SIMSCRIPT II.5 Programming Language

Advanced Topics
The task of a right-handed function routine is to return a data value to a calling program. A typical
right-handed function (not performing a monitoring task) is:
function EXAMPLE(I,J)
.
.
statements using I and J
.
.
return with expression
end
The function name (EXAMPLE) represents a subprogram name. The argument list transmits initial
values for I and J from a calling program to EXAMPLE, and the return with statement returns a
computed value to the calling program.
If EXAMPLE is declared as a monitored variable, its name refers to both data and a monitoring routine.
EXAMPLE(K,5) is both a legitimate subscripted variable reference and a call on a routine with
arguments K and 5. The additional statement needed to convert a normal right-handed routine to a
right-handed monitoring routine fetches the data value associated with the monitored variable
name, and makes it accessible to a named variable within the routine. The statement is:
move to variable
The program:
function EXAMPLE(I,J)
move to Q
.
.
statements using I,J, and Q
.
.
return with expression
end
starts out by assigning the value of EXAMPLE(I,J) to Q, which then can be used freely in the routine.
The move statement variable can be local or global, unsubscripted or subscripted, an attribute,
or even a left-handed function.
Except for defining EXAMPLE as being monitored, no other change is made in the rest of the
program. EXAMPLE is reserved and used in the normal way; all data references are to
EXAMPLE(I,J), as though it were a simple subscripted variable.
Used for left-handed monitoring, the move statement must assign a value to the data cell associated
with a monitored variable. The statement that does this is of the form:
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