PLACE(ID:343/pla002)Programming Language for Automatic Checkout Equipment. Samples: References: PLACE Programming Language for Automatic Checkout Equipment. This language was developed along with a compiler, by Battelle Memorial Institute under the sponsorship of the U. S. Air Force. Some of the key characteristics of PLACE are: It was developed to provide engineers with a language that can be used to program a variety of test systems. Rather than defining a specific language, PLACE defines a structure in which the ATE user defines his own test statements. Along with the PLACE Processing Language, a processing program was developed. The basic language is very cryptic and depends heavily on punctuation symbols. The processor has been proven adaptable to user-defined, problem oriented, source languages. The language and associated processor have had substantial usage on at least three military test systems, AN/GJQ-9, AN/APQ, and AN/GSM-204(v). Each of these have found significant use as Air Force, Depot-Level, Maintenance Tools for testing aircraft avionics systems. In the AN/GSM-204(v) application, extensive use has been made of the macro capability to define standard test functions, called System Preferred Methods (SPM's). The PLACE processor provided the necessary flexibility to apply the SPM approach to test design as well as the generation of an output formatter to generate machine language code. The use of the macro concept through SPM's enables the test programmer to express his testing instructions at the testing function level rather than in fundamental actions related to a particular ATE. This reduces the level of knowledge required of a test programmer and also results in more standard use of the ATE because the compiler calls out the sequence of fundamental ATE actions rather than the programmer. The latter benefit has a substantially favorable impact on program debugging and validation by reducing it to the time needed to prove out the test design rather than the design and coding technique. Extract: ELATE and DIMATE ELATE and DIMATE These are examples of problem oriented languages developed for a specific ATE application. ELATE was developed by Hughes Aircraft Company for their VATE (Versatile Automatic Test Equipment) and the DIMATE (Depot Installed Automatic Test Equipment) language was a derivative of an earlier RCA development for their MTE (Multipurpose Test Equipment). Both languages are readily readable but do require some programming experience for effective utilization. Since these languages were developed with a specific ATE application defined, they have the operational advantage of being relatively simple. On the other hand, they are less flexible for adaptation to other ATE applications. Extract: Critique of Existing Languages Critique of Existing Languages Because so much of the language selection process is based on the peculiar needs of a given application, it is difficult to make general recommendations. Also criticism of existing languages become rather subjective, depending on the evaluators experience. Nevertheless, for those who have little experience and weak biases, an evaluation of the languages mentioned earlier should be helpful. The author favors free-flowing statements with a minimum of punctuations, special symbols, and mnemonics. While such features tend to make the conversion software more expensive, they reduce test programming errors and attendant costs. Since software tool design is a non-recurring cost as contrasted to the recurring costs of UUT programming, the allowable investment in software design is a function of the test programming volume. Of the languages shown in the illustrations, basic PLACE is least natural and DIMATE most readable It also requires substantially less writing to program the equivalent function in DIMATE language. The use of fields or columns to separate words in a statement rather than commas and parenthesis tends to reduce errors and simplifies spot checking of statements for completeness. Universality of a language is extremely important both from its design and application. A universal design allows the language to be applied to many ATE systems so that as one is replaced or a new one added, the test designers do not need to learn a new language. One simply extends the existing vocabulary to handle any new features of a given system. Application universality refers to how used a language is. The more organizations that use a language on more test problems, the better refined it becomes. The problems with the language tend to be worked out and it becomes a more practical language. That, after all, is what any language is for - to be used. That more than any other is the reason some languages become accepted, because they are used by many people. Because ELATE and DIMATE were not designed to be universal, they have limited applications and tend to be used less. ATLAS is being designed to be universal, but so far has not been applied to any extent. As it is used, many of its shortcomings will be uncovered and may result in its demise. In the opinion of the author, it attempts to be too universal by trying to meet the needs of all test equipment rather than only ATE. There are many characteristics of ATE that differ from conventional testing which cannot be taken advantage of if the procedure must apply equally to manual testing. Furthermore, the extensive use of mnemonics and need for punctuation symbols make it far from natural to anyone except the accomplished programmer. In attempting to develop the language so that it is easy to compile, too many of the computers needs have been favored to the neglect of the test designer. PLACE has the advantage of being both universal in design and having had substantial use. It has been used for ATE systems of different manufacturers and has been implemented on several general purpose computers, including the IBM 7090, CDC 6400, and IBM 360 series. It is believed that more test programs have been produced using PLACE than any other language. The complex input structure and awkward vocabulary can be overcome by adapting PLACE to a users vocabulary using MACRO phrase definitions. The results of one successful adaptation of PLACE using the technique is shown in the examples of SPM adapted PIACE in Figure 3. With a more elaborate MACRO phrase library, the source language could be made substantially more free-flowing and natural. Because of its universal design, adaptability to many ATE's and its proven usage, PLACE is probably the most practical ATE language available. Industry would do well to modernize PLACE or at least pursue its universal design objective rather than continue to proliferate ATE languages. in [ACM] Proceedings of the 1971 ACM Annual Conference view details in ACM Computing Reviews 13(04) April 1972 view details in Computers & Automation 21(6B), 30 Aug 1972 view details in ACM Computing Reviews 15(04) April 1974 view details The exact number of all the programming languages still in use, and those which are no longer used, is unknown. Zemanek calls the abundance of programming languages and their many dialects a "language Babel". When a new programming language is developed, only its name is known at first and it takes a while before publications about it appear. For some languages, the only relevant literature stays inside the individual companies; some are reported on in papers and magazines; and only a few, such as ALGOL, BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN, and PL/1, become known to a wider public through various text- and handbooks. The situation surrounding the application of these languages in many computer centers is a similar one. There are differing opinions on the concept "programming languages". What is called a programming language by some may be termed a program, a processor, or a generator by others. Since there are no sharp borderlines in the field of programming languages, works were considered here which deal with machine languages, assemblers, autocoders, syntax and compilers, processors and generators, as well as with general higher programming languages. The bibliography contains some 2,700 titles of books, magazines and essays for around 300 programming languages. However, as shown by the "Overview of Existing Programming Languages", there are more than 300 such languages. The "Overview" lists a total of 676 programming languages, but this is certainly incomplete. One author ' has already announced the "next 700 programming languages"; it is to be hoped the many users may be spared such a great variety for reasons of compatibility. The graphic representations (illustrations 1 & 2) show the development and proportion of the most widely-used programming languages, as measured by the number of publications listed here and by the number of computer manufacturers and software firms who have implemented the language in question. The illustrations show FORTRAN to be in the lead at the present time. PL/1 is advancing rapidly, although PL/1 compilers are not yet seen very often outside of IBM. Some experts believe PL/1 will replace even the widely-used languages such as FORTRAN, COBOL, and ALGOL.4) If this does occur, it will surely take some time - as shown by the chronological diagram (illustration 2) . It would be desirable from the user's point of view to reduce this language confusion down to the most advantageous languages. Those languages still maintained should incorporate the special facets and advantages of the otherwise superfluous languages. Obviously such demands are not in the interests of computer production firms, especially when one considers that a FORTRAN program can be executed on nearly all third-generation computers. The titles in this bibliography are organized alphabetically according to programming language, and within a language chronologically and again alphabetically within a given year. Preceding the first programming language in the alphabet, literature is listed on several languages, as are general papers on programming languages and on the theory of formal languages (AAA). As far as possible, the most of titles are based on autopsy. However, the bibliographical description of sone titles will not satisfy bibliography-documentation demands, since they are based on inaccurate information in various sources. Translation titles whose original titles could not be found through bibliographical research were not included. ' In view of the fact that nany libraries do not have the quoted papers, all magazine essays should have been listed with the volume, the year, issue number and the complete number of pages (e.g. pp. 721-783), so that interlibrary loans could take place with fast reader service. Unfortunately, these data were not always found. It is hoped that this bibliography will help the electronic data processing expert, and those who wish to select the appropriate programming language from the many available, to find a way through the language Babel. We wish to offer special thanks to Mr. Klaus G. Saur and the staff of Verlag Dokumentation for their publishing work. Graz / Austria, May, 1973 in ACM Computing Reviews 15(04) April 1974 view details |