERTAINTY displays a certainty factor.
In a message or report that uses certainty factors, you must specify the
following characteristics or use the default choices:
■ The format of certainty factors
■ The substitution criteria
■ Whether to use a default or formatted display
The following sections discuss these choices.
Certainty A-25

TSL statements
Setting TSL formatting criteria
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
A-26 Language Reference
Use &SCF to set the display format for certainty factors.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&SCF {F | W}
Syntax
F Specifies a real or floating-point format, such as 0.5, -0.2, or -1.0. It
is the default.
W Specifies a whole number, such as 50, -20, or -100.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Assume that X_CF contains a certainty factor of 0.6. The following TSL
statements produce the output below each statement:
&scf f The certainty factor is %x_cf.
The certainty factor is 0.6.
&scf w The certainty factor is %x_cf.
The certainty factor is 60.

Setting TSL substitution criteria
TSL statements
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Use &SCS to choose the substitution criteria for a certainty set.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
&SCS {T | A | D | M}
Syntax
T Specifies display of only true values, which are values with certainty
factors between +0.2 and +1.0, inclusive. It is the default.
A Specifies display of all values, regardless of the certainty factor.
D Specifies display of definite values, which are values where the
certainty factor is 1.0.
M Specifies display of the maximum value, which is the value with the
highest certainty factor. If two or more certainty factors are tied for
the highest value, TSL displays multiple values, one for each
certainty factor in the tie.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Consider the following set:
('red' cf(0.2), 'white' cf(0.5), 'black' cf(0.5),
'blue' cf(-.5), 'green' cf(0.1))
The options display elements in the format that you choose, as follows:
T displays red, white, and black
A displays red, white, black, blue, and green
D displays * empty list *
M displays white and black
Certainty A-27

TSL statements
Unformatted substitution of certainty sets
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Default format
A-28 Language Reference
Default substitution format of certainty sets is the same as the default
substitution format for other sets, except that the certainty factor of each
element is displayed with the element. Consider the following set COLORS:
('red' cf(0.1), 'white' cf(0.5), 'blue' cf(-.5))
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
The following TSL statements produce the display that follows them:
&scs a &scf f %colors
red (0.1), white (0.5) and blue (-0.5)
&scs a &scf w %colors
red (10), white (50) and blue (-50)

Formatted substitution of certainty sets
TSL statements
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Usage
Formatted substitution of certainty sets is the same as formatted substitution
of other sets, except that you can also specify the certainty factor. Use
%CERTAINTY to specify the display of the certainty factor.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
%CERTAINTY[:[-]width[:precision]]
Syntax
width is the number of positions for the display of the certainty
factor.
precision is the number of positions displayed after the decimal point.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Remarks
■ If you do not specify any arguments, the certainty factor is displayed
according to the format specified by the &SCF command. If you specify
the F option or use the default, you can use the real default format &RDF
to format the certainty factor.
■ If the minus sign (-) is present, TSL left-justifies the certainty factor;
otherwise TSL right-justifies the certainty factor.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Examples
Consider the following set COLORS:
('red' cf(0.1), 'white' cf(0.5), 'blue' cf(-.5))
The following TSL statement produces the display that follows it:
&scs a %colors
red with certainty 0.10
white with certainty 0.50
blue with certainty -0.50
Certainty A-29

TSL statements
A-30 Language Reference
Consider the following certainty set of sets X:
(
(10, 20, 30, 40 cf(0.2))
(11, 12, 13, 14 cf(0.5))
(100, 200, 300, 400 cf(-1.0))
)
The following TSL statement produces the display that follows it:
&scs a &scf w %x
10 20 30 40 20
11 12 13 14 50
100 200 300 400 -100
The following TSL statement produces the display that follows it:
&scs a &scf w %x
20
50
-100
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Boolean displays
You can display the certainty factor by substituting the possible Boolean
values with strings. When you place a percent sign in a string, the value of
the Boolean appears.
Consider the following example:
&scs a &scf w
%roi(1) 20% with very little confidence
ROI < 5% is unlikely (-100)

Displaying certainty sets in tables
Displaying certainty sets in tables
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Overview
You can use certainty sets with the &TBL command. In default certainty set
substitution, the command displays each element of the set and its certainty
factor on a separate line. The certainty factor follows the element and is in
parentheses. Consider the following command:
&tbl titleoff < %cert_set >
The command specifies the following kind of display:
Lions (-0.20)
Tigers (0.30)
Bears (0.30)
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Omitting the
certainty factor
If you do not want to display the certainty factor, specify after the
certainty set name, as follows:
&tbl titleoff < %cert_set >
The following display is the result:
Lions
Tigers
Bears
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Displaying only the
certainty factor
If you only want to print the certainty factor, specify after
the certainty set name. Consider the following TSL command:
&tbl titleoff < %cert_set %cert_set >
The command specifies a two column table. The first column displays the
certainty set element without the certainty factor. The second column
displays the certainty factor without the element. The following display is the
result:
Lions -0.20
Tigers 0.30
Bears 0.80
Certainty A-31

Specifying certainty during consultations
Specifying certainty during consultations
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Default windows
A-32 Language Reference
When the user must enter values for a certainty set, the default screen in a
character-based consultation contains three windows, as follows:
Prompt contains the prompt message.
Answer allows the user to respond.
Certainty allows the user to supply a certainty factor.
You can change the window display by attaching a display object.
Tip: There is no default display for a graphical knowledge base. However,
you can create one by customizing an AskDialog.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
User input
During the consultation, the user must enter a value for each element of the
set and a confidence in the range of -1.0 to 1.0, inclusive. Enter the certainty
factors in the Certainty window to the right of the Answer window. If the set
is a single certainty set, the user can enter at most only one confidence of 1.0.
If the parameter contains a constrained string, the Answer window is
protected and the user can only enter a certainty factor for each value that is
included in the answer. If a certainty value is not entered for an element of
the set, AionDS does not consider that particular element as part of the set.

Specifying certainty during consultations
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Example
The following figure shows the default screen for ROI.
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
Structured data types
If the certainty set is a set of a structured data type, such as a list, set, or
record, the user enters all the values for the structured data type. The
certainty window pops up after the user enters the values for the structure.
AionDS quits prompting for responses if the user enters a certainty factor of
1.0 when using a single certainty set.
Certainty A-33

Specifying certainty during consultations
A-34 Language Reference

Appendix B
Reserved Words
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................˝..........................................
List of words
The following table lists AionDS reserved words.
ABS
ADD
AES
AES_ *
AND
APPEND
ARCTAN
ARE
ASK
ASORT
BESTVALUE
BIN
BOOLEAN
BREAK
BREAKIF
BYNAME
CERTAINTY
CF
CLASS
CLEAR
CLOSEFILE
CM
COS
CREATE
CSORT
CURRENT
CURRENTCLASS
CURRENTDATE
CURRENTTIME
CURRENTVALUE
DATE
DAYS
DBINFO
DBMS
DDE_ *
DELETE
DELETEREC
DIFFERENCE
DISPLAY
DIV
DSORT
ELSE
ELSEIF
END
EOF
EXISTS
EXITSTATE
EXP
FILE
FILESTATUS
FINALVALUE
FIRST
FOR
FORWARDCHAIN
FROM
FUNCTION
GETREC
GRAPH
GROUP
HEX
Reserved Words B-1

B-2 Language Reference
HSECONDS
IDMS
IF
IFMATCH
INCLUDES
INDEX
INSTANCE
INTEGER
INTERSECTION
INTO
IS
ITERATE
LAST
LENGTH
LIST
LN
LOOP
MAX
MESSAGE
MIN
MOD
MONTHS
MULTIPLE
NAMEOF
NOT
NUM
OF
ON
OPENFILE
OR
ORDERBY
PARAMETER
POINTER
PROCESS
PUTREC
READSTR
REAL
RECORD
REPORT
RETURN
ROUND
RULE
SELECT
SELECTALL
SELECTONE
SEND
SET
SIN
SIZE
SLOT
SOURCEVALUE
SQL
SQLCONNECT
SQR
SQRT
STATE
STR
STRING
SUBSTRING
THEN
TIME
TIMESTAMP
TO
TRUNC
UNION
UNKNOWN
UP
WEEKDAY
WIN_ *
WITH
WRITESTR
XOR
YEARDAY
YEARS
* Do not use words beginning with AES_, DDE_, or WIN_. They are used
internally by AionDS or are reserved for future use.

Index
%
%, syntax and use of, 6-9
%aes_pagenum, syntax and use of, 6-10
%currentdate, syntax and use of, 6-14
%currenttime, syntax and use of, 6-15
%emptbl, syntax and use of, 6-45
%is, syntax and use of, 6-20
%nameof, syntax and use of, 6-22
%up, syntax and use of, 6-24
&
&%, syntax and use of, 6-26
&&, syntax and use of, 6-27
&(, syntax and use of, 6-28
&), syntax and use of, 6-29
&*/, syntax and use of, 6-30
&, syntax and use of symbol, 4-16
&., syntax and use of, 6-31
&/*, syntax and use of, 6-32
&:, syntax and use of, 6-33
&, syntax and use of, 6-35
&blk, syntax and use of, 6-36
&bm, syntax and use of, 6-37
&br, syntax and use of, 6-39
&c, syntax and use of, 6-40
&ddf, syntax and use of, 6-41
&emp, syntax and use of, 6-44
&fi, syntax and use of, 6-47
&footer, syntax and use of, 6-49
&idf, syntax and use of, 6-51
&include, syntax and use of, 6-54
&j, syntax and use of, 6-56
&li, syntax and use of, 6-58
&ln, syntax and use of, 6-61
&lt, syntax and use of, 6-63
&msg, syntax and use of, 6-65
&n, syntax and use of, 6-66
&rdf, syntax and use of, 6-68
&ri, syntax and use of, 6-73
&rm, syntax and use of, 6-74
&rt, syntax and use of, 6-75
&scf, syntax and use of, 10-26
&send, syntax and use of, 6-77
&sk, syntax and use of, 6-81
&spc, syntax and use of, 6-82
&sspc, syntax and use of, 6-83
&stab, syntax and use of, 6-84
&tab, syntax and use of, 6-85
&tb, syntax and use of, 6-86
&tbl
displaying certainty sets, 10-31
syntax and use of, 6-88
&tdf, syntax and use of, 6-96
&title, syntax and use of, 6-99
&tm, syntax and use of, 6-101
&und, syntax and use of, 6-103
&undptr, syntax and use of, 6-105
*
**, syntax and use of symbol, 4-18
*, syntax and use of symbol, 4-17
+
+, syntax and use of symbol, 4-19
Index I-1

,
-, syntax and use of symbol, 4-20
/
/, syntax and use of symbol, 4-21
>
->
A
in pointer expressions, 3-6
abort, option of aes statement, 4-26
abs, syntax and use of, 4-23
absolute value function, 4-23
access method
in PC systems, 1-33
overview, 1-32
action, compound, 4-165
add
element to a certainty set, 10-16
element to set or list, 4-24
option of CM statement, 4-65
syntax and use of KDL statement, 4-24
windows to screen, 4-65
addition operator, 4-19
aes statement
abort, 4-26
break, 4-27
chain, 4-28
error, 4-30
exitcode, 4-31
KDL syntax summary, 4-263
overview, 4-25
I-2 Language Reference
profile, 4-32
title, 4-33
tracelevel, 4-34
writelog, 4-36
writetrace, 4-37
aes_cf
description of, 10-16
syntax and use of, 4-38
aes_chain, 4-28
aes_title, 4-33
aes_tslmessage, 5-60
aes_tslprompt, 5-60
aes_tslreport, 5-60
aes_tsltext, 5-60
agenda
agenda statements, 3-28
combining sourcing and processing options,
3-34
function statement, 4-157
graph statement, 4-159
group statement, 4-161
KDL syntax summary, 4-259
message statement, 4-182
parameter statement, 4-191
process statement, 4-193
processing options, 3-32
report statement, 4-199
rule statement, 4-203
slot statement, 4-217
sourcing options, 3-30
specifying goals, 3-28
state statement, 4-222
statement in rules and functions, 3-36
AionDS, data types, 1-2
ampersand display in TSL, 6-27
and, syntax and use of, 4-39
append, syntax and use of KDL statement, 4-41
arctan, syntax and use of, 4-42
arctangent function, 4-42

arguments, in message passing, 4-210
arithmetic operators, 3-12
ascending sort, 4-47
ask, syntax and use of, 4-43
asort, syntax and use of, 4-47
assignment
definition of, 3-42
operators, 3-42
with KDL, 3-39
associating text with booleans, 5-27, 10-30
associating text with parameters and slots, 5-7
automatic data interface, dbms statement, 4-127
B
beep option of CM statement, 4-68
begin comment in TSL, 6-32
bestvalue, syntax and use of, 4-50
bin, syntax and use of, 4-51
binary
digit conversion, 4-51
display using TSL, 5-13
boolean
associating text in TSL, 5-27, 10-30
base type, 1-3
conversion to string, 4-224
criteria to display instances, 5-33
description of, 1-3
expressions, 3-3
formatting in TSL, 5-26
in non-textual file, 1-48
in textual file, 1-39
KDL syntax summary, 4-248, 4-252
TDL statement, 2-3
bottom margin. see margin
break
option of aes statement, 4-27
syntax and use of KDL statement, 4-52
breakif, syntax and use of, 4-53
breaks in TSL text lines, 6-39
byname clause, syntax and use of, 4-54
C
canceling the effect of new lines and spaces in
TSL, 6-86
centering lines with TSL, 6-40
certainty. see also certainty set
basic concepts, 10-2
certainty factor, 4-56, 4-57, 10-3
changing the certainty factor, 4-242
changing the system threshold, 10-14
consultation input, 10-32
description of KDL statement, 10-8
display in tables, 10-31
file attribute, 1-36, 1-54
noattr attribute, 1-36, 1-54
overview, 10-1
preserving the certainty factor, 10-16
set size, 4-216
sort function, 4-115
syntax and use of aes_cf, 4-38
syntax and use of KDL statement, 4-56
testing a premise, 10-11
TSL statements, 10-25
certainty factor. see also certainty
combining, 10-18
conversion, 10-9
description of, 10-3, 10-6
preserving, 10-16
returned from a comparison, 10-19
returning the value of, 10-8
certainty set
adding an element, 10-16
boolean displays, 10-30
certainty factor, 10-6
Index I-3

cf
comparing an element to unknown, 10-21
comparison, 10-19
description of, 10-4
formatted substitution, 10-29
formatting in TSL, 10-26
intersection, 10-23
KDL syntax summary, 4-256
multiple, 10-4, 10-5
operations, 10-10, 10-23
single, 10-5
size, 10-24
sorting, 10-22
substitution criteria in TSL, 10-27
unformatted substitution, 10-28
union, 10-23
using in a premise, 10-11
description of, 10-9
syntax and use of, 4-57
chain, option of aes statement, 4-28
changing modes in TSL, 6-47, 6-56
Changing the display of unknown in TSL, 6-44,
6-103, 6-105
checklength attribute, 1-12
class
boolean criteria for TSL display, 5-31
current, 3-17
displaying with TSL, 5-31
iteration, 4-147
references to, 3-16
send message to, 4-207
TSL syntax summary, 5-67
using boolean criteria to display classes, 5-33
clear, syntax and use of KDL statement, 4-58
close comment in TSL, 6-30
closing angle bracket display in TSL, 6-35
closing parenthesis display in TSL, 6-29
CM
add, 4-65
I-4 Language Reference
beep, 4-68
delete, 4-69
error, 4-71
getcoordinates, 4-73
getcursor, 4-74
getdimensions, 4-75
getinfo, 4-76
getoutlinecolor, 4-79
getposition, 4-81
getstatus, 4-82
gettext, 4-84
gettextcolor, 4-85
gettitlecolor, 4-87
gettitleposition, 4-89
getwindow, 4-90
getwindowlist, 4-93
getword, 4-94
KDL syntax summary, 4-261
popup, 4-95
setcursor, 4-97
setdimensions, 4-98
setoutlinecolor, 4-99
setposition, 4-101
settextcolor, 4-102
settitlecolor, 4-104
settitleposition, 4-106
system, 4-107
CM GetObjectInfo
syntax, 4-78
colon, displaying in TSL, 6-33
color
get outline color, 4-79
get text color, 4-85
get title color, 4-87
set outline color, 4-99
set text color, 4-102
set title color, 4-104
combining certainty factors, 10-18
commands, in TSL, 6-1

comments
in KDL, 4-22
in TSL, 6-30, 6-32
commits
dbms option, 4-127
local access, with, 4-128
remote access, with, 4-128
unit of work, 4-128
comparison
certainty set element to unknown, 10-21
of certainty sets, 10-19
of real numbers, 3-10
comparison-tolerance, 3-10
compatibility, in AionDS environments, 1-17
compound actions, 4-165
concatenation symbol, 4-16
confidence. see certainty
constraint
clearing, 4-58
data types, 1-8
definition of, 3-40
in type objects, 1-8
numeric, syntax and use of, 2-36
string, syntax and use of, 2-37
TDL syntax, 2-35
consultation monitor KDL statements, 4-13
consultation monitor statements. see CM
consultation, using certainty, 10-32
control of flow, 3-22
control statements, KDL syntax summary, 4-258
conversion
binary digits to integer, 4-51
boolean to string, 4-224
date from string, 4-119, 4-123
date to day of week, 4-124
date to integer, 4-119, 4-120, 4-123
date to julian date, 4-125
date to months, 4-121
date to parts, 4-122
date to record, 4-122
date to string, 4-226
dates to years, 4-126
hexadecimal digits to integer, 4-163
integer to string, 4-229
real to string, 4-231
string, 4-234
string to number, 4-188
time to number, 4-237
time to string, 4-226
cos, syntax and use of, 4-111
cosine function, 4-111
create
syntax and use of, 4-112
create a list, 4-41
creating tables with TSL, 6-86
csort, syntax and use of, 4-115
currentclass, syntax and use in KDL, 3-17
currentdate
syntax and use in KDL, 4-116
syntax and use of TSL statement, 6-14
currenttime
syntax and use KDL, 4-117
syntax and use of TSL statement, 6-15
currentvalue, syntax and use in KDL, 4-118
cursor
get position, 4-74
get screen coordinates, 4-73
get word underneath, 4-94
set position, 4-97
custom access method, 1-33
D
data access, 4-128
data types
constraint, 1-8
default substitution formats, 5-40
Index I-5

description of lists and sets, 1-4
file, 1-7
formatted substitution for structured data
types, 5-47
integer_list, 1-5
integer_set, 1-5
KDL syntax summary, 4-247
overview, 1-2
predefined structured data types, 1-5
real_list, 1-5
real_set, 1-5
record, 1-6
record formatting, 5-49
size and precision of records, 1-38, 1-46
string_list, 1-5
string_set, 1-5
structured, 1-4
TSL for elements of lists and sets, 5-43
date
calculate months, 4-121
calculate years, 4-126
conversion from string, 4-119, 4-123
conversion to day of week, 4-124
conversion to integer, 4-119, 4-120, 4-123
conversion to julian date, 4-125
conversion to record, 4-122
conversion to string, 4-226
currentdate statement, 4-116
decode parts, 4-122
default format in TSL, 6-41
display current date, 6-14
formatting in TSL, 5-19
in non-textual file, 1-48
in textual file, 1-40
KDL syntax summary, 4-248, 4-253
masks, 1-21
syntax and use of integer option, 4-120
syntax and use of months option, 4-121
syntax and use of record option, 4-122
I-6 Language Reference
syntax and use of statement, 4-119
syntax and use of string option, 4-123
syntax and use of weekday option, 4-124
syntax and use of yearday option, 4-125
syntax and use of years option, 4-126
TDL statement, 2-5
date default format, 6-41
dBASE data access, file attribute, 1-32, 2-7
DBMS statement
restrictions, 4-128
dbms, syntax and use of, 4-127
decoding variant records, 4-194
default assignments using KDL, 3-39
default formats
date, 6-41
integer, 6-51
real, 6-68
time, 6-96
default property, KDL use, 3-39
default substitution formats in TSL
basic data types, 5-5
structured data types, 5-40
delete
option of CM statement, 4-69
syntax and use of, 4-131, 4-133
windows from screen, 4-69
descending sort, 4-137
difference, syntax and use of, 4-135
dimensions
get for window, 4-75
set for window, 4-98
direct iteration, 4-149
display ampersand in TSL, 6-27
display closing angle bracket in TSL, 6-35
display closing parenthesis in TSL, 6-29
display colon in TSL, 6-33
display current date, 6-14
display current instance, 5-30
display current time, 6-15

display empty list, set, or class, 6-44
display instances from multiple classes, 5-38
display name of an instance, 6-22
display numbers in hexadecimal and binary, 5-13
display open angle bracket in TSL, 6-34
display open parenthesis in TSL, 6-28
display percent sign in TSL, 6-26
display period in TSL, 6-31
display plain text, 5-4
div, syntax and use of, 4-136
division operator, 4-21
division, integer, 4-136, 4-184
DL/I data access, file attribute, 1-32, 2-7
do while loop. see loop
dsort, syntax and use of, 4-137
duration of TSL commands, 6-7, 6-8
dynamic screen management. see CM
E
else clause, 4-165
elseif clause, 4-166
empty list, set, or class, TSL substitution, 6-44
empty table, TSL substitution, 6-45
encoding variant records, 4-243
end keyword, 4-167
entry conditions, effects of processing options,
3-34
error
option of aes statement, 4-30
option of CM statement, 4-71
ESDS data access, file attribute, 2-7
evaluation of premises, 3-21
execution conditions, effects of processing options,
3-34
execution of internal ADS functions, 4-25
exists
clause of ifmatch, 4-168
syntax and use of, 4-140
exitcode, option of aes statement, 4-31
exitstate, syntax and use of, 4-142
exp, syntax and use of, 4-144
explicit iteration, 4-151
exponent of log e, 4-144
exponentiation operator, 4-18
expressions
boolean, 3-3
list, 3-5
numeric, 3-4
overview, 3-2
pointer, 3-6
record, 3-6
set, 3-5
string, 3-4
usage, 3-3
F
facts
effect of processing options, 3-34
KDL in property, 3-39
field and record sizes, for textual files, 1-38
field, see Record, 5-51
file. see also non-textual file structures. see also
textual file structures
access method, 1-32
data type, 1-7
noattr attribute, 1-36, 1-54
output attribute, 2-7
TDL attributes, 1-31
TDL statement, 2-7
textual attribute, 1-34
variable attribute, 1-35
fill mode, 6-47
finalvalue, syntax and use of KDL statement,
4-145
Index I-7

first, syntax and use of, 4-146
fixed attribute, 1-51
flow control, 3-22
flush, dbms option, 4-127
footer, TSL specification, 6-49
for statement. see also loop
class iteration, 4-147
direct iteration, 4-149
explicit iteration, 4-151
implicit iteration, 4-153
syntax and use of, 4-147, 4-149, 4-151,
4-153
forcing line breaks, 6-39
formatted substitution
%is, 6-20
associating text with booleans, 5-27
associating text with parameters and slots, 5-7
certainty sets, 10-26
lists and sets, 5-43
lists and sets of structured data types, 5-47
operator, 6-20
records, 5-49
formatting. see also TSL
forwardchain, syntax and use of, 4-155
function
ADS-defined, 4-107
in TSL, 5-52
return statement, 4-200
sourcing options, 3-36
syntax and use of agenda statement, 4-157
TSL syntax summary, 5-70
using agenda statements in, 3-36
G
get cursor position, 4-74
get dimensions, 4-75
get outline color, 4-79
I-8 Language Reference
get screen coordinates, 4-73
get status for answer window, 4-82
get text color, 4-85
get text from window, 4-84
get title color, 4-87
get window handle, 4-90
get window information, 4-76
get window list, 4-93
get window position, 4-81
get window title position, 4-89
get word underneath cursor, 4-94
getcoordinates, option of CM statement, 4-73
getcursor, option of CM statement, 4-74
getdimensions, option of CM statement, 4-75
getinfo, option of CM statement, 4-76
GetObjectInfo, CM
syntax, 4-78
getoutlinecolor, option of CM statement, 4-79
getposition, option of CM statement, 4-81
getstatus, option of CM statement, 4-82
gettext, option of CM statement, 4-84
gettextcolor, option of CM statement, 4-85
gettitlecolor, option of CM statement, 4-87
gettitleposition, option of CM statement, 4-89
getwindow, option of CM statement, 4-90
getwindowlist, option of CM statement, 4-93
getword, option of CM statement, 4-94
goals, specifying agenda statements, 3-28
graph, syntax and use of agenda statement, 4-159
group, syntax and use of agenda statement, 4-161
H
hex, syntax and use of, 4-163
hexadecimal
conversion, 4-163
display using TSL, 5-13

I
I parameter, 4-153
I/O
textual file structure example, 1-44
variant record manipulation, 4-194, 4-243
I/O statements
byname, 4-54
dbms, 4-127
if statement
nested, 4-167
syntax and use of, 4-164
ifmatch, syntax and use of, 4-168
implicit iteration, 4-153
include, TSL statement, 6-54
includes. see also unknown
syntax and use of, 4-174
indent
temporary left margin, 6-58
temporary right margin, 6-73
independent state, sourcing options, 3-36
index, syntax and use of, 4-175
inference rules, 3-23
input attributes. see user-input attributes
input masks. see also masks
date, 1-21
integer, 1-23
real, 1-24
string, 1-25
time, 1-26
instance
creating dynamic instances, 4-112
deleting, 4-133
determine existence of, 4-140
displaying with TSL, 5-29, 5-30
dynamic, 4-112
in TSL, 5-38, 6-22
nameof, syntax and use of, 4-185
references to, 3-17
select all, 4-204
select one, 4-205
TDL statement, 2-13
TSL syntax summary, 5-65, 5-67
integer
conversion to string, 4-229
default format in TSL, 6-51
division, 4-136, 4-184
formatting in TSL, 5-11
in non-textual file, 1-48
in textual file, 1-40
KDL syntax summary, 4-248, 4-249
masks, 1-23
option of date statement, 4-120
predefined list, 1-5
predefined set, 1-5
TDL statement, 2-10
integer_list data type, 1-5
integer_set data type, 1-5
internal AionDS functions, invocation, 4-25
intersection
of certainty sets, 10-23
syntax and use of KDL statement, 4-176
introducing certainty, 10-2
iteration
class, 4-147
direct, 4-149
explicit, 4-151
implicit, 4-153
J
justify mode, 6-56
K
KDL. see also KDL statements
Index I-9

AES statements, 4-14
agenda statements, 4-12
assignment operators, 3-42
certainty set operations, 4-11
class references, 3-16
CM statements, 4-60
comments, 4-22
comparing real numbers, 3-10
compound actions, 4-165
constraints, 3-40
consultation monitor statements, 4-13
control statements, 4-11
date operations, 4-10
default property use, 3-39
else clause, 4-165
elseif keyword, 4-166
end keyword, 4-167
expressions. see expressions
facts property use, 3-39
instance references, 3-17
list operations, 4-10
logical operators, 4-10
multiple premises, 4-166
nested if statements, 4-167
numeric operations and functions, 4-9
object processing statements, 4-12
operators. see operators
other statements, 4-14
premise evaluation, 3-21
set operations, 4-10
slot references, 3-19
statement syntax, 4-9
string operations, 4-10
syntax summary by data type, 4-247
time operations, 4-10
KDL statements. see also I/O statements. see also
KDL
&, 4-16
*, 4-17
I-10 Language Reference
**, 4-18
*/, 4-22
+, 4-19
/, 4-21
/*, 4-22
abs, 4-23
add, 4-24
aes, 4-25
aes abort, 4-26
aes break, 4-27
aes chain, 4-28
aes error, 4-30
aes exitcode, 4-31
aes profile, 4-32
aes title, 4-33
aes tracelevel, 4-34
aes writelog, 4-36
aes writetrace, 4-37
aes_cf, 4-38
and, 4-39
append, 4-41
arctan, 4-42
ask, 4-43
asort, 4-47
bestvalue, 4-50
bin, 4-51
break, 4-52
breakif, 4-53
byname, 4-54
certainty, 4-56
cf, 4-57
clear, 4-58
cm, 4-60
cm add, 4-65
cm beep, 4-68
cm delete, 4-69
cm error, 4-71
cm getcoordinates, 4-73
cm getcursor, 4-74

cm getdimensions, 4-75
cm getinfo, 4-76
cm getoutlinecolor, 4-79
cm getpopup, 4-95
cm getposition, 4-81
cm getstatus, 4-82
cm gettext, 4-84
cm gettextcolor, 4-85
cm gettitlecolor, 4-87
cm gettitleposition, 4-89
cm getwindow, 4-90
cm getwindowlist, 4-93
cm getword, 4-94
cm setcursor, 4-97
cm setdimensions, 4-98
cm setoutlinecolor, 4-99
cm setposition, 4-101
cm settextcolor, 4-102
cm settitlecolor, 4-104
cm settitleposition, 4-106
cm system, 4-107
cos, 4-111
create, 4-112
csort, 4-115
currentclass, 3-17
currentdate, 4-116
currenttime, 4-117
currentvalue, 4-118
date, 4-119
date integer, 4-120
date months, 4-121
date record, 4-122
date string, 4-123
date weekday, 4-124
date yearday, 4-125
date years, 4-126
dbms, 4-127
delete from list or set, 4-131
delete instance, 4-133
difference, 4-135
div, 4-136
dsort, 4-137
exists, 4-140
exitstate, 4-142
exp, 4-144
finalvalue, 4-145
first, 4-146
for, class iteration, 4-147
for, direct iteration, 4-149
for, explicit iteration, 4-151
for, implicit iteration, 4-153
forwardchain, 4-155
function, 4-157
graph, 4-159
group, 4-161
hex, 4-163
if, 4-164
ifmatch, 4-168
includes, 4-174
index, 4-175
intersection, 4-176
last, 4-177
length, 4-178
ln, 4-179
loop, 4-180
max, 4-181
message, 4-182
min, 4-183
mod, 4-184
nameof, 4-185
not, 4-187
num, 4-188
or, 4-189
parameter, 4-191
process, 4-193
readstr, 4-194
report, 4-199
return, 4-200
Index I-11

ound, 4-202
rule, 4-203
selectall, 4-204
selectone, 4-205
send to class, 4-207
send to instance, 4-209
send up, 4-212
set, 4-214
sin, 4-215
size, 4-216
slot, 4-217
sourcevalue, 4-219
sqr, 4-220
sqrt, 4-221
state, 4-222
str from booleans, 4-224
str from dates and times, 4-226
str from integers, 4-229
str from real numbers, 4-231
str with strings, 4-234
substring, 4-236
time, 4-237
trunc, 4-238
union, 4-239
unknown, 4-240
with, 4-242
writestr, 4-243
knowledge base objects, changing the property,
4-214
KSDS data access, file attribute, 2-7
L
last, syntax and use of KDL statement, 4-177
leastrecent, option of forwardchain, 4-155
left indent, in TSL, 6-58
left margin, text in TSL, 6-63
length, syntax and use of, 4-178
I-12 Language Reference
limitations
DBMS statement, 4-128
line breaks in TSL, 6-39
line numbers, displaying in TSL, 6-61
line skipping with TSL, 6-81
list
append, 4-41
default format in TSL, 5-41
deleting elements from, 4-131
description of, 1-4
determine existence of element, 4-174
expressions, 3-5
find matching element, 4-175
formatting individual elements in TSL, 5-43
formatting structured data types in TSL, 5-47
in non-textual file, 1-49
in textual file, 1-41
in TSL, 5-40
indexing using a record field, 5-51
KDL syntax summary, 4-254
of pointers in TSL, 5-36
select elements from, 4-146, 4-177
side-by-side display, 6-17
size, 4-216
TDL statement, 2-14
TSL syntax summary, 5-68
writing length to a file, 1-49
ln, syntax and use of, 4-179
load, option of dbms statement, 4-127
local access
definition, 4-128
log
base e, 4-179
e exponent, 4-144
logical operators
and, 4-39
in KDL, 3-13
KDL, 4-10
not, 4-187

or, 4-189
loop. see also for statement
break statement, 4-52
breakif statement, 4-53
direct iteration, 4-149
do while, 4-180
explicit iteration, 4-151
implicit iteration, 4-153
repeat until, 4-180
statement description, 4-180
syntax and use of KDL statement, 4-180
M
margin
setting bottom margins, 6-37
setting the right margin, 6-74
setting top margins, 6-101
temporary left, 6-58
temporary right, 6-73
text in TSL, 6-63, 6-75
marking blocks of text, 6-36
masks
date, 1-21, 6-41
for input, 1-19
integer, 1-23, 6-51
overview, 1-19
real, 1-24, 6-70
string, 1-25
time, 1-26, 6-96
max, syntax and use of, 4-181
maximum value of numeric expressions, 4-181
message
substitution in TSL, 6-65
syntax and use of agenda statement, 4-182
message passing
overview, 3-26
send to class, 4-207
send to instance, 4-209
send up, 4-212
using arguments and return values, 4-210
with TSL, 5-55, 6-77
method
sending up in TSL, 6-24
specialization, 4-213
min, syntax and use of, 4-183
minimum value of numeric expressions, 4-183
mod, syntax and use of, 4-184
modulus, 4-184
months, option of date statement, 4-121
mostrecent, option of forwardchain, 4-155
multiple certainty set. see certainty set
multiple premises, 4-166
multiplication operator, 4-17
N
nameof
in TSL, 6-22
syntax and use of, 4-185
Nested if statements, 4-167
nested records, 1-7
noattr attribute
for non-textual files, 1-54
use in TDL, 1-36
noempty attribute, 1-13
nomenu attribute, 1-14
non-textual file attribute, 1-34
non-textual file structures. see also textual file
structures
boolean, 1-48
date, 1-48
description of, 1-45
fixed attribute, 1-51
integer, 1-48
list, 1-49
Index I-13

numeric attributes, 1-51
packed attribute, 1-52
real, 1-49
set, 1-49
string, 1-49
textual attribute, 1-52
time, 1-50
unsigned attribute, 1-52
zoned attribute, 1-53
not, syntax and use of, 4-187
notrim attribute, 1-15, 1-50, 4-195, 4-244
nounknown attribute, 1-16
num, syntax and use of KDL statement, 4-188
numbering lines, TSL display, 6-61
numbering pages with TSL, 6-10, 6-66
numeric constraint syntax in TDL, 2-36
numeric expressions, 3-4
numeric field attributes, 1-51
O
object processing
class references, 3-16
creating dynamic instances, 4-112
current class, 3-17
displaying classes, 5-31
displaying instances from multiple classes,
5-38
displaying the current instance, 5-30
displaying the name of an instance, 6-22
inference rules, 3-23
instance references, 3-17
KDL syntax summary, 4-260
message passing, 3-26
send to class, 4-207
send to instance, 4-209
send up, 4-212
sending messages with TSL, 5-55, 6-77
I-14 Language Reference
slot references, 3-19
substitution of instances, 5-29
using TSL, 5-29
object_pointer
comparing values, 2-18
modifying values, 2-18
syntax, 2-17
open angle bracket display in TSL, 6-34
open parenthesis display in TSL, 6-28
operators. see also reference
arithmetic, 3-12
assignment, 3-42
logical, 3-13
relational, 3-7
selection, 3-14
or, syntax and use of, 4-189
order of premise evaluation, 3-21
orderby
clause in pattern-matching rules, 4-168
clause of forwardchain, 4-155
output argument
attribute, 1-30
output masks. see masks
P
packed attribute, 1-52
page numbers in TSL, 6-10, 6-66
parameter. see also TSL
constraint specification, 3-40
I, 4-153
syntax and use of agenda statement, 4-191
TSL syntax summary, 5-63
using finalvalue, 4-145
pattern-matching rules, overview, 3-23
PC data access, access overview, 1-33
percent sign display in TSL, 6-26
percent substitution operator, 6-9

period, displaying in TSL, 6-31
plain text, displaying in TSL, 5-4
pointer
displaying unknown in TSL, 6-105
displaying values with TSL, 5-34, 5-35
expressions, 3-6
select all, 4-204
select one, 4-205
TDL statement, 2-20
TSL syntax summary, 5-66
unknown pointers in TSL, 5-39
popup
option of CM statement, 4-95
window, 4-95
position of substring in string, 4-175
precedence
of arithmetic operators, 3-21
of logical operators, 3-21
precision of record fields, 1-38, 1-46
predefined structured data types, 1-5
premise
description of, 3-7
evaluation summary, 3-21
multiple, 4-166
nested if statements, 4-167
unknown, 4-240
using certainty, 10-11
preserving certainty, 10-16
priority
option of forwardchain, 4-155
setting the priority, 4-214
process, syntax and use of agenda statement,
4-193
processing option
combining with sourcing options, 3-34
effect on execution conditions, 3-34
overview, 3-32
profile monitor
change option at runtime, 4-32
comparison-tolerance, 3-10
profile, option of aes statement, 4-32
programming constructs, 3-22
properties, changing at run time, 4-214
Q
QSAM data access, file attribute, 1-32, 2-7
R
readstr, syntax and use of, 4-194
real
comparisons between numbers, 3-10
conversion to string, 4-231
formatting values in TSL, 5-15
in non-textual file, 1-49
in textual file, 1-41
KDL syntax summary, 4-248, 4-249
masks, 1-24
predefined list, 1-5
predefined set, 1-5
rounding, 4-202
TDL statement, 2-21
truncation, 4-238
TSL default format, 6-68
real_list data type, 1-5
real_set data type, 1-5
record
definition of, 1-6
expressions, 3-6
field size and precision, 1-38, 1-46
formatting structured data types in TSL, 5-47
formatting with TSL, 5-49
nesting, 1-7
option of date statement, 4-122
TDL statement, 2-25
Index I-15

TSL syntax summary, 5-69
type object, 1-6
using a field as an index in TSL, 5-51
writing the string length, 1-50
writing the string, list, or set length, 1-49
reference
class, 3-16
instance, 3-17
slot, 3-19
relational operators
and unknown values, 3-9
description of, 3-7
remainder of integer division, 4-184
remote access
definition, 4-128
repeat until loop. see loop
report
syntax and use of agenda statement, 4-199
title, 6-99
reserved words, 11-1
restrictions
DBMS statement, 4-128
return value, in message passing, 4-210
return, syntax and use of, 4-200
right indent, in TSL, 6-73
right margin. see also margin
text in TSL, 6-75
rollbacks
dbms option, 4-127
remote access, with, 4-128
unit of work, 4-128
round, syntax and use of, 4-202
RRDS data access, file attribute, 2-7
rule. see also operators. see also expressions
comparing real numbers, 3-10
compound action, 4-165
else clause, 4-165
elseif keyword, 4-166
end keyword, 4-167
I-16 Language Reference
S
if statement syntax, 4-164
inference, 3-23
multiple premises, 4-166
nested if statements, 4-167
premise evaluation, 3-21
return statement, 4-200
syntax and use of agenda statement, 4-203
using agenda statements in, 3-36
using the forwardchain statement, 4-155
using the ifmatch statement, 4-168
select first elements from list, 4-146
select last elements from list, 4-177
selectall, syntax and use of, 4-204
selection operators, 3-14
selectone, syntax and use of, 4-205
send
statement in TSL, 5-55, 6-77
syntax and use of KDL statement, 4-207,
4-209
TSL syntax summary, 5-71
up in TSL, 6-24
up, syntax and use of KDL statement, 4-212
sending messages
in TSL, 5-55, 6-77
with arguments or return values, 4-210
set. see also certainty set
default format in TSL, 5-41
deleting elements from, 4-131
description of, 1-4
determine existence of element, 4-174
difference, 4-135
expressions, 3-5
find matching element, 4-175
formatting individual elements in TSL, 5-43
formatting structured data types in TSL, 5-47

in non-textual file, 1-49
in textual file, 1-41
in TSL, 5-40
indexing using a record field, 5-51
intersection, 4-176
KDL syntax summary, 4-255
of pointers in TSL, 5-36
side-by-side display, 6-17
size, 4-216
TDL statement, 2-27
TSL syntax summary, 5-68
union, 4-239
writing length to a file, 1-49
set cursor position, 4-97
set dimensions, 4-98
set outline color, 4-99
set report title, 6-99
set text color, 4-102
set title color, 4-104
set window position, 4-101
set window title position, 4-106
set, syntax and use of command, 4-214
setcursor, option of CM statement, 4-97
setdimensions, option of CM statement, 4-98
setoutlinecolor, option of CM statement, 4-99
setposition, option of CM statement, 4-101
settextcolor, option of CM statement, 4-102
setting margins in TSL, 6-37, 6-74, 6-101
setting spaces in TSL, 6-82, 6-83
settitlecolor, option of CM statement, 4-104
settitleposition, option of CM statement, 4-106
side-by-side display of list or set elements, 6-17
sin, syntax and use of, 4-215
sine function, 4-215
single certainty set. see certainty set
size
of certainty sets, 10-24
syntax and use of KDL statement, 4-216
size and precision of fields, 1-38, 1-46
skipping lines with TSL, 6-81
slot
constraint specification, 3-40
displaying in TSL, 5-30
references to, 3-19
syntax and use of agenda statement, 4-217
TSL syntax summary, 5-64
values in TSL, 5-29
sort
ascending, 4-47
certainty set, 4-115, 10-22
descending, 4-137
sourcevalue, syntax and use of, 4-219
sourcing
agenda statement options, 3-30
and functions, 3-36
and independent states, 3-36
best value, 4-50
combining with processing options, 3-34
current value, 4-118
final value, 4-145
sourcevalue, 4-219
spaces in TSL, 6-82, 6-83
specialization of methods, 4-213
SQL data access, file attribute, 1-32, 2-7
sqr, syntax and use of, 4-220
sqrt, syntax and use of, 4-221
square of a number, 4-220
square root, 4-221
state
exit state, 4-142
syntax and use of agenda statement, 4-222
using exitstate, 4-142
stopwhen, clause of forwardchain, 4-155
str, syntax and use of
booleans, 4-224
dates, 4-226
integers, 4-229
real numbers, 4-231
Index I-17

strings, 4-234
times, 4-226
strength of belief. see certainty
string. see also substring
conversion between strings, 4-234
conversion from boolean, 4-224
conversion from date, 4-226
conversion from integer, 4-229
conversion from real, 4-231
conversion from time, 4-226
convert to number, 4-188
expressions, 3-4
find substring, 4-175
in non-textual file, 1-49
in textual file, 1-42
KDL syntax summary, 4-248, 4-251
length, 4-178
masks, 1-25
option of date statement, 4-123
predefined list, 1-5
predefined set, 1-5
return substring, 4-236
syntax and use of constraints in TDL, 2-37
TDL statement, 2-30
TSL formatting, 5-9
writing length to a file, 1-50
string_list data type, 1-5
string_set data type, 1-5
structured data types. see also data types
description of, 1-4
file, 1-7
lists and sets, 1-4
predefined, 1-5
record, 1-6
substitution
of booleans, 5-27
of classes, 5-31
of instances, 5-29
of messages, 6-65
I-18 Language Reference
of parameters and slots, 5-5, 5-7
operator in TSL, 6-9, 6-20
substring
matching, 4-175
syntax and use of, 4-236
subtraction operator, 4-20
summary of premise evaluation, 3-21
summary of TSL commands, 6-106
summary of TSL substitution, 5-62
syntax
KDL, 4-9
KDL syntax summary, 4-247
TDL, 2-2
TSL command summary, 6-106
TSL substitution summary, 5-62
system threshold. see certainty
system, option of CM statement, 4-107
T
table
displaying certainty sets, 10-31
mode in TSL, 6-86, 6-88
tabs in TSL, 6-84, 6-85
TDL
boolean, syntax and use of, 2-3
checklength attribute, 1-12
constraint data types, 1-8
constraints, syntax and use of, 2-35
data types, 1-2
date input masks, 1-21
date, syntax and use of, 2-5
file attributes, 1-31
file, syntax and use of, 2-7
files, 1-7
fixed attribute, 1-51
input masks, 1-19
instance, syntax and use of, 2-13

integer input masks, 1-23
integer, syntax and use of, 2-10
list, syntax and use of, 2-14
lists and sets, 1-4
noattr attribute, 1-36, 1-54
noempty attribute, 1-13
nomenu attribute, 1-14
notrim attribute, 1-15, 1-50, 4-195, 4-244
nounknown attribute, 1-16
numeric constraint syntax, 2-36
numeric field attributes, 1-51
overview, 2-1
packed attribute, 1-52
pointer, syntax and use of, 2-20
predefined lists and sets, 1-5
real input masks, 1-24
real, syntax and use of, 2-21
record, syntax and use of, 2-25
records, 1-6
set, syntax and use of, 2-27
string constraint syntax, 2-37
string input masks, 1-25
string, syntax and use of, 2-30
structured data types, 1-4
syntax, 2-2
text attribute, 1-17
textual attribute, 1-34, 1-52
time input masks, 1-26
time, syntax and use of, 2-33
unsigned attribute, 1-52
uppercase attribute, 1-18
user-input attribute examples, 1-28
user-input attributes, 1-10
variable attribute, 1-35
writelength attribute, 1-49
writelength I/O attribute, 1-50
zoned attribute, 1-53
text
associating text in TSL, 5-7
displaying in TSL, 5-4
text attribute, 1-17
Text Substitution Language. see TSL
textual attribute, 1-34, 1-52
textual file structures. see also non-textual file
structures
boolean, 1-39
date, 1-40
description of, 1-37
example, 1-44
field and record sizes, 1-38
integer, 1-40
list, 1-41
real, 1-41
set, 1-41
string, 1-42
time, 1-42
time
conversion to string, 4-226
currenttime statement, 4-117
default format in TSL, 6-96
display current time, 6-15
in non-textual file, 1-50
in textual file, 1-42
KDL syntax summary, 4-248, 4-253
masks, 1-26
syntax and use of KDL statement, 4-237
TDL statement, 2-33
values in TSL, 5-23
title
in TSL, 6-99
option of aes statement, 4-33
top margin. see margin
tracelevel, option of aes statement, 4-34
trunc, syntax and use of, 4-238
truncate number, 4-238
TSL
%, syntax and use of, 6-9
%aes_pagenum, syntax and use of, 6-10
Index I-19

%currentdate, syntax and use of, 6-14
%currenttime, syntax and use of, 6-15
%emptbl, syntax and use of, 6-45
%is, 6-20
%nameof, 6-22
%up, syntax and use of, 6-24
&%, syntax and use of, 6-26
&&, syntax and use of, 6-27
&(, syntax and use of, 6-28
&), syntax and use of, 6-29
&*/, syntax and use of, 6-30
&., syntax and use of, 6-31
&/*, syntax and use of, 6-32
&:, syntax and use of, 6-33
&, syntax and use of, 6-35
&blk, syntax and use of, 6-36
&bm, syntax and use of, 6-37
&br, syntax and use of, 6-39
&c, syntax and use of, 6-40
&ddf, syntax and use of, 6-41
&emp, syntax and use of, 6-44
&fi, syntax and use of, 6-47
&footer, syntax and use of, 6-49
&idf, syntax and use of, 6-51
&include, syntax and use of, 6-54
&j, syntax and use of, 6-56
&li, syntax and use of, 6-58
&ln, syntax and use of, 6-61
&lt, syntax and use of, 6-63
&msg, syntax and use of, 6-65
&n, syntax and use of, 6-66
&rdf, syntax and use of, 6-68
&ri, syntax and use of, 6-73
&rm, syntax and use of, 6-74
&rt, syntax and use of, 6-75
&scf, syntax and use of, 10-26
&scs, syntax and use of, 10-27
&send, syntax and use of, 6-77
I-20 Language Reference
&sk, syntax and use of, 6-81
&spc, syntax and use of, 6-82
&sspc, syntax and use of, 6-83
&stab, syntax and use of, 6-84
&tab, syntax and use of, 6-85
&tb, syntax and use of, 6-86
&tbl, syntax and use of, 6-88
&tdf, syntax and use of, 6-96
&title, syntax and use of, 6-99
&tm, syntax and use of, 6-101
&und, syntax and use of, 6-103
&undptr, syntax and use of, 6-105
aes_tslmessage, 5-60
aes_tslprompt, 5-60
aes_tslreport, 5-60
aes_tsltext, 5-60
ampersand, 6-27
associating text with booleans, 5-27, 10-30
associating text with parameters and slots, 5-7
begin comment, 6-32
canceling the effect of new lines and spaces,
6-86
centering lines, 6-40
certainty set, 10-29
changing modes, 6-47, 6-56
changing the display of unknown, 6-44,
6-103, 6-105
close comment, 6-30
closing angle bracket, 6-35
closing parenthesis, 6-29
command summary, 6-106
commands, 6-5
comments, 6-30, 6-32
creating tables, 6-86
default format for lists and sets, 5-41
default substitution and formatting, 5-5
defaults, 6-7
displaying classes, 5-31

displaying instances from multiple classes,
5-38
displaying the current instance, 5-30
displaying the name of an instance, 6-22
displaying unknown pointers, 5-39
duration of defaults, modes, or margins, 6-7,
6-8
empty table substitution, 6-45
fill mode, 6-47
footer, 6-49
forcing line breaks, 6-39
formatted substitution of structured data
types, 5-47
formatting binary numbers, 5-13
formatting boolean values, 5-26
formatting certainty sets, 10-25, 10-26, 10-28
formatting date values, 5-19
formatting hexadecimal numbers, 5-13
formatting individual slot values, 5-30
formatting integer values, 5-11
formatting lists and sets, 5-40
formatting lists or sets of pointers, 5-36
formatting plain text, 5-4
formatting pointer values, 5-34
formatting real values, 5-15
formatting records, 5-49
formatting slot values, 5-29
formatting slot values from pointers, 5-35
formatting string values, 5-9
formatting time values, 5-23
functions in TSL, 5-52
indexing using a record field, 5-51
individual elements of lists and sets, 5-43
inserting text from a file, 6-54
justify mode, 6-56
left margin text, 6-63
margins, 6-74
message substitution, 6-65
nameof statement, 6-22
open angle bracket, 6-34
open parenthesis, 6-28
overview, 5-1
page numbers, 6-66
percent sign, 6-26
right margin text, 6-75
sending messages to objects, 5-55, 6-77
setting bottom margins, 6-37
setting spaces in fill justify and table modes,
6-82, 6-83
setting top and bottom margins, 6-101
side-by-side display of list or set elements,
6-17
skipping lines, 6-81
substitution of instances, 5-29
substitution operator, 6-20
substitution summary, 5-62
table mode, 6-86, 6-88
tabs, 6-84, 6-85
uniform defaults and headers, 5-60
with object processing, 5-29
type
constraints in object, 1-8
record, 1-6
type definition language. see TDL
U
union
of certainty sets, 10-23
syntax and use of, 4-239
unit of work, 4-128
unknown
display in TSL, 6-44, 6-103, 6-105
display of pointers in TSL, 5-39
in certainty set comparison, 10-21
relational comparison, 3-9
syntax and use of KDL statement, 4-240
Index I-21

unsigned attribute, 1-52
uppercase attribute, 1-18
user-input attributes
checklength, 1-12
examples, 1-28
noempty, 1-13
nomenu, 1-14
notrim, 1-15, 1-50, 4-195, 4-244
nounknown, 1-16
overview, 1-10
text, 1-17
uppercase, 1-18
using a record field as an index in TSL, 5-51
using boolean criteria to display classes, 5-33
using constraints in type objects, 1-8
using functions in TSL, 5-52
using the end keyword, 4-167
V
value, definition of, 3-2
variable file attribute, 1-35
variant record
using readstr, 4-194
using writestr, 4-243
VSAM data access, file attribute, 1-32, 2-8
W
weekday, option of date statement, 4-124
while loop. see loop
window
add, 4-65
CM statements, 4-60
delete, 4-69
error display, 4-71
get cursor from, 4-74
I-22 Language Reference
get dimensions, 4-75
get handle, 4-90
get list, 4-93
get outline color, 4-79
get position, 4-81
get status for answer window, 4-82
get status information, 4-76
get text, 4-84
get text color, 4-85
get title color, 4-87
get title position, 4-89
get word underneath cursor, 4-94
popup, 4-95
set cursor position, 4-97
set dimensions, 4-98
set outline color, 4-99
set position, 4-101
set text color, 4-102
set title color, 4-104
set title position, 4-106
with
description of, 10-14
syntax and use of, 4-242
words, reserved, 11-1
writelength, 1-49, 1-50
writelog, option of aes statement, 4-36
writestr, syntax and use of, 4-243
writetrace, option of aes statement, 4-37
writing list and set lengths to a file, 1-49
writing string lengths to a file, 1-50
Y
yearday, option of date statement, 4-125
years, option of date statement, 4-126

Z
zoned attribute, 1-53
Index I-23

I-24 Language Reference

Aion Developement System
Language Reference
(DC0429)
PLATINUM technology Technical Documentation
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