Programming language features

TL;DR: This chapter discusses characteristics of pre-processor implementations of decision table languages, which are concerned with the surrounding languages that may contain decision tables as linguistic elements.

Abstract: Processors exist for a variety of decision table languages. This chapter discusses these characteristics. The features are grouped into five categories according to their sphere of primary impact: outer language, syntax, semantics, implementation, and convenience. The group of features is concerned with the surrounding languages that may contain decision tables as linguistic elements. The simplest and common type of outer language consists of an existing programming language to which decision tables have been grafted. The decision tables are treated as blocks of imperative code in the programming language. The programming language is augmented with new verbs to facilitate transfers of control to and from the blocks represented by tables. The same procedure-oriented programming language is used within the decision tables as the base language. It is the object language produced by pre-processor implementations. This ubiquitous programming language is called the host language of the decision table programming system.