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[[Image:Rexxlogo.png|250px|right]]
[[Image:Rexxlogo.png|250px|right]]
An interpreted, procedural structured language that is included with every version of OS/2 1.3 and higher, every version of IBM PC-DOS 7.0 and higher and most modern [[Amiga OS]] variants and clones in addition to all current and recent IBM mainframe and minicomputer operating systems.
'''REXX''' is an interpreted, procedural structured language that is included with every version of OS/2 EE 1.2 and later, IBM PC-DOS 7.0 and most AmigaOS variants and clones in addition to all current and recent IBM mainframe and minicomputer operating systems.


Although REXX is a generic programming language and can be (and has been) used to construct everything from simple utilities to large business applications, it is  primarily used as a scripting or macro language, and as such is unusually easy to learn. The REXX language was created by [[Mike Cowlishaw]] of [[IBM]] Hursley in 1979 and the first implementation was shipped inside IBM in 1980 and as an external product in 1982, third party implementations started appearing in 1984.
Although REXX is a generic programming language and can be (and has been) used to construct everything from simple utilities to large business applications, it is  primarily used as a scripting or macro language, and as such is unusually easy to learn.


'''[[Object REXX]]''' is a later version of the language that has been given [[object-oriented]] extensions modelled on those present in [[Smalltalk]] (IBM's language of choice at the time), while it is mostly compatible with Classic REXX there are some minor differences that mean that most larger REXX programs have to have at the least some modifications to run correctly under OREXX, and this has meant that in the OS/2 world it never gained any real traction. '''Amiga REXX''' is a clone of IBM's Classic REXX that has extensions to help its use as a mechanism for application to application and/or inter-application communication, [[Regina REXX]] supports those extensions.
==History==
The REXX language was created by [[Mike Cowlishaw]] in 1979 under VM/CMS. The second implementation (2.00) was used inside IBM in 1980. Language level 3.20 was included in [[VM/SP]] Release 3 which was released in 1983.


==OS/2 REXX implementations and tools==
Third party implementations started appearing in 1985.
* [[Object REXX]] - Open source - OS/2 version discontinued, but older version shipped with OS/2 V4 and all eComStation versions.
* [[Personal REXX]] - Commercial - Discontinued
* [[Regina REXX]] - Compatible with Classic REXX - Open Source - Current
* [[Procedures Language/2|REXX/2]] aka Classic REXX - Development discontinued, but shipped with all OS/2 32 bit versions and eComStation.


====Libraries, extensions and bindings====
In 1987 REXX was chosen to be the [[Systems Application Architecture]] (SAA) procedural language.
<div style="column-count:2;-moz-column-count:2;-webkit-column-count:2">
* [[Bullet|Bullet/REXX]] - Allows you to work with [[xBase]] files or databases - Commercial - Discontinued.
* [[dbfREXX]] - Allows you to work with [[xBase]] files or databases - Commercial - Discontinued.
* [[RexxBase]] - Allows you to work with [[xBase]] files or databases - Freeware - Discontinued.
* [[REXXBOS]] - A complete OS/2 system interface for REXX - Commercial - Current
* [[REXX/CURL]] - Bindings to the [[libcURL]] library - Open source - Current.
* [[REXX/CURL]] - Encode, compress and encryption ext. - Open source - Current.
* [[REXX/GD]] - Bitmap manipulation extension - Open source - Sort of current.
* [[REXX/ISAM]] - ISAM database files extension - Open source - Discontinued.
* [[REXX/SQL]] - [[SQL]] database access - Open source - Current.
* [[REXXSEM]] - Semaphore support for REXX - Used to be shareware, now freeware.
* [[OS2 API:RXULS|RXULS]] - REXX [[Unicode]] API - Open source - Current.
* [[SpUtils]] - PM and API functions - Open source - Discontinued.
</div>


====GUI/Widget bindings====
In 1989 the first version of IBM CMS REXX Compiler was released.
* [[Rexx/Curses]] - Bindings to the [[PD Curses]] text mode UI library - Open source - Current
* [[REXX/DW]] - Bindings to the [[Dynamic Windows]] GUI/Widget toolkit - Open source - Current
* [[REXX/Tk]] - Bindings to the [[Tcl/Tk]] GUI/Widget toolkit - Open source - Discontinued


====Graphical front ends and REXX development systems====
'''[[Object REXX]]''' is a different language that has been given object-oriented extensions modelled on those present in [[Smalltalk]]. While it is mostly compatible with Classic REXX there are some minor differences. It means that some REXX programs have to be modified to run correctly under Object REXX.
* [[Dr. Dialog]] - Freeware - Discontinued
* [[GpfREXX]] - Commercial - Development discontinued but still available for sale at a discounted price.
* [[MAID]] -  Commercial - Current
* [[VisPro/REXX]] -  Was commercial, now freeware - Discontinued
* [[VREXX]] -  Freeware - Discontinued
* [[VX-REXX]] -  Commercial - Discontinued


====Utilities and translators====
'''Amiga REXX''' is a clone of IBM's Classic REXX that has extensions to help its use as a mechanism for application to application and/or inter-application communication, [[Regina REXX]] supports those extensions.
* [[Rexx2Nrx]] - Converts Classic [[REXX]] software to NetRexx - Open Source - Discontinued.


====OS/2 text & programmers editors with REXX support====
==Implementations==
* [[Boxer]] - Classic REXX (Regina & IBM) and BREXX support included by default.
{|class="wikitable"
* [[Enhanced Editor]] - Has syntax highlighting, auto-formatting and automatic code summary for REXX.
!rowspan=2|Vendor||rowspan=2|Implementation||colspan=4|Operating environment||rowspan=2|Notes
* [[Fast Editor Lite]]
|-
* [[FTE]] - Has support for syntax highlighting, code folding and syntax-aware autoindent. - Open source - Current.
!OS/2||DOS||Win16||Win32
* [[Future Wave Editor]] - macro & syntax support included by default - Shareware - Current.
|-
* [[KEDIT]] - [[XEDIT]] clone - Commercial - Discontinued.
|rowspan=3|IBM||[[Procedures Language 2/REXX]]||X|| || || ||(aka SAA REXX) shipped with OS/2
* [[Preditor/2]] - REXX template with syntax highlighting - Commercial - Discontinued.
|-
* [[SourceLink]] - Commercial - Discontinued - Browser/Editor/Visualiser.
|[[REXXPC88]]|| ||X|| || ||IBM internal (1987/88)
|-
|[[PC DOS REXX]]|| ||X|| || ||introduced with IBM [[PC DOS]] 7
|-
|Quercus||[[Personal REXX]]||X||X||X|| ||Commercial
|-
| ||[[Regina REXX]]||X||X|| || ||Compatible with Classic REXX - Open Source
|-
| ||[[BREXX]]|| ||X|| || ||Open Source
|-
| ||Compact Rexx (CRX)|| ||X|| || ||Open source
|-
|Kilowatt Software||Portable Rexx|| ||X|| || ||Commercial
|-
| ||WinREXX|| || ||X|| ||Commercial
|-
| ||WREXX|| || ||X|| ||Commercial
|}


====Source code browsers, visualisers, analysers and other utilities====
===Text editor support===
* [[Exuberant ctags]] - Creates index files out of REXX source files - Open source - Current.
*[[Boxer]] - Regina, IBM and BREXX support included by default
* [[Pillarsoft Suite]] - Contains a code template tool with REXX support - Shareware - Discontinued
*[[FTE]] - support for syntax highlighting, code folding and syntax-aware autoindent.
* [[REXX/Trans]] - Helps you use REXX as a macro lang. in your app - Open source - Current.
* [[REXX/Wrapper]] - Wraps REXX code into a semi-exe - Open source - Current.
* [[SourceLink]] - Commercial - Discontinued - Browser/Editor/Visualiser.
 
====REXX source code snippets, archives and collections====
Small programs or routines that you can integrate into your own programs or study to learn from, but are not delivered in library form.
* [http://dhost.info/zabrodskyvlada/aat/ Album of Algorithms and Techniques for Standard Rexx]  - [[Vladimir Zabrodsky]]'s collection of REXX code, mostly small snippets.
* [[BuildSOM]] - Creates program and folder objects via [[SOM]].
* [[Get Usenet News Articles Using REXX, Network News Transfer Protocol and Sockets]]
* [[Harold Zbiegien's date algorithms in REXX]]
* [http://www.rexswain.com/b2mmddyy.rex Rex Swain's B2MMDDYY.REX] - Convert Base format date to MM/DD/YYYY
* [[Send Mail to an Email List with REXX, SMTP and Sockets]]
* [http://www.lafn.org/~aw585/txt2html.html txt2HTML] - Converts text files to [[HTML]] files.
* [http://rosettacode.org/mw/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=Walter+Pachl&go=Go Walter Pachl's code on rosettacode.org] - Contains many REXX snippets.
* [[Update Homepage]]
 
====OS/2 applications that can be scripted with REXX====
OS/2 based application that have explicit REXX support, other software that has some sort of scripting support can sometimes be "hijacked" to use REXX as well by shaping the output of your REXX script to what the application expects.
<div style="column-count:3;-moz-column-count:3;-webkit-column-count:3">
* [[Enhanced Editor]] - Text editor.
* [[Embellish]] - Bitmap graphics editing (formerly JoeView)
* [[Future Wave Editor]] - Text editor.
* [[Gnuplot]] - Plotting package.
* [[HyperAccess]] - Communications program
* [[Impos/2]] - Bitmap graphics editing
* [[KEDIT]] - Text editor.
* [[Kermit 95]] - Communications.
* [[Lpex]] - Editor, part of [[VisualAge C++]]
* [[Lotus 1-2-3]]
* [[Mesa 2]] - Spreadsheet.
* [[Photo Graphics Pro]] - Line/pixel graphics
* [[PM-Mail]] - E-Mail program.
* [[SourceLink]] - Source code browser/editor/visualiser.
* [[THE]] - Editor
* [[ZOC]] - Communications program.
</div>
 
==A list of DOS implementations of REXX==
* [[BREXX]] - Open Source - Current
* [[PC DOS REXX]] - Commercial - included in IBM PC DOS versions 7 and higher.
* [http://speleotrove.com/rexxhist/rexxcrx.html Compact Rexx (CRX)] - Open source - Discontinued.
* [[Personal REXX]] - Commercial - Discontinued
* [[Portable Rexx]] - Commercial - Discontinued
* [[Regina REXX]] - Compatible with [[Classic REXX]] -  Open Source - Current
* [[REXXPC88]] - 1987/88 IBM internal
 
====DOS text & programmers editors with REXX support====
* [[Boxer]] - Regina, IBM and BREXX support included by default
* [[FTE]] - Has support for syntax highlighting, code folding and syntax-aware autoindent. - Open source - Current.
 
==A list of REXX implementations that run under WinOS/2==
* [[Object REXX]] - Open source - Win32s version discontinued - IBM versions supported running under Win3x with Win32s.
* [[Personal REXX]] - Commercial - Discontinued
* [[WinREXX]] - Commercial - Discontinued
* [[WREXX]] - Commercial - Discontinued.
 
==A list of REXX implementations that run under Java==
* [[NetRexx]]


==Publications==
==Publications==
For listings of REXX related books and general articles see the [[REXX Bibliography]].
For listings of REXX related books and general articles see the [[REXX Bibliography]].
====Local articles====
* [[Douglas Clark]]: [[Rexx: The King is Alive and Well]]
* [[Dan Bridges]]: [[The Joy of REXX]] - Tutorial and Book review
* [[Roger Orr]]: [[OS/2 Procedures Language - REXX]] - Introductory material
* [[REXX Tips & Tricks:Sources]]
* [[Dave Briccetti]]: [[Sending Mail with REXX]]
* [[OS2 API:REXX]]
* [[Darin McBride]]: [[REXXSEM:The Reference]]
* [[Charles Daney]]: [[Common REXX Pitfalls]]
* [[Charles Daney]]: [[How to Do It in OS/2 REXX]]
* [[Charles Daney]]: [[Advanced REXX Programming Topics]]
* [[Charles Daney]]: [[Solving REXX and OS/2 problems with REXXLIB]]
* [[REXX Tips & Tricks]]
* [[Richard K. Goran]]: [[Introduction to object manipulation in REXX]]
* [[Richard K. Goran]]: [[REXX Components]]
=====Code snippets=====
* [[Stupid OS/2 Tricks/REXX Commands]]
* [http://www.robvanderwoude.com/rexxexamples.php REXX examples from Rob van der Woude's Scripting homepage]
====Tutorials and other learning material====
* Our own introduction and turorial written by [[Roger Orr]]: [[OS/2 Procedures Language - REXX]]
* And a more thorough tutorial called "REXX for Newies" that was written by [[Chris Wenham]]:
** [[REXX for Newies:Part I]] (October 1, 1998)
** [[REXX for Newies:Part II]] (October 16, 1998)
** [[REXX for Newies:Part III]] (November 1, 1998)
** [[REXX for Newies:Part IV]] (November 16, 1998)
** [[REXX for Newies:Part V]] (December 16, 1998)
* [http://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/people/ian.collier/Docs/rexx_info/whole.html Ian Collier's REXX tutorial]
* [http://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/people/ian.collier/Docs/rexx_info/whole.html Ian Collier's REXX tutorial]
* [[Vladimír Zábrodský]]: ''[http://www.os2.cz/en/introduction-rexx-programming-language An Introduction To The REXX Programming Language]'' - From OS/2.cz
* [[Vladimír Zábrodský]]: ''[http://zabrodsky-rexx.byethost18.com/introrexx.html An Introduction To The REXX Programming Language]''
* [[Keith Watts]]: ''[http://www.kilowattsoftware.com/tutorial/rexx/ The Classic REXX tutorial]'' - Teaches the language to "Language Level 4.00 (TRL-2)", that is roughly the same as the SAA REXX shipped with OS/2
* [[Keith Watts]]: ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20181120094832/http://www.kilowattsoftware.com/tutorial/rexx/ The Classic REXX tutorial]'' - Teaches the language to "Language Level 4.00 (TRL-2)", that is roughly the same as the SAA REXX shipped with OS/2
* [http://www.lesbell.com.au/rexxobj.html Using REXX to repair and control the desktop] - From Les Bell and Associates Pty Ltd
* [http://www.kyla.co.uk/other/rexx1.htm REXX: THE LANGUAGE] - Introduction and tutorial by James Barry of Kyla Computing.
 
* Matt Slocum: [http://www.sloky.net/programming/Rexx.rtf Rexx Programming Guide] - Nov 2005
=====Czech language tutorials=====
* [[Vladimír Zábrodský]]: ''[http://dhost.info/zabrodskyvlada/cz_introrexx.html Úvod do programovacího jazyka REXX]'' - Short tutorial introduction to REXX in Czech.
=====Turkish language tutorials=====
* [[Haluk Polat]]: ''[http://dizge24.org/tr/belgeler/rexx/Onsoz.htm REXX Programlama Dili]'' - Published as [[HTML]] pages - 2004 - ISBN 975-96618-2-9
:REXX tutorial in the Turkish language


==Links==
==Links==
* [http://www.rexxla.org The Rexx Language Association]
* [http://www.rexxla.org The Rexx Language Association]
* [http://users.comlab.ox.ac.uk/ian.collier/Rexx/index.html Ian Collier's REXX page]
* [https://erroneousbee.github.io/Computers/RexxStyleGuide.html Style Guide for Rexx]
* [http://www-01.ibm.com/software/awdtools/rexx/ IBM REXX page]
* [http://www.rexx.org Mark Hessling's Home Page] - Lots of Rexx and Regina information and files from the gent behind [[Regina REXX]], including a Rexx manual
* [http://www.lightlink.com/hessling/ Mark Hessling's Home Page] - Lots of Rexx and Regina information and files from the gent behind [[Regina REXX]], including a Rexx manual
* [http://www.spgmbh.de/tipstricks_en.htm Tips & Tricks, Samples] - Material collected by a mainframe REXX programmer and some of it does not apply to OS/2 REXX.
* [http://www.spgmbh.de/tipstricks_en.htm REXX Tips & Tricks] - In English & German, not to be confused with our [[REXX Tips & Tricks]], this is material collected by a mainframe REXX programmer and some of it does not apply to OS/2 REXX.
* [http://cosmosgrammaticus.blogspot.co.uk/ Cosmos Grammaticus] - REXX related blog
* [http://cosmosgrammaticus.blogspot.co.uk/ Cosmos Grammaticus] - REXX related blog


====USENET====
* USENET: [news:comp.lang.rexx comp.lang.REXX]
* [news:comp.lang.rexx comp.lang.REXX] - Surprisingly popular - Go to the [https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/comp.lang.rexx Google groups version] if you are newsgroup challenged.
* [http://www.rexxla.org/forum.html REXX LA forum] - The official [[REXX Language Association]] forum
====Built with REXX====
* [http://www.srehttp.org/ SRE-HTTP] - A web server written primarily in REXX


==Standards==
;Standards
* ANSI standard for Rexx (X3.274), Published in 1996.
* [http://www.rexxla.org/rexxlang/standards/j18pub.pdf ANSI standard for Rexx (X3.274)], published in 1996.
* [https://archive.org/details/ProgrammingLanguageExtendedRexx Extended REXX proposal] - Published in 1998
* [https://archive.org/details/ProgrammingLanguageExtendedRexx Extended REXX proposal] (Nov 1998)


==REXX history==
;Source code snippets, archives and collections
The REXX language was created by Mike Cowlishaw of [[IBM]] Hursley in 1979, initially as a written specification and the first implementation was shipped inside IBM in 1980 and as an external product in 1982.
Small programs or routines that you can integrate into your own programs or study to learn from, but are not delivered in library form.
* [http://zabrodsky-rexx.byethost18.com/aat/ Album of Algorithms and Techniques for Standard Rexx]  - [[Vladimír Zábrodský]]'s collection of REXX code, mostly small snippets.
* [http://mzelden.com/mvsutil.html Mark's MVS Utilities] - While mostly XEDIT and MVS related, there are a few worthwhile REXX programs in there as well.
* [http://pleac.sourceforge.net/pleac_rexx/index.html PLEAC-REXX] - Collection of common REXX routines
* [http://www.robvanderwoude.com/rexxexamples.php REXX examples from Rob van der Woude's Scripting homepage]
* [http://www.rexswain.com/b2mmddyy.rex Rex Swain's B2MMDDYY.REX] - Convert Base format date to MM/DD/YYYY
* [http://www.wpachl.at/Rexx_Programs.html Walter Pachl's REXX code], contains many REXX snippets.


[[Category:Programming Languages]] [[Category:REXX]]
[[Category:Programming Languages]]

Latest revision as of 18:49, 2 April 2025

REXX is an interpreted, procedural structured language that is included with every version of OS/2 EE 1.2 and later, IBM PC-DOS 7.0 and most AmigaOS variants and clones in addition to all current and recent IBM mainframe and minicomputer operating systems.

Although REXX is a generic programming language and can be (and has been) used to construct everything from simple utilities to large business applications, it is primarily used as a scripting or macro language, and as such is unusually easy to learn.

History

The REXX language was created by Mike Cowlishaw in 1979 under VM/CMS. The second implementation (2.00) was used inside IBM in 1980. Language level 3.20 was included in VM/SP Release 3 which was released in 1983.

Third party implementations started appearing in 1985.

In 1987 REXX was chosen to be the Systems Application Architecture (SAA) procedural language.

In 1989 the first version of IBM CMS REXX Compiler was released.

Object REXX is a different language that has been given object-oriented extensions modelled on those present in Smalltalk. While it is mostly compatible with Classic REXX there are some minor differences. It means that some REXX programs have to be modified to run correctly under Object REXX.

Amiga REXX is a clone of IBM's Classic REXX that has extensions to help its use as a mechanism for application to application and/or inter-application communication, Regina REXX supports those extensions.

Implementations

Vendor Implementation Operating environment Notes
OS/2 DOS Win16 Win32
IBM Procedures Language 2/REXX X (aka SAA REXX) shipped with OS/2
REXXPC88 X IBM internal (1987/88)
PC DOS REXX X introduced with IBM PC DOS 7
Quercus Personal REXX X X X Commercial
Regina REXX X X Compatible with Classic REXX - Open Source
BREXX X Open Source
Compact Rexx (CRX) X Open source
Kilowatt Software Portable Rexx X Commercial
WinREXX X Commercial
WREXX X Commercial

Text editor support

  • Boxer - Regina, IBM and BREXX support included by default
  • FTE - support for syntax highlighting, code folding and syntax-aware autoindent.

Publications

For listings of REXX related books and general articles see the REXX Bibliography.

Links

Standards
Source code snippets, archives and collections

Small programs or routines that you can integrate into your own programs or study to learn from, but are not delivered in library form.

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