University of Leicester – Department of Computer Science

CO7206 - Fall 2003 - Lab 1: Code Reading

9 / Oct. / 2003

Objective: Learning how to comprehend code written with an unfamiliar language

Task:

1- Go to http://www.planetmvs.com/freeware/fwrexx.html Click on “Translate”. Download the program BIT2CHAR.TXT. Rename as BIT2CHAR.REX. Hopefully, you will find installed on your lab machines a REXX IDE and compiler. Try to run it and get it to work.

2- The task of this lab is to read and understand this program and write and submit to the course lecturer a description of how it works and does the job. Use bottom-up, top-down or mixed code reading strategy, whichever you feel comfortable with.

3- Hopefully, you will find installed on you lab machines a REXX IDE and compiler. If you like to work at home, write your own REXX programs, a trial version of Object REXX from IBM is downloadable from www-3.ibm.com/software/awdtools/obj-rexx/windows/index.html

Resources:

REXX resource page: http://www2.hursley.ibm.com/rexx/ A number of useful tutorials are under the title “Information, Tutorials, and Documentation” in this page. Note that the purpose of this exercise is NOT to learn REXX, but is to acquire the skill reading programs in an unfamiliar language. Part of this skill is the skill of reading enough of a new language to understand the program in hand, or in other words, to find which parts of language manuals, tutorials, etc. are relevant to the program under analysis.