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REXX Bibliography

From EDM2

This is a somewhat incomplete bibliography of printed and electronic REXX textural materials, for more currently available electronic materials see the main REXX page.

Classic REXX

A Practical Approach to Programming the Rexx Language

By Michael F. Cowlishaw

aka The REXX Language: A Practical Approach to Programming
Publisher: Prentice-Hall 1985
Format: Hardcover
ISBN 0-13-780735-X
ASIN: B010EX9QCU
Status: Out of print, second edition below is in print

Abstract/introduction available here: A Practical Approach to Programming the Rexx Language

The REXX Language: A Practical Approach to Programming
Second Edition of the above
Format: Softcover
Publisher: Prentice-Hall
Date of publication: March the second, 1990
ISBN 0-13-780651-5
ISBN 978-0137806515
Status: In print

Updated version of the above book and pretty much used as a reference to the language.

REXX言語入門―プログラミングへの実践的アプローチ
aka Rekkusu gengo nyumon: puroguraminguhe no jissenteki apurochi
Japanese translation of the first edition of the above book
Translators: Yoichi Muraoka and Koji Shibano
Publisher: 近代科学社
Date of publication: December 1987
ISBN 4-7649-0136-6
ISBN 978-4764901360
Die Programmiersprache REXX
German translation of the first edition of the above book
Publisher:Hanser 1988
ISBN 3-446-15195-8

Rexx Programmer's Reference

by Howard Fosdick

Publisher: Wrox 2005
Format: Paperback, 720 pages
Date of publication: March 11. 2005
ISBN 0-7645-7996-7
ISBN 978-0764579967
Satus: Out of print, but PDF version available.

This book has now been made available as a free download from the REXX Language Association. Note that although the first seven or so chapters of the book contain a REXX tutorial it is unstructured and while a beginner might be able to learn the language from it, it is less than ideal. An intermediate user will get more from this book than a beginner, unless he has another REXX tutorial to go with it.

Mastering OS/2 Rexx

By Gabriel F. Gargiulo

Format: Paperback, 430 pages
Publisher: Tarquin Publications
Date of publication: 1 Dec, 1993
ISBN 0894354493
ISBN 978-0894354496
Mastering OS/2 Rexx (Revised edition)
Publisher: Wiley/QED
Format: Paperback, 440 pages
Date of publication: 16 Feb 1994
ISBN 9780471519010
ISBN 0-471-51901-4

Rexx With OS/2, TSO & CMS Features

By Gabriel F. Gargiulo

Full title:Rexx With OS/2, TSO & CMS Features - Quick Reference Guide (Mainframe Technical Series)
Publisher: Mvs Training 1999
ISBN 1-892559-03-X

Teach Yourself REXX in 21 Days

By William F. Schindler & Esther Schindler

Publisher: Sams, 1994
Format: Paperback, 600 pages
Date of publication: July 1994
ISBN 0-672-30529-1
ISBN 978-0672305290
Down to Earth REXX

By William F. Schindler

Publisher: Poisoned Pen/Perfect Niche Publishing
Format: Paperback, 528 pages
Date of publication: May 2000
ISBN 0-9677590-0-5
ISBN 978-0967759005

"Down to Earth REXX" is an updated version of "Teach Yourself REXX in 21 Days" above.

The Rexx Cookbook

By Merrill Callaway

Full title: The Rexx Cookbook: A Tutorial Guide to the Rexx Language in OS/2 Warp on the IBM Personal Computer
Publisher: Whitestone
Date of publication: April 1995
Format: Paperback
ISBN 0-9632773-4-0
ISBN 978-0963277343

One of the few OS/2 specific REXX books out there, it appears that the publisher never got a distributors agreement outside of the USA, so only turned up in specialist shops as an expensive import, making it hard to come by and expensive when it shows up on the second hand market.

Modern Programming Using REXX

By Robert P. O'Hara and David Ross Gomberg

Publisher: Prentice Hall
Format: Hardcover, 194 pages
Date of publication: March 1985
ISBN 0135973112
ISBN 978-0135973110
Status: Out of print
Modern Programming Using REXX (Revised edition)
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Format: Paperback, 240 pages
Date of publication: February 1988
ISBN 0-13-597329-5
ISBN: 978-0135973295
Status: Out of print

Updated version of the above

Application Development Using OS/2 Rexx

By Anthony S. Rudd

Publisher: Wiley/QED
Format: Paperback, 416 pages
Date of publication: February 16th, 1994
ISBN 0-471-60691-X
ISBN 978-0471606918
Status: Out of Print

Practical Usage of REXX

By Anthony S. Rudd

Full title: 'Practical Usage of REXX (Ellis Horwood Series in Computers and Their Applications)
Publisher: Ellis Horwood Ltd.
Format: Hardcover, 204 pages
Date pf publication: First of August 1990
ISBN 0-13-682790-X
ISBN-13: 978-0136827900
Status: Out of Print

Updated version specifically covering mainframe REXX is available as #Practical Usage of TSO REXX

Writing OS/2 REXX Programs

By Ronny Richardson

Full title: IBM McGraw-Hill Series: Writing OS/2 REXX Programs
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Format: Paperback, 400 pages, came with examples on a floppy.
Date of publication: June 1994
ISBN 007052372X
ISBN 978-0070523722

Writing Vx-Rexx Programs

By Ronny Richardson

Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill
Format: Paperback, 336 pages + CD-ROM
Date of publication: November 1994
ISBN 0079119115
ISBN 978-0079119117
Status: Out of Print

Rexx Reference Summary Handbook

By Richard K. Goran

Publisher: CFS Nevada
Format: Ring-bound
Date of publication: August 1993.
ISBN: 0963985434
ISBN: 978-0963985439
Reviews
Carsten Whimster: REXX Reference Summary Handbook Book Review
Rexx Reference Summary Handbook - Second Edition
Publisher: CFS Nevada
Format: Paperback
Date of publication: March 1994
ISBN 096398540X ??
ISBN 0-9639854-1-8
ISBN 978-0963985408

Updated version of the above book. The fourth edition of the book is available as a free download, see REXX Reference Summary Handbook.

Rexx Language: Special Edition

By William Mansfield

Publisher: Prentice Hall
Format: Paperback
Date of publication: 1 January, 1990
ISBN 0137790678
ISBN 978-0137790678

OS/2 2.1 REXX Handbook

By Hallett German

Full title: OS/2 2.1 REXX Handbook: Basics, Applications and Tips
Publisher: Van Nostrand Reinhold
Date of publication: 1993
ISBN 0-442-01734-0
OS/2 2.1 REXX Handbook (New edition)
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Format: Paperback, 352 pages
Date of publication: 1 October, 1993
ISBN 0471131326
ISBN 978-0471131328

REXX: Advanced Techniques for Programmers

By Peter C. Kiesel

Full title: REXX: Advanced Techniques for Programmers (J. Ranade IBM Series)
Publisher: McGraw-Hill.
Date of publication: September, 1992
Format: Hardcover, 239 pages
ISBN 0070346003
ISBN 978-0070346000
Status: Out of print.

Programming in REXX

By Charles Daney

Full title:Programming in REXX (J. Ranade IBM Series)
Publisher: McGraw-Hill, 1990
Format: Hardcover: 299 pages
ISBN 0-07-015305-1
ISBN 978-0070153059
Status: Out of print.

This books leaves out most system specifics so it is suitable for any "Classic" REXX environment.

The Rexx Handbook

By Gabriel Goldberg and Philip H. Smith

Full title:The Rexx Handbook (J. Ranade IBM Series)
Publisher:Mcgraw-Hill
Format: Hardcover, 646 pages
Date of publication: February 1992.
ISBN 0070236828
ISBN 978-0070236820

Classic REXX books in German

  • Wolek: Das Rexx-Buch für OS/2 - Markt & Technik 1996, ISBN 3-87791-785-2
  • Karlheinz Wittemann; Stefan Gerten: REXX unter OS/2 – Hanser 1996, ISBN 3-446-18508-9
  • Gerhard Leibrock: Das REXX-Lexikon: Begriffe, Anweisungen, Funktionen - Oldenbourg 1996, ISBN 3-486-23672-5

See also: #Die Programmiersprache REXX

Classic REXX papers, articles and presentations

Introduction to the OS/2 1.2EE version of REXX, the published paper contains only the slides shown during the talk and not notes or transcript of the talk..
Details the basic outline of the history of REXX and provides some details on REXX 4, which is basically the same level as is included with the OS/2 REXX.
Introductinary article rather than a history one as the title might suggest
Discusses a few plusses and minuses in the OS/2 1.3 version of REXX.
The published paper contains only the slides shown during the talk and not notes or transcript of the talk.
Discusses REXX on OS/2 1.2EE, MVS and VM and the differences between them and the different tasks they handle.
Discusses using Pro*REXX with the Oracle Database
Discusses problems and inconsistencies in the REXX 4 specification Mr Daney found when he was developing Personal REXX
Very short (one page) presentation slides to introduce REXXLIB, the paper does not feature notes or transcript of the talk given.
Presentation of the extensions offered in Personal REXX and some of the functions that turned up in Quercus Systems REXLIB.
REXX on Android

Object REXX

Object-oriented Programming with REXX

By Tom Ender

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Format: Paperback with an accompanying diskette, 272 pages.
Date of publication: 30 January, 1997
ISBN 0471118443
ISBN 978-047111844
Status: Out of print

Object Rexx for OS/2 Warp

By Ueli Wahli, Trevor Turton, Eddie Griborn & Norio Furukawa

Publisher: Prentice Hall
Format: Paperback, 350 pages
Date of publication: 1 November, 1996.
ISBN 0-13-273467-2
ISBN 978-0132734677
Status: Out of print

See also #Rexx Programmer's Reference, but it contains quite a lot of Object REXX info.

Object REXX papers, presentations and articles

Contains only the slides shown during the talk and not notes or transcript of the talk, but they are interesting as they show an early version of Object REXX.

Mainframe REXX

The REXX Language on TSO

By Gabriel F. Gargiulo

Publisher: Gabriel F. Gargiulo
Format: Paperback, 210 pages
Date of publication: August the 19th, 2012
ISBN-10: 1479104779
ISBN 978-1479104772
Status: In print

More info on the book from the author can be found here

The REXX Language on TSO:REXX Functions

By Gabriel F. Gargiulo

Publisher: Gabriel F. Gargiulo
Format: Paperback, 124 pages
Date of publication: July the 13th, 2013
ISBN 1490536078
ISBN 978-1490536071
Status: In print

A companion to the above book, describes available functions on TSO/E REXX.

Practical Usage of TSO REXX

By Anthony S. Rudd

Full title: Practical Usage of TSO REXX; Third revised edition.
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Format: Paperback, 360 pages
Date of publication: January the first, 2000
ISBN 1852332611
ISBN 978-1852332617
Status: In print

Updated version of #Practical Usage of MVS REXX below.

Practical Usage of MVS REXX

By Anthony S. Rudd

Full title: Practical Usage of MVS REXX; Second revised edition.
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Format: Paperback, 328 pages
Date of publication: January the first, 1996
ISBN 3540199527
ISBN 978-3540199526
Status: In print

Updated version of #Practical Usage of REXX.

MVS TSO PART2: Commands, CLIST, and REXX

By Doug Lowe

Full title: MVS TSO PART2: Commands, CLIST, and REXX: Commands and Procedures Part 2; 2Rev Ed edition
Publisher: Mike Murach & Associates/Murach Books
Format: Paperback, 450 pages
Date of publication: 1 December, 1991
ISBN 0911625577
ISBN 978-0911625578
Status: In print

More info can be had from the publisher here.

REXX Tools and Techniques

By Barry K. Nirmal

Full Title: REXX Tools and Techniques:QED IBM Mainframe Series
Publisher: Wiley/QED
Format: Paperback, 264 pages
Date of publication: September 24, 1993
ISBN 0471585599
ISBN 978-0471585596
Status: Out of print

Mastering Rexx Execs and Utilities for MVS and Other Systems

By Barry K. Nirmal

Full Title: Mastering Rexx Execs and Utilities for MVS and Other Systems:QED IBM Mainframe Series: Second edition
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons/QED
Format: Paperback, 324 pages
Date of publication: July 4, 1992
ISBN 0894354175
ISBN 978-0894354175
Status: Out of print

VSE/ESA REXX/VSE

IBM Manuals

Note some of these manuals have REXX content but are not REXX manuals per se.

  • VSE/ESA REXX/VSE Reference, SC33-6642
  • VSE/ESA REXX/VSE User's Guide, SC33-6641
  • VSE/ESA System Control Statements, SC33-6613
  • VSE/POWER Administration and Operation, SC33-6633
  • VSE/ESA Guide to System Functions, SC33-6611
  • VSE/ESA Library Guide, GC33-6619
  • VSE/ESA Messages and Codes, SC33-6607
  • VSE/ESA Guide for Solving Problems, SC33-6610
  • VSE/ESA Diagnosis Tools, SC33-6614
  • SAA Common Programming Interface REXX Level 2 Reference, SC24-5549
  • VM/IS: Writing Simple Programs with REXX, SC24-5357
Intended for users with little or no experience in computer programming or programming in REXX
  • TSO/E Version 2 REXX/MVS: User's Guide, SC28-1882
  • TSO/E Version 2 Procedures Language MVS/REXX, SC28-1883
  • VM/SP System Product Interpreter: User's Guide, SC24-5238
  • VM/SP System Product Interpreter: Reference, SC24-5239
  • VM/XASP Interpreter: User's Guide, SC23-0375
  • VM/XASP Interpreter: Reference, SC23-0374
  • VM/ESA REXX/VM: User's Guide, SC24-5465
  • VM/ESA REXX/VM: Reference, SC24-5466
  • IBM VSE/Enterprise Systems Architecture REXX/VSE Reference, SC33-6529
"For experienced programmers, particularly those who have used a structured high-level language. It lists the REXX messages and describes instructions, functions, debugging aids, and parsing".
  • Systems Application Architecture Common Programming Interface: REXX Level 2 Reference, SC24-5549
Describes the SAA REXX interface.
IBM Compiler and Library for SAA REXX/370 Release 2
  • IBM Compiler and Library for SAA REXX/370 Release 2: Introducing the Next Step in REXX Programming, G511-1430
A introduction to the system for "managers and data processing professionals" to help them evaluate the "IBM Compiler and Library for SAA REXX/370" rather than a manual per se. "Provides general information about the features and benefits of the IBM Compiler and Library for SAA REXX/370 and the system resources required to run it".
  • IBM Compiler and Library for SAA REXX/370 Release 2 User's Guide and Reference, SH19-8160
  • IBM Compiler and Library for SAA REXX 370 Release 2 Diagnosis Guide, SH19-8179.
Intended for system programmers rather than normal end users."It explains how to diagnose suspected errors in the product and how to report them to the appropriate IBM personnel".

All or most of the "IBM Compiler and Library for SAA REXX/370 Release 2" publications listed above were also available on the following CD-ROM's:

  • IBM Online Library MVSCollection CD-ROM, SK2T-0710
  • IBM Online Library MVSCollection CD-ROM, SK2T-2067
  • IBM Online Library MVSCollection CD-ROM, SK2T-0060

Mainframe REXX papers, articles and presentations

Discusses the background then new CMS REXX Compiler and where and when to deploy it.
Discusses problematic issues that face the language when it comes to input/output and interfacing with its environment.
Discusses REXX on OS/2 1.2EE, MVS and VM and the differences between them and the different tasks they handle.

Additional publications

  • For texts relating to REXX/Curses see the main REXX/Curses page.
  • For texts relating to REXX/SQL see the main REXX/SQL page.
  • For texts relating to REXX/DW see the main REXX/DW page.
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