PASUG: REXX Study Program

Note: This website is using CSS and other modern web techniques. Just as you migrated from DOS to a more modern operating system, perhaps it is time to use a newer browser. Anyway, we have tested this site with a variety of old browsers (1.0 browsers my have some trouble) and, while most of them will display the site's content, it may not be very pretty.

Our group has initiated a program to learn or improve our knowledge of the REXX programming language. The course of study will involve lectures on a topic at our monthly meetings, assignment of a set of problems on that topic, and then self-study in between meetings. Lesson notes and the problem sets will be posted on this page, so that members who cannot attend a meeting or OS/2 users from other parts of the world can participate. A message board has been set up for interaction between meetings so that peer-to-peer help will be available.

This effort is collaborative and evolving, and it depends on the participation and suggestions of everyone who is interested. Lesson plans are being developed by member Barry Mann who is generously donating his time to this effort.

Your first step is to review the background information in the Outline of the REXX Group below. Then look at the lessons and problem sets below and begin working on the problems.

[Note: Links on this page open into a new browser window.]

RESOURCES

CLASS NOTES AND EXERCISES

Outline of the REXX Group

Barry Mann's November 2000 REXX presentation

The REXX Language page at IBM Hursley

IBM has the excellent REXX book "From Bark to Byte" available as a free download on their Redbook site. The document name is gg244199.pdf.

LesTec offers a nice family of REXX addons.

Cross platform REXX is available at:
Mark Hessling's Home Page

While Rexx is native to OS/2, users of other platforms should look at Regina. Versions are available for most popular platforms.

About these notes

Session 1 -- REXX Overview

Exercise Set 1 -- Loops

Solutions -- Set 1

Session 2 -- REXX Built-in Functions

Exercise Set 2 -- String and I/O

Session 3 -- Writing Procedures

Exercise Set 3 -- User Written Functions

Session 4 -- REXXUTIL Functions

BackupDesktop.CMD, a REXX utility to back-up critical desktop files.

DTWTHR.CMD, a REXX utility to retrive weather pictures from Weather Underground and set as the desktop background.

stock_index.cmd, a REXX program to download files form an SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) site.

Nimda & Code Red worm sniffer. A REXX program that analyzes an Apachie server log, summarizing worm probe activity.