Course Length: Approximately 40 hours.
Prerequisites: Intermediate M
Programming course or equivalent experience.
Advanced M Programming is designed for the student who is ready to learn advanced M programming techniques.
The first study unit outlines the 1995 M enhancements including variable stacking, parameter passing, and block structuring.
The second study unit reviews the concept of an expression, which is important to understanding indirection.
The third study unit describes traditional data structures, such as stacks, queues and linked lists and how they may be implemented using M arrays.
Study units 4, 5, and 6 develop the concept of indirection and how it may be used to generalize software. Study unit 4 concentrates on the indirection operator and provides many examples of its different uses. Study unit 5 presents the technique of indirectly referencing data dependent information from a Data Dictionary. Study unit 6 focuses on the XECUTE command and demonstrates how one M routine may create another M routine.These study units also introduce the concept of an Application Generator.
Programming exercises, using an integrated full screen editor, are given throughout this course so that students may learn techniques by applying them to real programs. A literal version of a data entry routine is gradually transformed into an all-purpose data entry routine, as data dependent information is separated from the basic tasks common to all data entry routines.
Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:
Note: All computer based training courses are Y2K (Year 2000) compliant.