Future DESL Plans

Some of the future plans for extending DESL include the following, in no particular order :

• Adding a memory-resident file capability. After the C-based file I/O has been implemented a technique for keeping files in memory during a DESL session will be possible, dependent on local computer memory and should greatly speed up processing, depending on the exact function sequence being used.

• Defining a new standard binary file structure to replace the current binary SIF file. The binary SIF ("standard interface file") file is defined to contain 8-character variable names and "keys" of only NAME and DATA. Currently, the binary SIF file must either naturally be readable on alternate platforms or must be translated to ASCII, transferred to the alternate platform then translated back into the binary SIF form before use in DESL on that alternate platform. While the general concept of a name-driven file structure is very sound and useful some of the implementation details can be improved.

  A new Standard Binary File - "SBF" - will allow for 16-character variable names and a wider variety of key types to be defined at a later time. The logic used to write (and read) this SBF file will be such that the system reading such a file, regardless of where it may have been written, will be able to correctly interpret the internal binary structures.

  Current SIF files will still be readable in the future.

• A more robust input model will be implemented. Currently the user is limited in how complex a total input scheme can be. Macros, which will become known as procedures, and alternate input files will be able to be intermixed in a more tortuous form along with possible looping control structures such as the do/enddo, while/endwhile, etc. The input interpretation scheme will become more dependent on a hierarchical statement-oriented method of tracking the user's desired DESL processing flow.

• Implementation of Global Variables. Much as the 20 general purpose User Registers now serve to be system-wide name and value "slots" which can be used for a variety of task-specific purposes, DESL will evolve to replace the current "register" construct with a more general and universally available Global Variable scheme. Global Variables will be
  • optional extensions of SIF files
  • universally available storage slots
  • operable items addressable by many DESL functions
  and there will be probably 1000 of these variables to be used.

• A long-sought Graphical User Interface (GUI) will be implemented. The widely and freely available Tcl/Tk scripting software will be used to implement both a general GUI for a non-command line DESL interface and to implement a plot designer subsystem to allow a (most likely novice) DESL user to graphically produce a set of DESL plotting function input via their interactive construction of a plot facsimile.

  The command-line interface will, of course, coexist with the new GUI interface. Actually, the GUI will only serve as a front end to the command line interface.

We would be glad to entertain any suggestions you may have regarding reasonable, generally utilitarian features we could investigate which would make DESL a better product. Please send all such suggestions to the DESL manager at ViGYAN.