Mouse (programming language): Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Programming language}}

The '''Mouse''' programming(sometimes written as language'''MOUSE''') programming language is a small computer [[programming language]] developed by Dr. Peter Grogono in the late 1970s and early 1980s.<ref name="grogono1">Grogono,{{cite Peternews | url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1979-07/1979_07_BYTE_04-07_Automating_Eclipses#page mii/n197/mode/2up "| title=Mouse: / A Language for Microcomputers", ''Byte'',| work=BYTE | date=July 1979 | accessdate=18 October 2013 | author=Grogono, pp.Peter 198ff| pages=198–220}}</ref><ref name="byte198006">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-06/1980_06_BYTE_05-06_Inter_Computer_Communications#page/n243/mode/2up | title=Comment and Correction for Mouse | work=BYTE | date=June 1980 | accessdate=18 October 2013 |author1=Lane, Tom |author2=Grogono, Peter }}</ref><ref name="grogono2">Grogono, Peter. ''Mouse: A Language for Microcomputers''. 151 pages. Petrocelli Books, Inc.: 1983. {{ISBN |0-89433-201-5}}.</ref> It was developed as an extension of an earlier language called MUSYS, which was used to control digital and analog devices in an electronic music studio.

Mouse was originally intended as a small, efficient language for [[microcomputer|microcomputers]]s with limited memory. It is an xtinterpretedinterpreted, [[Stack-oriented (data structure)programming|stack-based]]-based language and uses [[Reverse Polish notation]]. In order toTo make an interpreter as easy as possible to implement, Mouse is designed so that a program is processed as a stream of characters, interpreted one character at a time.

The elements of the Mouse language consist of a set of (mostly) one-character symbols, each of which performs a specific function (see table below). Since variable names are limited to one character, there are only 26 possible variables in Mouse (named A-Z). Integers and characters are the only available data types.

Despite these limitationslimits, Mouse includes a number of relatively advanced features, including:

* Conditional branching

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* Code tracing

The design of the Mouse language makes it ideal for teaching the design of a simple interpreter. Much of the book describing Mouse<ref name="grogono2" /> is devoted to describing the implementation of two interpreters, one in [[Z80]] [[Assembly_language|assembly language]], the other in [[PASCALPascal (programming language)|Pascal]].

==Detailed DescriptionDetails ==

The language described here is the later version of Mouse, as described in the Mouse book.<ref name="grogono2" />. This version is an extension of the language described in the original magazine article.<ref name="grogono1" />.

===Mouse Symbols ===

The language described here is the later version of Mouse, as described in the Mouse book<ref name="grogono2" />. This version is an extension of the language described in the original magazine article<ref name="grogono1" />.

The following table describes each of the symbols used by Mouse.<ref name="grogono2" />. Here X refers to the number on the top of the stack, and Y is the next number on the stack.

{| class="wikitable"

! Symbol

! Action

|-

|align="center"| <space>

! Book cover

|-

| [[Image:mouse-book-cover.png|thumb|center|140px]]

|}

===Mouse Symbols===

The following table describes each of the symbols used by Mouse<ref name="grogono2" />. Here X refers to the number on the top of the stack, and Y is the next number on the stack.

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! title="Symbol" | Symbol

! title="Action" | Action

|-

| <space>

| No action

|-

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|}

===Language Expressions ===

====Common Idioms====

==== Common Idiomsidioms ====

These expressions appear frequently in Mouse programs.

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X: ~ store into variable X

X. ~ recall variable X

X. Y: ~ assigncopy X tointo Y

N. 1 + N: ~ increment N by 1

P. Q. P: Q: ~ swap values of P and Q

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====Input====

Mouse may input integers or characters. When a character is input, it is automatically converted to its ASCII code.

<pre>

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====Conditionals====

A conditional statement has the general form:

<pre>

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====Loops====

Loops may have one of several forms. Most common are the forms:

<pre>

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Here again ''B'' is a boolean value (0 or 1), and ''S'' is a sequence of statements.

====Macro Callscalls====

The format of a macro (subroutine) call may be illustrated by the following example. Macro A in this example adds the two parameters passed to it from the main program, and returns the sum on the top of the stack.

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Here ''p1'' and ''p2'' are parameters passed to the macro.

=== Example Programsprograms ===

This short program prints 'Hello world.'

<pre>

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==Notes==

{{Reflist|2}}

<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">

<references/>

</div>

==External links==

* [http://users.encs.concordia.ca/~grogono/Mouse/mouse.html The Mouse Programming Language]

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070307145837/http://www.geocities.com/fullerhaparnoldafmil/mouse.html The Great MOUSE Programming Language Revival]

* [https://archive.today/20030506120304/http://cth.dtdns.net/mouse/ Friends of the Mouse]

* [http://primepuzzle.com/mouse/mouse.html Mouse, the Language]

* [http://mouse.davidgsimpson.com Mouse: Computer Programming Language] (includes source code for Mouse interpreters)

* [httphttps://mouse.sourceforge.net/ Information on sourceforge.net]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Programming languages]]

[[Category:Stack-oriented programming languages]]