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Device control may be effected through the Read and Write commands using the /controlmnemonic syntax in a specification of a format. In general, portability of routines containing such syntax is only possible in cases which meet several criteria, most obviously

1. the devices to be used at the receiving facility must have all the capabilities required by the /controlmnemonic occurrences in the routines;
2. the implementors of the systems at both the originating and the receiving facilities have implemented each combination of mnemonicspace and controlmnemonic in compatible ways.

As a result of these limitations, ‘blind interchange’ will only be dependent upon the devices at the receiving site.

However, the following advice to both implementors and programmers will increase the number of cases in which ‘informed interchange’ will be possible.

However user-defined mnemonicspaces, together with their associated controlmnemonics, are inherently portable provided that the M[UMPS] routines are also portable.

Copyright © Standard Documents; 1977-2024 MUMPS Development Committee;
Copyright © Examples: 1995-2024 Ed de Moel;
Copyright © Annotations: 2003-2008 Jacquard Systems Research
Copyright © Annotations: 2008-2024 Ed de Moel.

Some specifications are "approved for inclusion in a future standard". Note that the MUMPS Development Committee cannot guarantee that such future standards will indeed be published.

This page most recently updated on 16-Nov-2023, 11:43:56.

For comments, contact Ed de Moel (demoel@jacquardsystems.com)