Iron Spring PL/I Compiler

OS/2 Version 1.1.0
20 Jun 2023

Release Notes

Introduction

This document provides information on using the Iron Spring PL/I compiler and compiled programs on the OS/2 platform. For information on the Linux platform, see the corresponding document
readme_linux.

The current version still contains bugs. You can help improve the compiler. See the section Reporting bugs.

Trademarks
eComStation is a trademark of Serenity Systems International.
Gnu is a trademark of the Free Software Foundation.
IBM is a trademark of IBM, Inc.
Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation.
Iron Spring is a trademark of Iron Spring Software.
Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
VAX is a trademark of Hewlett-Packard, Inc.
WATCOM is a trademark of Sybase, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

License

<boring-legal-stuff>
This license a legal agreement between you and Iron Spring Software. Your use of this software signifies that you agree to the terms of this license.

Iron Spring Software grants you the right to use and copy the Iron Spring PL/I compiler and library freely. You may distribute programs compiled using the compiler and/or linked with the library under any terms you wish without restriction. The source to the library is licensed under the terms of the Gnu Lesser General Public License (LGPL).

All material is copyright Iron Spring Software, 2023.

THE COMPILER AND LIBRARY ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE COMPILER AND LIBRARY IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THEY PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.
</boring-legal-stuff>

Contents

This distribution includes the executable for the PL/I compiler PLIC.EXE, the runtime DLL, the static and import libraries lib\static\prf.lib and \lib\prf.lib, and the sources for the library and sample programs.

  pli-1.1.0
    |
    +-----------------------samples----------------lib
    |                          |                    |
 plic.exe                   (Sample sources and     +--------------------------static---include----source
 (compiler executable)       %include files,        PL/I DLL (prf.dll)         |         |         |
 (documentation, etc.)       sample makefiles       Import Library (prf.lib)   |         |         +--------asm
                             and module definition                             |         |   (PL/I source)   |   
                             file).                                            |         |               (assembler
                                                                               |  (%include files          source)
                                                                               |    required by                                                                                      
                                                                               |     library).
                                                                               |
                                                                      prf.lib (static library)
                                                                      OS2386.lib

Requirements

The folowing software is required to run the OS/2 version of the compiler: The following software is recommended:

Installation

  1. Unpack the distribution file into a directory named "x:\pli-1.1.0", (Specify your desired drive in place of 'x'.)
  2. Only the compiler (x:\pli-1.1.0\plic.exe) and either the static runtime library (x:\pli-1.1.0\lib\static\prf.lib) OR the DLL (x:\pli-1.1.0\lib\prf.dll) and the import library (x:\pli-1.1.0\lib\\prf.lib) are required. You should already have a version of OS2386.LIB. If you don't, you can use the one supplied in "x:\pli-1.1.0\lib\static\OS2386.lib".
  3. Move the compiler to a directory in your PATH or add x:\pli-1.1.0 to your path in config.sys.
  4. If you are using the DLL version of the library, move prf.dll to a directory in LIBPATH, or add (x:\pli-1.1.0\lib) to your LIBPATH in CONFIG.SYS and reboot. In order to link compiled programs you also need to make the import library prf.lib available by moving it to a directory listed in the LIB environment variable. Alternatatively, you can add the line "LIB = x:\pli-1.1.0\lib" to your makefiles.
  5. If you are using the static version of the library (x:\pli-1.1.0\lib\static\prf.lib), move it [and x:\pli-1.1.0\lib\static\OS2386.lib if required] to a directory listed in the LIB environment variable. Alternatatively, you can add the line "LIB = x:\pli-1.1.0\lib\static" to your makefiles.

A later version will be installable using the WarpIN installer.

Sample Programs

The file samples/samples.html contains a list of all the sample programs. The comments in each program contain information on using the program.
  1. Test the sample programs. Two makefiles are provided: 'makefile.OS2DLL' links with the PL/I DLL, 'makefile.OS2Static' links with the static library. CD to the directory "x:\pli-1.1.0\samples" and type "make- makefile.OS2DLL" for the DLL version, or "make -f makefile.OS2Static" for the static version. If you don't have make available, you can manually type the commands in the makefile. The sample programs "numwrd", "filedump", "print_listing", and "libver" build to executables, the remainder should generate object files.
  2. Test numwrd. Enter ".\numwrd 123". The program should display the result "one hundred twenty-three".
  3. You might want access to the %INCLUDE files in "x:\pli-1.1.0\lib\include" or "x\pli-1.1.0\samples" for your own programming.

Using the compiler

The "samples" directory contains two sample makefiles that can be used to compile and link PL/I programs. You should copy these and modify them for your requirements. "Makefile.OS2Static" is an example of a compile and link using the static version of the runtime library. "Makefile.OS2DLL" is an example linking against the runtime DLL. The library named "prf.lib" contains object files in the static directory, and import definitions for the runtime DLL in the non-static directory.

Linking PL/I programs

The following command statically links a PL/I program with the runtime library.
LINK386 /m:f /a:8 /st:0x100000 ${OBJ},,,${LIBDIR}\prf.lib+${LIBDIR}\OS2386.lib,${DEF};

The following command links a PL/I program with the PL/I runtime DLL.
LINK386 /m:f /a:8 /st:0x100000 ${OBJ},,,${LIBDIR}\prf.lib,${DEF};

Documentation

The Iron Spring PL/I Compiler Programming Guide contains a description of the features of the compiler. Except as noted in the Programming Guide under Compiler Differences and Restrictions this compiler is compatible with the IBM "PL/I for MVS and VM Compiler 1.1". A complete language reference in HTML will be available as part of a future release.

Documentation for the IBM compiler is available online at teampli.net.