The GRAIL Language and Operations

Abstract

The important organizational concepts of the flowchart language are the sequential flow of control, the hierarchy of subroutines, and the language (flow diagrams) that pictorially relates theirinterdependence. A fundamental facility of the man-machine interface is the automatic recognition ofappropriate symbols, which allows the man to print or draw appropriate symbols freehand. GRAIL'stext-editing features include placement, replacement, and deletion of characters, character-stringinsertion of deletion, and line deletion. Control functions include displaying text page-by-page,requesting specified display frames, moving symbols, and text line editing. The flowchart processes maybe compiled and executed at CPU speeds or the man may control interpretative execution by direct stylusactions. He may use overlay displays or split screen displays to debug. This is the second part of afinal report on GRAIL. (Author)