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Document:	DIBOL Programming Example
Order Number:	DEC-08-WDIA-D
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...........

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e

DIBOL
Programming Example

DEC-08-WDIA-D

PDP-8/1
DIBOL
PROGRAMMlt'1G EXAMPLE

DIGITAL

EQUIPMENT

CORPORATION • MAYNARD, MASSACHUSETTS

DIBOL
TABLE

EXAMPLE
CONTENTS
Page No.
1

INTRODUCTION

II.

SYSTEM FLOW CHART

2-3

III.

FILE DEFINITIONS

IV.

DESIGN OF INPUT TRANSACTION

GENERALIZED INPUT FACILITY

6-13

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Data Field Statement (A Lines)
Output Statement (B&C Lines)
Input Statement (D&E Lines)
Output Devices (F Lines)
Sununary

SORT

14-17

VII.

STOCK STATUS PROGRAM

18-23

VIII.

STOCK STATUS REPORT

FILE MAINTENANCE-GENERALIZED UPDATE FACILITY

25-32

VI.

IX.

1)
2)
3)
4)

Update control
Input Data Record
Update Sort
Update Report (Audit Trial)

APPENDIX

-1-

INTRODUCTION

This document gives a detailed description of an inventory
control system using the DIBOL language and the DIBOL data
management facilities.
The data management facilities described are:
1)

Generalized Input

SORT

Generalized Update

The appendix to this document contains additional information
on the components of the DIBOL Software System.

It is suggested

that you review the Appendix before continuing with this
example.

All the necessary steps required for a commercial application
are contained in this description.

-2-

II.

SYSTEM FLOW CHART
The first step is to lay out the system flowchart.

This

establishes the sequence of operation, the various uses of input
and output files and the reports generated.
The system flow chart for this inventory system is:

I(-·--------------d
Inventory

~~a~~-i~.

rGeneraliz d
Input

ITransactionj
! Listing j
~--

Transactio
Listing

eneralized
Update
Input

Inpub.
Trans-\
action ;

,_p·1 e_]j

__s_o_R.--T_ _

Stock
Status
I~
Report __.J
..---

Update

..:Rep[_J·rt
Audit
.'···-...
Trial
__

-3-

The Stock Status Program is the only user created program.
All other programs are part of the Data Management Facility
and the user need only to define the parameters.

The first step in the flowchart is the data capture phase.
It
uses the generalized input to convert inventory transactions
(receipts, orders, and amount used) to individual records
on DECtape, and also produces a proof listing of all input
transactions. The second step sorts these transactions into
inventory master order. Finally, the third steps runs the
sorted inventory transactions against the old master and creates
a new inventory master file.
In addition, a stock statup
print-out is generated showing current activity and year-to-date
totals.

In the case of maintenance transactions, the generalized update
input converts the maintenance transactions (changes,
insertions, deletions) to individual records on DECtape,
while also generating a proof listing. The ~econd step
sorts these transactions into inventory master file order.
The third step, runs the sorted updated transactions against
the old master, and creates a new inventory master file.
In addition, an update report (audit trail) is generated
showing the old inventory item value and its new value after
upaa'ting.

-4-

III.

FILE DEFINITIONS
After the flowchart has been designed, the content and format
of all of the DECtape files must be precisely defined.
In the case
of this example, there are two files - the inventory master
and the transaction file.
The formats are:
Inventory Master

Field
Number
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Description
Commodity Identification
Description
Number on Hand
Number on Order
Number Used Year-to-Date
Minimum Balance
Unit Cost

Size
Decimal
Alpha
Decimal
Decimal
Decimal
Decimal
Decimal

16
4
4
4
4
6

42/Each inventory
record is 42
characters long
There is one inventory master record for each item stocked. The
record contains a commodity identification number, a description
of the item, the number on hand, the number on order, the number
that has been used, a minimum balance and a unit cost. These are
referred to as fields within the record.
Transaction File

Field
Number
1
2
3

Description
Commodity Identification
*Key
Amount
*Key:

1 = order
2 = receipt
3 = use

Size
Decimal
Decimal
Decimal

4
1
3

8/Each input
transaction is 8
characters long

There are three types of transactions. An "order" means an increase
to the number on order. A receipt means an increase to the number
on hand and a corresponding decrease to the number on order.
Finally a "use" transaction means a decrease to the number on hand.
Each transaction record contains a commodity identification, the key
indicating transaction type and the number of items affected for
that commodity.

-5IV.

DESIGN OF INPUT TRANSACTION
The next step is to design the input transactions~ In this case,
order, receipt and use are referred to as commands.For this
application, the input format is: the command, followed by the
commodity identification, followed by the amount.
The command
will indicate the transaction type. The commodity identification
refers to the appropriate record in the inventory master. Finally,
the amount indicates the number of units ordered, received, or used.
An example of the input might be:
e
ID
Amount)
*ORDER
13
20
I
ORDER
30
50
49
50
ORDER
22
26
*REC PT
23
20
REC PT
28
50
REC PT
50
90
REC PT
Punched on paper
tape or cards.
20
5
*USE
USE
15
1
USE
14
1
22
USE
7
22
USE
10
USE
11
4
34
USE
3
35
USE
11
19
USE
15
USE
47
17

*These transactions specify that 20 units of item 13 were ordered,
26 units of item 22 were received, and item 20 was used five
times.

-6V.

GENERALIZED INPUT FACILITY
The Generalized Input Facility provides an easy means for
capturing, editing and translating data which will later be used
to update the master file.
Once the transaction inputs have been created, the Generalized
Input Control will read the transaction items as defined, convert
them to the proper DECtape format, and perform careful error
checking. The procedure for the Generalized Input is:
First, the Generalized Input Program from the subsystem tape is
loaded into memory by the Monitor.
This program enables the
computer to read in the Generalized Input Control and the transaction data; Second, the Generalized Input control is read from
paper tape, card reader, or magtape (DECtape), which describes the inpui
and output record formats; Third, the transaction paper tape is
read in and converted to DECtape.
There may be any number of paper
tapes, each ending with a $ carriage return. After the paper tape
has been read the teletype will write an asterisk.
The user
responds with a carriage return after loading the next paper tape
or with an N followed by a carriage return at the end of the input.
The Generalized Input Control facility requires the following
information:
1.

Definition of all data field, both input and output.

Definition of each output record stating which fields the
record contains, their order and the output device
(normally DECtape) .

Definition of each input record stating which fields
the record contains, their order of occurrence (if they
are required) and a replacement or alternate field.

A summary of the output devices.

This information is recorded on a series of statements or lines,
with each unique statement assigned a letter from A through F.
The Generalize input control must follow this indicated sequence;
i.e., A,B-C,D-E,F.

-7In our Inventory Control problem the Generalized Input Control
is:

A
A
A
A
A

2
3
4

1
1
1
1

,.L

.i.

c
c

1
3

c
c
c
B

4
3
1
1
1

Definition of Data Fields

1
2
3

Definition of Output Record
(Order)

1
1
4

Definition of Output Record
(Recpt)

c
c

1
1
5

I
I
I

Definition of Output Record
(Use)

~---;;~;;-~----:-----;-\'
E

RECPT 2
1

E
E
D

E
E

USE

Definition of Input Record

1
1

1
2

1
1

Definition of Input Record
'

I
---------------------1
F
1
1
l-

~~~~~~~~~~~~-l

Summary of Output Devices

Let's examine each line in detail to understand the parameters.
1.

Data F ield--Statement( A l_ines)
Each Field is assigned a number, and defined as to size
(number of characters) and type (alphanumeric or decimal).
If a field is used as both input and output, it need be
defined only once. A field may be input only, output
only or both input and output. For the output only field,
an option is available to initialize the field with a
constant.

-8The A statement format is:
<field Numbe:r;>

<§onstan9

Field Number-- a one or two digit number
Type-~=Alpha, l=Decimal
Any one or two digit number
Size-Constant-Any value up to 30 alphanumeric
characters or 15 decimal digits
long. The constant must be consistent
with the field type and with.an alpha
constant enclosed in quotes. This
value may be changed by some command
received later.
In our inventory example, the input and output formats are defined
as:
Input
Field #
(3,or 4,or 5)
( 1)
(2)

DescriEtion
Transaction Key
Commodity ID
Amount

Type
Size
Dl
D4
D3

Output
Field #
DescriEtion
(1)
Commodity ID
(3,4,or 5) Transaction Key
(2)
Amount

Type
Size
D4
Dl
D3

The Data Fields would then be:

~
......f

'°'
s::

~
s::
::s

'fl

A
A
A

1
2
3

1
1
1

4
3
1

A
A

4
5

1
1

OutEut Statements (B & c lines)

·r-1

~
~

..µ

s::

/field 1 is a decimal number 4 characters lon

l(order)

/field 3 is a decimal number 1 character long
with an initial constant value of one at the
beginning of the run (remember values 1,2,3,
ref er to transaction key order, receipt, and
use, respectively) •
2 (receipt)
3 (use)

Each output record is assigned a record number, a device or
file number, and the fields (in order) which make up the
record. Each record may be written to a different device,
or multiple records may be written on the same device.

-9-

The B statement format is:
B

4-ecord numbey
~ile nurnbei)
Record number-- any two digit number which is referenced by
an input statement. (D line)
File Number-any one digit number which is assigned to an
output file.
Output files are normally
DECtapes 1-4.

The C statement format is:
~ield numbe~

Field Nurnber-- any number previously assigned in an A
statement.
In our example:
B

c
c
c
B

3
2

c
c
c
B

/output record for the input command ORDER (1), on
DECtape #1.
The following C lines describe the output
format.
/data field 1, commodity ID
/data field 3, transaction key 1, ORDER
/data field 2, amount
/output record for the input command RECPT (2) on
DECtape #1.

1
4
2

/output record for the input command USE (3) on DECtape

#1.

c
c
c
3.

1
5
2

Input Statements

(D & E lines)

Each input record contains a transaction code or command,
the fields (in order) which comprise the record, if they are
required, and the options for field substitutions. Additionally,
the output record number for the· transaction is identified.
Options
allow sequence counts to be kept, fields to be cleared before output,
and indicators to be set which discloses the presence of a field.
This last option is useful when a legal value for the field is
zero.
The D & E statement formats are:
D

<:Transaction Code:> ~utput Recorct> ~ero Field)> <fncrement)i
or Command
Number
Field
Transaction Code-- --up to a 6 character code or command
Output Record Number-any one or two digit number that has
previously been defined by a B statement.
The B statement describes the output

-10-

Output Re~ord Number-format for this input command. This
(continued)
number may be zero which indicates
this transaction is not to be written
out. This can be used to initial
fields via input data.
Ze~o Field-If this parameter contains a number
other than zero, it refers to a field
number as defined in an A statement.
This field will be set to zero prior
to writing out the record.
Increment Field-If this parameter contains a number
other than zero, it refers to a field
number as defined in an A statement.
This field must be decimal and it
is incremented by one each time the
transaction code or command is
encountered. This is useful as a
sequence number or counter, e.g.
invoice numbering.
E

<field>
Number

~ecessar:i>

Switch

Field Number--

Necessary Switch-

Present Field--

<(present>
Field

<Pefault>
Field

Any two digit number which refers
to a field previously defined by
an A statement.
A one digit number which has a value
of zero or one. Zero indicates the
field is optional; (i.e., it may
or may not be present) . One indicates
the field is required. When required,
if the field is missing from the input
record, it is flagged as an error;
e.g. in a payroll program, the input
must contain the employee's name.
A one or two digit number which
refers to a field, previous defined
by an A statement. This is used in
conjunction with the necessary switch.
If the necessary switch is zero, theh
the field referenced by the present
switch is set to one when the field
is found on the input record and set to
zero when the field is missing. The
field referenced by the present field
must be defined as decimal t (Dl) •· In
our inventory example the present field
was set to zero. See end of this
section for a detailed explanation of
the present field.

Default Field--

-11A one or two digit number which refers tc
a field previously defined by an A
statement. This is used in conjunction
with the necessary switch.
If the
necessary switch is set to zero,
(indicating an optional field) and
the default field is non-zero, then
the field referenced (by the default
field) is substituted when the input
field is missing. The fields must
be the same size= For example,
E 3 O O 5 says if field 3 data
is missing, substitute
field 5 in its place.

Note, only the present field or the default. field may be
used. They cannot be used together, and they may be used only
when the necessary switch is zero.
In our example, the D & E lines are:
D

ORDER

E
E

.1.

REC PT

E
E

D
E
E

2
1

·2
USE

l
1

/Every time there is a transaction
ORDER input it will be outputted
according to Bl
/Item number-must be present
/Amount--must be present

1
1

1
2

1
1

DETAILED EXPLANATION OF
PRESENT FIELD
In order to give you a better understanding of the usage of the
present field, another example might be helpful. Suppose we
had a billing operation in which there could be price overrides.
The inputs to this example would be:
Commodity ID,
# shipped, and
price override (if present) .
The output would be:
Commodity ID,
# shipped,
price override present (yes/no)
price override

-12The Generalized Input Control for this example would
be:

Data
Fields

A
A

1
2
3
4

0
1
1
1

c
c
c
c

Output
Records

D
Input
Records

/Commodity ID
/# Shipped
/price present
/price override

4
1
6

/output the input command 1 on DECtape 1

1
2
3
4

E
E
E

/output this input transaction I
according to Bl

1
2
4

1
1
0

/Commodity ID-required
/# shipped-required
/override price not_required but,if
present, Set A3 to 1 and use
override price (special price) of
A4.
If override price not. present
the A3 would be zero and the price
on the commodity master would be
used.
In this manner, a special
price to customers may be recorded.

Summary of Output Devices (F line)
F statement defines file specifications. This simply indicates
the number of different DECtapes· specified as the file number on
all the B lines. The format is:
F

In our inventory example:
F

/says ..total number of one file, on
DECtape #1

-13Now, let's put all of these statements back together in our
Generalized Input Control to see the entire operation.
A
A
A

1
1

4
3
1

c
B

c
c

l
4

c
c
c
D

1
5
2

ORDER

1
1

E
D
E
E

T:"I

/Output record for the input command 3
on DECtape #1

E
E

/Data Field for commodity number,4 digitE
/Data field for amount, 3 digits
/Data field for order transaction key,
constant of 1
/Data Field for receipt transaction key,
constant of 2
/Data Field for use transaction key,
constant of 3
/Output record for the input command 1
(ORDER) on DECtape #1
/(Output format) field 1-item nurr~er
field 3-order key
field 2-amount
/Output record for the input command 2
(RECPT) on DECtape #1

REC PT

USE

J..

2
1
2
3
1
2

1
1

/Input transaction record ORDER to be
outputted according to Bl
/Input item number--required
/Input Amount--required

1
1

l
1

..L.

/Total number of files 1, on DECtape #1

As each transaction is read by the Generalized Input program,
it is listed and any transactions in error will have an
error message printed to tbe left. Only valid transactio~s
are written on the output tape.
From the transaction input, i.e.,, USE 20 5, this would be
outputted on DECtape 1 as:
20
3
(use key)
5
This would be continued for all valid in:pu

l:r.ansactions.

-14VI.

SORT
The sort package allows the user to arrange a data file in any
specified order. The user defines the records to be sorted and
gives "sort keys" within the record. The sort run is a two or
three phase process, depending on the number of input DECtape
files.
The system's tape contains the programs for sort phase 1,
sort phase 2, and sort phase 3. Each program enables the system
to perform specific sort operating instructions. These programs
are called into core by the DIBOL monitor. The user must create
the sort control program defining the sort parameters.
The three phases of the sort operation follow:
The first phase is an internal sort.
It reads in a predetermined
number of records from the input file, sorts them as specified
by the sort control, and writes them out on DECtape #3. This
operation is continued until the end of the input DECtape.
The output from Phase I will contain a string of sorted subfiles
on DECtape 3. The number of input DECtapes will normally
equal the number of output DECtapes after Phase I.
In the
case of a single reel input, the Phase I output will be a
single subfile.
In the case of multi-reel inputs, when
an output subfile is filled, the operator is requested to
take it down and put up a new tape for the next Phase I
output subfile.
Phase II then uses a multi-phase merge to sort each output
from Phase I; i.e., strings of sorted subfiles so that only
one sorted string remains.
Phase II requires the use of all
four DECtapes. Phase II must be run as many times as there
are output files from Phase I.
The Phase III sort is used only in the case of multi-reel files.
Phase III merges the Phase II outputs into a single multi-reel
output file.
(Phase III is not required if there is only. one
output subfile from Phase I) .
If there are 2 input files (DECtapes), then there would be
2 output files (DECtapes) after Phase I; each containing
strings of sorted subfiles. Each output file would then be
individually sorted (sort strings of subfiles into one)
so that after Phase II there are two files, each on DECtape
and each separately sorted. However, this still means there
are two sorted subfiles. Phase III will merge the two sorted
subfiles into one sorted file.

-15-

has the following process chart:

'
'

DTA3

- Perform this operation
only if 2 input files
\.
(DECtapes)

DTA3

sort
phase II

I
DTA2
or
DTA4

DTAl

DTA2

DTA3

DTA2
or
DTA4

sort
phase III

I
/

\
'"

(output)
file j

DTA4
/
'-~;-::
.
In our inventory
exampie, now -that/ the transactions
are converte d
from input format to DECtape format, vou need to sort them into
the order of the inventory masten.that is by commodity identification.To
do so, order the records in· the ascending, order of the first four
characters (commodity identification). The sort control for this is
simply:
first linE
¢¢518¢¢1¢1¢5¢
sec. line
¢¢2¢2¢¢
(Punched on paper tape, cards
s
or magnetic tape)

The first line (13 characters) defines the sort keys. The
second line (7 characters) defines the record (sort field} to be
sorted, and its position on the DECtape file.
In our example the
sort field is by commodity identification. Let's examine what
each character means:

-161-3

(005)

/Record input size in words
to calculate the size of the input record in words,
add 1 to the record character length divided by 2 (drop
any remainder) plus 1.
In our example the transaction
input record is 8 characters long7 i.e., commodity
ID, key, and amount (refer to transaction file)
8 + 1 = 9
2= 4 + l= 5 (coded as 005)

4-7 (1800) /Internal Sort Buffer Size
Must be a multiple of record size in words and less
than 2000.
One normally chooses this number as large
as possible in order to sort as many records
internally in Phase I. (There is no common practice
for determining this buffer size, it is dependent on the
record size)
1800= (5 x 360 a constant)
8

(1)

Number of sort fields
(If two sort fields are contiguous, they are considered
as 1) .
In our example there is only one sort field-commodity identification.

9-12

(0105) /Number of Blocks per DECtape
This field times the size of the internal sort buffer
must be less than 190,000 (words per DECtape). This
is calculated by dividing internal sort buffer into
190,000
190, 000 ~
... 1800= 105 (coded as 0105)

(0)

/Phase 2 Input Save Switch
If the input from Phase 2 should be saved, Code 17
If not, Code 0. Sort coded 0 will write over the input
to Phase 2. Normally this field is 0 and the input
tapes to Phase 2 are written over as part of the
multiphase merge.

SECOND LINE

(One for each sort field)

7 charactersll 2 314 51617
.olo l1_ol2_0_0

1-3 (OOl)Beginning Location of field on the DECtape file
First position of field+
2 (drop remainder)
In our example commodity ID begins in Position 1
(See Transaction file)

i-:-

l+l~

4-5

2=1

(02)Number of words spanned
The formula for calculating words spanned is
dependent on the beginning position of the field
on the DECtape file, i.e., even or odd, and the
number of characters in the field, again even or
odd. The formula for words spanned is:

-17Beginning Position

# of Characters

Calculation

in Field
Even
Even
Odd
Odd

Even
Odd
Odd
Even

# of Characters : 2+1

=
=

# ,....-i= Characters : 2+1
# of Characters~ 2+1

# of C'l?-aracters+ 2
(all remainders are
dropped)

\J.1-

In our example Commodity ID begins in Position 1, and is
four characters long
4 -;- 2=2 (Odd,Even)
6

(0)

/First word switch
If final character of sort key is even, code as l; if
odd, code 0 (it's odd in our example, it starts in
Position 1)
/Last word switch
If ending position for sort key is odd, code as
l; if even, code 0.
In our example commodity ID
ends in Position 4 (4 characters)

VII.

STOCK STATUS PROGRAM

The major portion of this application is the user created program which updates the inventory
master and prints the stock status report.
This program consists of only 164 DIBOL
statements, of which 80 are executable. The other 84 statements are used to define
the various data elements.
The program is:

START
BLOCK M

;X¢\1l3 - DEMO UPD +
Ml,
M2,
M3,
M4,
M5,
M6,
M7,

D4
Al6
D4
D4
D4
D4
D6

Tl,
T2,
T3,
BLOCK HOF,C

D4
Dl
D3

Pl,

RP~

P2
P3,
?4,
P5,

BLOCK T
?6,
P7,

D2,7~

Al
Dl
BLOCK CHD,

P9,

D2
All, '
ID DESC'
A14
A9, 'POH XCP '
All,'#CUR #YTD
A13,'NOH ORD MBAL'
A4
A5, 'ucos·r'

PHD2,

D2
Al\ll,'STOCK STAT'
Al¢,' US REPORT '
A2¢

D2
Al
Dl

BLOCK P,C
D2
PP,

AB\1l
Dl

Q5
Q3

BLOCK,X
D2
A2

USE,

Q2,
Q4,

D4
D4
D4
D3
D2
D9
D6,P
Dl,P
D9
Dl
Dl

Ql,

PROC

BLOCK BLK,C

P11

MB,

BLOCK PHD,C

A24
A4,'PAGE'
A4
Dl

AB
Al
A12
Dl

M9,
Ml¢,
PG,
LN,
TOT,
DATE,
TRAN,
XCOST,
EOFM,
EOF'r,

PHDl,

Pl\1l

REC,

BLOCK

A5,'XCOST'
Dl

A4
Al
A16
Al
A4
Al
A4
Al
A4
Al
A4
Al
A4
Al
A4
Al
A4
Al

ORD,

TOT=
PG=
LN=5!1l
INIT(2,V,IN)
IF(TRAN.EQ.\ll)GO TO Q6
INIT(l,V,IN)
INIT(3,V,OUT)
CALL READM
CALL READT
IF(EOFM.EQ.l)GO TO Ql
IF(EOFT.EQ.l)GO TO Q2
IF(Tl.GT.Ml)GO TO Q2
GO TO (ORD,RED,USE),T2
M4=M4+T3
CALL R~ADT

READM,

GO TO Q3
M4=M4+T3
M3=M3+T3
M9=M9+T3
CALL READT
GO TO Q3
M3=M3+T3
M5=M5+T3
Ml\1l=Ml(4+T3
CALL READT
GO TO Q3
PP=
IF(M3,GE,M6)GO TO Q4
PP(l,1)='*'
Pl=Ml
P2=M2
P3=MB
P4=M9
P5.,M1¢
P6=M5
P7=M3
PB=M4
P9=M6
Plf4=M7,'X,XXX,XX'
XCOST=M3*M7
Pll=XCOST,'X,XXX,XXX.XX'
TOT=TOT+XCOST
CALL PRINT
XMIT ( 3,M)
CALL READM
GO TO Q5
XMIT(6,BLK)
PP=
PP(67,67)='*'
Pll=TOT,'X,XXX,XXX.XX'
XMIT ( 6 ,P)
FINI(3)
XMIT (6,HOF)
STOP
EOFM=l
XMIT(2,M,Zl)
EOFM=

MB=M3
Zl,
READT,

M9=
Ml\ll=
RETURN
EOFT=l
IF(TRAN,EQ,\1l)GOTOZ2
SMIT(l,T,Z2)
EOFT=

Z2,
PRINT,

RETURN
LN=LN+l
IF(LN.LE,50)GO TO Z3
LN=
PG=PG+l
PHDl=DATE,'XX/XX/XX'
PHD2=PG
XMIT(6,HOF)
XMIT(6,PHD)
XMIT(6,BLK)
XMIT(6,CHD)
XMIT(6,BLK)
Z3,
XMIT(6,P)
RETURN
END (\1l43\1l,\1l481)

I
I-'

co
I

-19-

EXPLANATION OF PROGRAM
START
BLOCK M

;(INVENTORY MASTER FILE)
;Commodity ID, 4 digits
;Description 0 16 character alpha
word
;Number on hand, 4 digits
;Number on order, 4 digits
;Number used year to date, 4 digits
;Minimum balance, 4 digits
;Unit cost, 6 digits

Ml,
M2,

D4
Al6

M3,
M4,
MS,
M6,
M7,

D4
D4
D4
D4
D6

Tl,
T2,

D4
Dl

;(TRANSACTION FILE)
;Commodity ID
;Transaction key (order, receipt,
used)

T3,

; &'llount

BLOCK T

BLOCK HOF,C

;(HEAD OF FORM) Required for
line printer
D2,70
Al
Dl

BLOCK CHD,C
D2

All, I
ID DESC'
Al4
A9, 'POH
XCP
All, '#CUR
#YTD'
Al3, 'NOH ORD MBAL'
A4
A5, 'UCOST'
AB
AS, 'XCOST'
Dl

; (RECORD HEADING ON PAGEj-See
sample report
;When using line printer as
output, start block with D2.
Tn1s is a device control and does not
mean 2 zeros

BLOCK PHD 0 C

PHDl,

PHD2,

D2
AlOQ I STOCK STAT I
AlO I I us REPORT I
A20
AB
A24
A4' I PAGE I
A4
Dl

Column Headings

~When

using line printer as output
End Block with Dl. This is a
control and does not mean 1 zero

(PAGE DESCRIPTION)-See sample
report
;Start block with printer control
;Stock Status Report
;Date location to be referenced
in program
;Page number location
;End Block with printer control

-20-

BLOCK BLK,C

; (BLANK LINE)

D2
Al
Dl

;Prints blank digits

BLOCK P,C

; (PRINTER BUFFER)

PP,

ABO

;Printer buffer BO columns

Dl
BLOCK,X

; (DATA) -Data Overlay into printer
buff er

D2
I

A'.2

Pl,

Al
Al6
Al

P3,

P4,

PS,

P2,

P6,

P7,

PB,

;2 spaces
;ID Number (in columns 3-7)
;Space
;Description
;Previous on hand
;Receipt
;Current #

;Year to date #

;New on hand

;Ordered

P9,

PlO,

;Unit Cost

Al
Al2
Dl

;.Extended Cost

Pll,

;Minimum Balance

; (TEMPORARY STORAGE)
;Temporary Storage

BLOCK
MB,
M9,
MlO,
PG,
LN,
TOT,
DATE,

D4
D4
D4
D3
D2
D9
D6,P

TRAN

Dl,P

XCOST D9
EOFM Dl
EOFT Dl
PROC
TOT=
PG=
LN=
50
INIT (2, v I IN)

;Temporary Storage for page number
;Temporary Storage for line count
;Temporary Storage for Total
;Allows er-try of DATE from console
before program execution
;Allows entry of
parameter from
console. If no input transactions
=O, if there are transaction
;Temporary storage for extended cost
;End of Master Indicator
;End of Transaction
;BEGIN PROCESSING SECTION
.set TOTAL to zero
;Set page to zero
;Set 1.ine count to 50
;Initialize DECtape #2 (old master) as
an input file with variable length
recoras
I

-21IF (TRAN.EQ.0) Go to Q6

!NIT ( 1, v I IN)
Q6,

INIT (3 Iv I OUT)
CALL READM
CALL READT

Q3,·

;If end of master=l (all records
read) go to Ql (print Total)

IF (EOFT.EQ.l) Go To Q2

;If end of transaction=l go to
Q2
;If transaction commodity ID# is
greater than master ID# go to
Q2 (see footnote)
;If T2 {transaction file key)
equals 1, go to ORD, If=2 go to
REC, If=3 go to USE

Go To (ORD,REC, USE),T2

M4 = M4 + T3

CALL READT
Go To Q3
REC,

M4 = M4

M3 = M3 + T3

= M9 + T3

CALL READT
Go To Q3
USE,

;Initialize DECtape #3 (new
master) as an input file
;Execute subroutine READM (read
ol.d master)
;Execute subroutine READT (reads
transaction record)

IF (EOFM.EQ.l) Go To Ql

IF (Tl..GT .Ml) Go To Q2

ORD,

;If no transaction(Trans=O) go
to Q6--would rewrite inventory master
and produce a listing of the master filE
;Initialize DECtape #1 (sorted
transaction) as an input file

M3 = M3 - T3
MS = MS + T3

MlO = MlO + T3
CALL READT
Go To Q3

;Number on order in old master +
number 'ordered in transaction
will be new number on order
figure held in M4
;Execute subroutine {reads
another transaction record)
;Jump statement
;Number on order in new master
will be number on order {old
master)-number received {transaction record) held in M4
;Number on hand in new master
will be number on hand (old
·master) + amount received {transaction record) -he1-0 in M3
;M9 will store amount received
;Execute subroutine READT (reads
another transaction record)
;Jump statement
;Number on hand in new master will
equal number on hand (old master)
minus amount used
;Number used year to date in new
master will equal number used
year to date plus amount (transaction record) held in MS
;MlO will store current amount used
;Execute subroutine (read another
transaction record)
;Jump statement

-22-

Q2 1

PP=
If (M.3. GE .M6) Go To Q4
pp

Q4,

(1,1)

= '*'

Pl=Ml
P2=M2
P3=M8
P4=M9
P5=Ml0
P6=M5
P7=M3
P8=M4
P9=M6
Pl0=M7, 'X,XXX.XX'
XCOST = M3 * M7
Pll=XCdst, 'X,XXX,XXX.XX'
TOT=TOT + xcost
CALL PRINT
XMIT (3,M)
CALL READM
Go To Q5

Ql,

XMIT (6,BLK)
PP=
(67,67)='*'
Pll=TOT, 'X,XXX,XXX.XX'
XMIT (6,P)
pp

FINI (3)
XMIT {6,HOF)
STOP
READM,

EOFM=l
XMIT (2,M, Zl)
EOFM=
M8=M3
M9=
MIO=

Zl,

RETURN

;Set printer buffer to zero
;If number on hand is greater
than or equal to minimum balance
go to Q4
;Print an * when number on hand
is less than MBAL
;Commodity ID will be in Pl
;Description
;Previous on hand(see MB)
;Amount received
;Current number used
;Total used year to date
;Total number on hand
;Total number on order
;Minimum balance
;Unit cost (formatted)
;Extended cost=number on hand x
unit cost
;Stores extended cost (formatted)
in Pll
;Incremental Total Cost by adding
XCost for each record
~xecute subroutine
print
;Write onto DECtape #3 (new master)
block M (master file)
7Execute subroutine (read oid maeti;:r)
;Jump statement
;Write onto device 6 {line printer)
contents of block BLK which is
blank line
;Set print buffer to zero
;Print * in column 67
;Store total cost in Pll
;Write onto line printer block
P (Block P will now contain only the
total figure)
;Finalize DECtape #3 (new master)
is rewound
;Write Head of Forms Block
;Return control to DIBOL monitor
;Set EOF Master file to 1
;Read a record from DECtape #2
old inventory master; at end of
file go to Zl
;Set end of master to zero
;Put number on hand into location
MS
;Set location M9 to zero
;Set location MIO to zero
;Return to next statement after
CALL RE.ADM

-23READT

EOFT=l
IF(TRAN.EQ.O)Go To Z2

Set end of transaction to 1
If no transaction(O) go to Z2
When no more transactions, the
program could continue to read
the rest of the older inventory
items
;Read from DECtape #1 a transaction record; at end of file
go to Z2
;Set end of transaction to zero

XMIT (l.T.Z2)
EOFT~

Z2 0

RETURN

;Return to statement after
CALL READT

PRINT,

LN=LN+l
IF (t.N.LE.SO)Go To Z3

;Increment line count
;If line number is equal to or
less than 50, go to Z3
;Set line count to zero
;Increment page number
iFormat date for page header
;Inserts page number for page
description
;Write on device 6 (line printer)
block HOF (head of forms)
;Write on device 6 (line printer)
block PHD (page description)
;Write on device 6 (line printer)
block BLK (blank line)
;Write on device 6 (line printer)
block CHD (record heading)
;Write on device 6 (line printer)
block BLK (blank line)

LN=
PG=PG+l
PHDl=DATE, 'XX/XX/XX'
PHD2=PG
XMIT (6 11 HOF)
XMIT (6 I PHD)
XMIT (6 I BLK)
XMIT (6,CHD)
2L.1\1IT {6 I BLK)
Z3,

;Write on device 6 (line printer)
block P (data)
;Return to statement after CALL
PRINT
;1st set of numbers is the number of
words used in the DATA
section. (Maximum is 1170) 2nd
set of numbers is the number of
words used in the Procedure Sectionafter PROC. (maximum 1050)

XMIT (6 IP)
RETURN
End

( 0430, 0481)

Footnote

Master Commodity ID
1
2

Transaction after sorted commodity ID

1
1
1

etc.
3
4
4

At this point trans commodity ID is
greater than master ID go to Q2
(print subroutine)

-24-

VIII.

STOCK STATUS REPORT

Suppose that the transactions shown in Section IV
were run against
the master file;
you would receive the fOllowing report print out:
3/10/70

STOCK STATUS REPORT

PAGE 1

ID DESC

?OH XCP #CUR #YTD NOH

1 FLANGE, PURPLE
2 SCREW, BLACK
3 NUT,, D'ROWN
4 BmKET, BLACK
5 BRACKET, WHITE
6 RIVIT, WHITE
7 PIN, YELLOW
8 RIVIT, RED
9 SCREW, PURPLE
lr/J DOWEL, GREEN
11 HINGE, GREEN
12 CLIP, RED
13 FLANGE, GREEN
14 FLANGE, PURPLE
15 BRACKET, BLACK
16 PIN, BLUE
17 DOWEL, BLACK
18 NUT, YELLOW
19 PIN, BLUE
20 RIVIT, YELLOW
21 BRACKET, PINK
22 HINGE, YELLOW
23 DOWEL, RED
24 FLANGE, RED
25 PIN, BROWN
26 FLANGE, WHITE
27 BJLT, BROWN
28 iJiJ'.i', BLACK
29 HINGE, BROWN
30 FLANGE, PURPLE
31 HHJGE, BLUE
32 DO\·JE::,, ?H:K
33 CLIP, GREE;J
34 PIN, RE:'.:l
35 PIN, BLACK
36 PII'l, C:'RANGE
37 CLIP, R:2D
3 8 FLA:::;:;::, '.}RES:;
39 DOWEL, BLUE
40 NUT, PURPLE
41 FLAN'.}E, BLUE
4 2 ? I N , ':'. E LL 0 \·l
).f3 NUT, YELL'J\-J
44 HINGE, ORANGE
45 ?B, BLACK
46 BOLT, RED
47 SCREW, YELLOW
48 BRACKET, GREEN
49 BRACKET, YELLO~
50 RIVIT, RED
51 D0 1•./EL, BRO'.,.Jl'Z

118
106

699
793
17
334
797
323
440
808
301
542
6
80
441
115
451
407
330
465
976
89
160

ll8
106
119
154
109
14t
146
ll3
107
94
170
143
83
168
79
154
97
171
84
87
81

193

156

7'7
I I

2\!13
47
4\!13
394
802
473
l\!l
221
380
377
615
125
276
215
728
320
306
484

133

942

164

200
670
320
128
705
661

119
154

109
146
146
113
lr/;7
94
174
143
83
169
99
154
97
171

84
92
81
147
79
80
122
146
144
156

134
81
167
114
147
91

82
146
83
97
93

91
109

143
162

174
162
89
125
172

640
740
439

80
122
146
144
206
134
81
167
114
147
88
71

146
83
97

93
77
133
164
91
109
143
162
157
162
89

ORD MBAL

UCOST

XCOST

74
57
35
86

873.79
835.57
675.72
931.05
59.87
755.73
912.\!14
295.69
273.15
50.29
537.16
717.93
161.63
815.25
343.08
981. 77
693.31
786.61
401. 80
431. 21
956.19
940.37
265.32
37\!l.25
958.27
92.53
165.64
462.89
427.55
499.09
214.76
133.13
612.\!13
456.05
604.68
964.97
79.71
899.41
807.40
102.41
518.59
5.17
774.92
649.45
536.67
789.33
139.24
70. 09
461.95
707.89
412.36

103,107.22
88,57\ll.42
80,410.68
143,381.70
6,525.83
110' 336. 58
133,157.84
33,412.97
29,227.05
4,727.26
91,317.20
102,663.99
13,415.29
136.962.00
27,1¢3.32
151,192.58
67,251.07
134,510.31
33,751.20
37,515.27
77,451.39
146,697.72
26,266.68
29 '621,ii. 00
116,908.94
13,5¢9.38
23,852.16
95,355.34
57,291.7\11

31
54
95
62
50
35
73
78
95
20
62
86
19

94
94
27

27
8
81
53
33
22
1

100
29

38
57
97
76

79
86
43
70
85
3

75
63
35
4

69
60
114

215

172

57
52
79
90
31
95
66
38
60
54
93
8\!l
11
20
62
61
53
92
90
59
20
97
54
62
69
10
22
51
42
76
2
79
24
24
75
50
6
94
41
2
39
53
53
83
4
17
62
33
60
69
54

(Page Description)
(Record Heading)

!~0,426.29

35,864.92
15,176.82
89,968.41
40,132.4¢
42,932.28
14¢,885.62
6,615.93
87,242.77
75,\1188.2¢
7,885.57
68,972.47
847.88
7¢,517.72
70,79¢.¢5
76,743.81
127,871.46
21,86¢.68
11,354.58
41,ll3.55
152,196.35
70,925.92

Notice that item 14 was used once.
Item 22 was received 26 times and
used 17 times - for a total change of nine in the 11 on hand" column.
The new on-hand balance for item 19 is less than the minimum balance thus an asterisk is printed out to the left.

-25-

IX.

FILE MAINTENANCE - GENERALIZED UPDATE FACILITY

In addition to the regular master file activity update and stock
status report, it is necessary to have some means of creating
and changing a master file.
For example, it may be necessary -to
change the minimum balance or description of some existing item,
or completely delete an item from stock.
The Generalized Update
Facility proviaes ~ne means for the user to perform insertions,
changes, and deletions.
The update run is a three stage process:
First, the Generalized Update Input Program is read into
memory from the system tape by the monitor (this enables
the computer to read data from paper tape) . The update
control, defining file parameters, is then read into memory
before the transaction data. The transactions are then
converted from paper tape to DECtape according to the
update control.
Second, the sort program is read into memory by the
monitor. The sort control program, which will define
the sort arrangement, (refer to Sort Transaction) is
then read from paper tape. The transaction DECtape
would then be sorted according to the sort control.
In our example, the transaction data is sorted by
Commodity ID.
Third, the Generalize Update Process Program (enables
computer to read DECtape data formats from transactions
and old master, compare, write a new master, and generate
updat.e report) is read int.a memory. .The upd.ate process
program and the update control program will run the
sorted transactions against the old master, producing a
new master and an update report (audit trail).

As each transaction is read by the Generalize Update Input
Program, it is listed and any transactions in error will have an
error message printed to the left. Only valid transactions are
written on the output tape.

-26-

The process chart for any generalized update is:
Paper tape
or cards

*
Generalize
Update
Input

Transaction
Listing

DECtape 1

Mag tape
Paper tape
Cards

Sort

Paper tape
Card
Magnetic tape

Process

Line
Printer

DECtape 3

* The user would have to create the input transactions,the update
control, and the sort control. Theinput_transaction contains
transaction code for insert or delete. The insert code is used
either to insert a new item or change an existing itemo Through
these connnands, the transactions are passed against a master file,
resulting, in an update master tape and a listing of transactions
on the line printer (audit trail). The update transaction statements
are limited to 50 characters per transaction. The update control
defines the content of the file records and the format of the
desired "audit trail" report. This control is read by both
sections of the update (input and process) before execution.
Let's examine each of the programs generated by the user, i.e.,
update control and input transaction programs, sort and the
audit trail report.

-271.

Update Control

The update control has three sections. The fir~t section
consists of one line and contains information as to the number
of fields and the record size. The second section consists of
four lines and gives the column headings for the update report.
Finally, the third section has one line for each field on the
inventory master and describes where the field is, how big it is,
the data type, and where and if it should be printed on the update report.
The generalized update control for our inventory example
would be:

07042001041
+-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--t-

Q:i)UfND

ORD

IDNT DESCRIPTION
#YTD
MBAL

Section I
(Control line)

I
UCOST

/
/

0010410091
0051600151
0210410351
0250410411
0290410471
0330410531
0370610591

Section II
(Column headings)

I Section III
(Field Specification)

SECTION !--Control Line, 11 characters; for our example it is:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 lg 10 11
0 7 0 4 2 0 0 1 0 4 1
Characters

Explanation

1-2

(07)

/The number of fields in the master file.
In
our example there are 7; i.e. IDNT DESCRIPTION,
ONHND, ORD, #YTD, MBAL, UCOST, from the inventory master file.

3-5

(042)

/Record size: Total number of characters for the
field on the inventory master. The total in
our example is 42 characters.

Explanation

Characters
6-8

(001)

/Process key base, starting position (character
position of the sort key as it is on the Inventory Master File). In this example the sort
key is commodity ID and it occupies first four
characters in each master file record. Beginning position is 1.

9-10 (04)

/Number of characters in the process key
(Commodity ID 4 characters).

/Process key type (O = alpha, 1 = decimal).
In our example commodity ID is a decimal
number.

( 1)

SECTION II
The column heading section consists of four lines with 132 characters
of column heading. The first line contains character positions 1-33,
the second line contains character positions 34-66, the.third line
contains character positions 100-132.
In the inventory example the column heading section is:

ONHND

IDNT DESCRIPTION
ORD
#YTD
MBAL

UCOST

I
I
I
I

All four lines must be there with a / in column 34.Presently we
utilize only the first two lines because we only offer an 80-colurnn
line printer. (A 132 line printer will be available in the near future).
The column headings are only for those headings you want printed
on the audit trail. These headings may correspond to all of
the heading fields that are on the master file, or only a few.
In our example we have all.
SECTION III
The field specification section contains one line for each field
in the master file.
In our inventory example there are 7 fields,
therefore, 7 lines. Each line is 10 characters. The format for
each line is:
Characters
1-3

Explanation
/Field position; the first character position of
the field as it is on each inventory master
record.

-29-

Explanation

Characters
4-5

/Field size; the number of characters in the
field.

/Data type; 0 = alpha, 1 = decimal.

7-9

/Print left index; the first print position.
This will be zeroes if this column is not
p~inted.
/Fiel~

print switch; 0 means, do not print on the
update report; 1 means print on update report.

(If th~ file to be updated is fairly small, it will be possible
to print all fields on the update report. However, if more than
132 characters are needed, it will be necessary to "non-print"
some fields by giving them an 0 in character position 7-10 of the
field specification section).
In our inventory example the 7 field lines are:

(l)

,.Q

r-f

·r-1

li.i

(l)

N
·r-1
U)

.µ

s::

.µ
Q)

Ci
>t
.µ

cu
Q) .µ
·r-1 cu
r-f

li.i Cl

4-{
(])

·.-1

r-f ~
Q)

.µro

l--1

111 ..c:

'O .µ

s:: s::

r-f ·r-1

·r-IH

(l) ;3

l--1

·r-1 (/)

111

li.i

001 04 1 009 1
005 16 0 015 1
021 04 1 035 1
025 04 l 04~1 1
029 04 1 047 1
033 04 1 053 1
037 06 1 059 1

Commodity ID*
Description
Number on hand
Number on order
Number used YTD
Minimum Balance
Unit Cost

*Line one is for the commodity ID.
It says: the field base
start at first position in inventory master, it's a 4-digit
number, the data is decimal. On the update report, commodity
ID will start in column 9 and it is to be printed on the
update report.

-30-

Input Data Records

Now suppose the following records are to be updated: delete
item 30, insert a new item number 125, change the unit cost on item
23, input would be prepared for the above changes
D
I
I
I
I
I
I
$

30
125
125
125
125
23
27

1
2
4

7
7
2

125
'HOOK, COPPER'
100
10000
28000
'BOLT, RED'

The I line is used either for an insert or change. It specifies;
the process key (Commodity ID), the field number, and the data to be
inserted. To change one item of an existing record, the I line is
used with the process key (Commodity ID) of the existing record, the
field to be changed, and the new data. To add a record, simply use
an I line for each field on the inventory master, where the process
key is the new record identification. To delete an item, simply use
the D line with the appropriate process key.
The input data records have the following general format:
I
D

<field number/'

In our inventory example:

30
125
125

1
2

125
'HOOK,COPPER'

125
125

4
7

100
1000

2800

.'BOLT,RED'

*
*

/delete item 30
/insert new item number 125 in ID field
/insert HOOK,COPPER in description field
of item 125
/insert 100 in order field of item 125
/insert 1000 in unit cost field of
item 125
/insert 2800 in unit cost field of
item 23 (this would be a change to an
existing i tern).
/insert BOLT,RED in description field
of item 27.

A new item number - 125 is inserted with the description, number
on order, and unit cost. The other field, i.e. number on hand and
#YTD would be zeroed since no data was inserted into these fields
(see Audit Trail).
As each input transaction is read, it is listed, and any transaction in
error will have an error message printed to the left. Only valid
transactions are written on the output tape.

-31-

3.,

Update Sort
The sort control has already been discussed - refer
back to explanation of SORT TRANSACTION. The only
difference, in the update sort is, First; Update records
must be regarded as 50 characters long for the sort
record input size {this is a maximum figure, and even
though your update records may not be that long, 50 is
still the number used in the sort control) and Secondt
the field sorted must always be regarded as beginning
in Position one{l).The user does not have to concern
himself with the update record Format on DECtape - he
need only remember the two above rules.
The update sort program puts the transactions (Insertions,
Changes, Deletions) into the order of the appropriate
master file to be updated.
In our example the inventory
master is sorted by commodity I.D.
The sort control for our update would be
026130010460
0010200
$
First Line
1-3

{026) - Record input size, normal practice is to
use 50 for update record size {Rule 1)
50 + 1 = 51 ! 2 = 25 + 1 = 26
"
4-7
{1300)- Internal sort buffer size
1300 = 26 x 50 {result must be less than 2000)
8
(1)
- Number of sort fields
9-12 (0146)- Number of blocks per DECtape
190,000 ~ 1300 = 146
13
(0)
- Phase 2 input save switch

Second Line
1-3
4-5
6
7

{001) - First position of sort field. This will
always be Position 1 {Rule 2).
(02)
- Number of words spanned
(0)
- First word switch
(0)
- Last word switch

-324.

Update Report (Audit Trail)

After the generalize update process program and the update control
have been loaded into core, they will run the sorted transaction
against the old master, producing a new master and an update report
on the. line prin\ter. The update report in our example would be:

IDNT

DESCRIPTION

ONHND

ORD

#YTD

MBAL

UC OST

OLD
NEW

0023
0023

DOWEL, RED
DOWEL, RED

0079
0079

0047
0047

0203
0203

0054
0054

026532
028000

OLD
NEW

0027
0027

BOLT, BROWN
BOLT, RED

0144
0144

0033
0033

0802
0802

0022
0022

016564
016564

DLT

0030

FLANGE, PURPLE

0081

0050

0221

0076

049909

NEW

0125

HOOK, COPPER

0000

0100

0000

001000

Notice that the old item for the deleted record is displayed.
For the inserted item, 125, the new master record is printed. For
each of the changed items (23 and 27), both the old and the new
master records are printed.

*******************
This example has created a complete application package for inventory
control. All of the program and control statements for the entire
application appear in this memo. Not one additional line of code
is needed. Even relatively inexperienced programmers can quickly
learn to produce additional applications--billing, sales analysis,
payroll, etc. DIBOL and the PDP-8 can bring you into
the world of data processing, quickly and at an extremely low cost.

APPENDIX
Brief Description of the DIBOL Software System
The DIBOL Software System contains a DIBOL language, Generalize
Input Facility, Sort Package, Generalized Update Facility and
a DIBOL Monitor. The following is a summary of the features
of the system:
1.

DIBOL Language

Each DIBOL program is divided into two sections - the data
section and the procedure section. The data section is used
to describe the information used in the program and to allocate memory. The procedure section contains the executable
statements.
The data section is broken up into a number of "blocks", each
of which contains a number of "data elements". An example is:
BLOCK MASTER
CUSTNO,
NAME,
AMOUNT,
BLOCK WORK, C
TEMP,
TABLE,

D4
A30
D8
AlO
6DS

In the exampl.e, the data is cont:ained in two o.Locks; !!master==
and "work". The first block has 42 bytes and is divided into
data elements "customer number", "name", and "amount". The
customer number is specified to be decimal (D) and to contain
four bytes. The name is specified alphanumeric (A) with
thirty bytes. The second block is specified with the clear
option (C). This implies that a load time, TEMP will be filled
with alphanumeric blanks and TABLE with decimal zeros. TABLE
is specified to be an array of six elements, each of which
contains five decimal bytes.
The procedure section contains statements to control input/
output, compute arithmetic expressions, move data and control
the program sequence of execution. Examples of each of the
ten types of DIBOL statements are:

1)
2)
3)

6)
7)
8)
9)

10)

!NIT (1, V, OUT)
XMIT (1, MASTER)
FINI (1)
PRINT (21, 45) = NAME
PRICE = LIST * (100 - DISCT) / 100
PRINT (60, 70) =AMOUNT, 'XXX,XXX.XX-'
BUFF =
GO TO LOOP
GO TO (MASS, CONN, RI, NY), TAXCD
IF (CODEl
CODE2 .NE. 0) GO TO PRINT
IF (ONHAND .LT. MINBAL) GO TO ORDER
CALL INPUT
RETURN
STOP

The initialization statement (1) opens file-1 as an output file.
The transmit statement (2) sends data from the block "master"
to file-1.
The finalization statement (3) performs the necessary
operations to close file-1.
There are three examples of the data manipulation statement (4).
In the first, the contents of "name: are moved into character
positions 21 through 45 of the data element "print".
In the
second, a selling price is computed by marking down a "list
price" by a "discount percentage" .
The last example is similar
to the first in that data is moved into specified positions or
"print". The difference is that the move is formatted with
a comma for the thousands digit, a decimal point for the units digit
and a minus sign if "amount" is negative. Statement type (5)
clears the contents of the specified data element. Decimal elements
are set to zero and alphanumeric elements to blank.
Statement type (6) is used for conditional and unconditional
program branches.
In the first example, control goes to the statement
with the tag LOOP.
In the second example, control goes to MASS,CONN,
RI or NY depending on whether "tax code" is one, two, three or four.
Statement type (7) may also be used for conditional branching.
In the
first example, control goes to "print" if either code-1 or code-2
is not equal to zero. Otherwise, control goes to the next statement.
In the second example, control goes to ".order" if the number "on hand"
is less than the "minimum·balance".
The CALL statement (8) transfers control to the first statement
of a closed subroutine. The RETURN statement (9) transfers control
back to the statement after the last executed CALL statement. Finally,
the STOP statement (10) causes a return to the DIBOL monitor.

Generalized Input Facility

The Generalized Input Facility provides a simple means for getting data
into the computer. The user specifies his data fields, the desired
output record contents and the input line formats.
The Generalized
Input Facility reads the input data, converts it to the specified
output formats and performs careful error checking.
The format of the Generalized Input control is:

D
E

field number
type count
optional constant
record number file number
field number
command
record number
zero field increment field
field number
necessary switch
present field
default field

Sort Package

The sort package allows the user to arrange a data file in any specified
order.
The user defines the records to be sorted and gives "sort keys"
within the record.
The sort runs in' two phases.
In the first phase
(the internal sort), as many records as possible are read into memory
and sorted.
The sorted groups of records are written as strings onto
an intermediate file.
In the second phase (the poly-phase merge),
the original strings are successviely made longer by merging until
there is only one string remaining.
This last string is the sorted
output file. A third phase of the sort ( a general single-pass merge)
is used only in the case of multi-reel files.
The format for the sort control is:
record size
field base
4.

buffer size
field size

number fields
buffers/tape
tape save
first word split
last word split

Generalized Update Facility

The Generalized Update Facility provides a simple means for the user
to perform insertions, changes and deletions on existing data files
of arbitrary format.
The user defines the content of the file
records and the format of the desired "audit trail" report.
He
prepares the transaction input referring to records by "process key and
to individual fields by field number. DIBOL then performs all necessary
inputting, sorting and updating to apply the transactions to the old
master and produce a new master. As a by-product, the audit trail
report shows which records have been deleted or inserted and which
fields of existing records have been changed.
11

The format of the Generalized Update Control is:
key size
key type
key base
record size
number fields
report heading 1-33
report heading 34-66
report heading 67-99
report heading 100-132
data type
print?
field base
field count
print left index
The general format for the user transactions are:
I
D

process key
process key

field number

data

DIBOL Monitor

The DIBOL monitor ties the various DIBOL facilities together
into a unified data processing system. By means of a simple
interactive dialog, the monitor executes the subsystems according
to operator commands. The commands to call subsystems are:
Command

Snbsystem

COMP
RSYS
SR Tl
SRT2
SRT3
GENI
GUPI
GUPP
EDIT
DUMP
CDDT
DTPR
PTDT
DTFX

DIBOL Compiler
Run Time System
Sort Phase I
Sort Phase II
Sort Phase III
Generalized Input Facility
Generalized Update Facility-input
Generalized Update Facility-process
DIBOL Editor
Tape Dump
Card to DECtape utility
DECtape to printer utility
Paper Tape to DECtape utility
DECtape data edit utility

The DIBOL compiler (COMP) takes it input from a source master file
on DECtape. Its output goes onto an updated object master, also on
DECtape. The run time system (RSYS) executes DIBOL programs which have
been compiled. The three phases of the sort may be called by the
commands SRT1,SRT2, and SRT3. The Generalized Input Facility (GENI),
when loaded into ·memory, asks the user for the name of the control.
After the user responds, the control is fetched from the system DECtape
and the input process begins.
The Generalized Update Facility is operated in three phases--input,
sort and process. The input phase (GUPI) reads in the transactions
in an operation similar to that of the Generalized Input Facility.
Then the sort (SRT1,SRT2 and possibly SRT3) is used to order the
transactions on master file order. Finally, the process phase (GUPP)
does the file update.

The DIBOL Editor (EDIT) provides a source program file maintenance
capability.
It is used for the creation and editing of DIBOL source
programs, sort controls, generalized input controls and generalized
update controls.
It is also used to perform maintenance of the
DIBOL system tap~.
The tape dump (DUMP) is used to print any DIBOL generated data
DECtape. It gives record count, record size and all data printed
in both alphanumeric and decimal formats~ The Card to DECtape utility
(CDDT) creates DECtape files of alphanumeric card images. The DECtape
to Printer utility (PTDT) is the same as CDDT, except the input comes
from paper tape. The DECtape Fix utility (DTFX) provides a simple
means of checking and/or changing any field within any record of a
DIBOL generated data tape.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The DIBOL Software System provides a simple, but complete capability
for commercial applications on the PDP-8 family of computers.
It is
the most easily learned total data processing package in the industry.
DIBOL is ready to solve the data processing problems of small to
medium sized businesses.

Digital Equipment Corporation
Maynard, Massachusetts

printed in U.S.A.

mnmnomn