REXX Language

Special information for handhelds --

Rexx comes bundled with all IBM mainframes (OS, VM, and VSE), i5/OS, OS/400, OS/2, eCS, OS/2 Warp, osFree, Amiga OS, AROS, SkyOS, and IBM's PC-DOS.

This vendor listlinks to vendors of Rexx interpreters, tools, training,and services.   

You can download hundreds of free Rexx tools from this section.

The web sites for the Rexx interpreters above give you access to many freely downloadable tools and function libraries.

Free Tools List.This is an alphabetical list of over 100 free Rexx tools and descriptions of what they do.  It contains hot links so you can easily download them.  The Free Tools List is only a partial list of what’s out there (it’s mainly for Windows and Linux platforms). For a more complete view, covering more tools and all platforms, see the following . . .

Sites with Free Tools.  This lists over 75 web sites that offer multiple free tools.  The list tells you the  Rexx interpreter and platforms the tools were written for. It has hot links so you can easily download the tools.   Visiting these sites gives you access to hundreds of free Rexx tools.

Beyond downloading Rexx tools, you may also wish to review the sample code in this section, which is specifically intended for learning purposes:

         For Windows and Linux, classic & object-oriented from Rexx Programmers Reference
         For Windows from Reginald REXX
         For Windows from Kilowatt Software’s tutorial and reference guide
         Sample algorithms in Rexx with explanations from Vladimir Zabrodsky
         Sample code for The Perl Cookbook in Rexx from PLEAC-REXX
         120+ Windows Object-Oriented scripts from Microsoft
         130+ Object REXX scripts (download) from Object REXX by Example
         For OS/2 from PillarSoft
         For Palm OS from Jaxo Inc.
         For Mainframe, w/ ISPF, edit macros from DMOZ Open Directory Project
         For TSO-REXX with ISPF from The American Programmer
         For REXX/VSE from IBM
         NetRexx, applications and applets from IBM
  
All the Rexx interpreters download with their own sample scripts, as well.

There are many active Rexx forums--

           Generic Rexx forum    
           Reginald Rexx forum (for Windows users)
           For mainframe users (from Tek-Tips.com)
           For mainframe users (from MVSHelp.com)
           In German      
           In French
           In Russian
           In Japanese  

comp.lang.rexx (a Rexx newsgroup, here accessed through Google Groups)
Rexx for TSO listserv (a listserv for TSO-REXX, here accessed through Google Groups)
Subscribe to the VM-REXX listserv run by Marist College.
Subscribe to the NetRexx email list from IBM
NetRexx WebRing lists NetRexx web sites (these are also in our downloadable list of tools sites)

The Rexx Language Association is a truly international users group for all Rexx users. It--

        *  Holds an annual conference where you can talk with expert Rexx developers
        *  Publishes the conference presentations (2006 here, 2005 here, 2004 here)
        *  Supports the Open Object Rexx project and its product, Open Object Rexx
        *  Offers an informational web site
        *  Membership is $24 US ($12 for students) -- Become a member here 

These are high-value web sites you can visit for more Rexx information.  Many of the links on this site point to these very useful sites --

User Group --Rexx Language Association

Interpreters and Tools --

Mainframes -- The American Programmer

Tools -- Sites with Free Tools

There are many excellent free Rexx tutorials on the web --

           Wikipedia’s description of the language and summary
           Rexx introduction from Rexx/imc
           Tutorial from Kyla Computing Ltd.
           Tutorial from Rexx/imc
           Tutorial and language reference from Kilowatt Software
           Downloadable interactive book tutorial & reference for Windows from Reginald REXX 
           Tutorial from Elliot Spencer
           Tutorial and introduction from Vladimir Zabrodsky
           A Quick Rexx Tutorial from Howard Fosdick
           Tutorial for scripting handhelds running the Palm OS from Jaxo Inc.
           Introduction to Rexx Workshop (for VM) from Univ Conn. by Rick Ellis
           Introduction to Rexx for OS/390 from Lionel Dyck
           Introduction to REXX/VSE from Bernd Dowedeit from IBM
           Introduction to Rexx for AS/400 by Vladimir Zabrodsky

           Compare 3 ways to write the same script -- a script that displays the largest files on your
           Windows PC so you can delete any you choose to reclaim space.   3 tutorial articles--

                 “Reclaim Gigabytes using a Rexx Script”  --Classic procedural Rexx (uses Regina)
                 “Reclaim Gigabytes using a Recursive Rexx Script”  -- Procedural Reginald REXX.
                 “Reclaim Gigabytes using an Open Object Rexx Script”  --Open Object Rexx

Object-oriented Rexx--

           Brief summary of object-oriented Rexx scripting from Open Object Rexx project.
           What’s Up with Object Rexx?, see page 42 in this PDF file for an introduction
           The Programming Guide for Open Object Rexx is highly readable, from the OORexx Team
           Object-oriented Rexx scripting tutorial and language summary from Kilowatt Software
           roo! object-oriented programming presentation from Kilowatt Software
           Introduction to Object Rexx, a presentation from Prof. Rony Flatscher
           The Rexx Programmer’s Reference offers an object scripting tutorial.

NetRexx--

           NetRexx Introduction, a presentation from Michael Cowlishaw.   49 slides.
           NetRexx Tutorial, a presentation by Thomas Schneider.  41 slides.
           NetRexx Hands-on Lab (for VM & VSE), a presentation from Casey & Morse, IBM
           NetRexx Language Overview and Quick Startmanual from Michael Cowlishaw.
           NetRexx at Once: Quick Guide for Java Developers (downloadable)  by Leonardo Boselli

Additionally--

           Most Rexx interpreters download with bundled learning materials and sample scripts.
           Read the articles below for more about Rexx and some more code walk-throughs.
           Download sample scripts written for illustrative purposes.

These articles are primarily introductory.   Experienced developers should go to the Reference and How-To’s sections below.

         "Power through Simplicity" explains how power is achieved in Rexx -- a language  
         that "looks" simple -- and the advantages to this approach to power programming over
         languages that "look" powerful.

         This tutorial presentation introduces all aspects of Rexx, including varieties, uses,
         language structure, and a walk-through of several example scripts.   61 slides,
         Powerpoint, distributed under the Open Publication License. 

         “Free Rexx Runs Everywhere!” describes the free Rexx interpreters and their uses.

         “Using Rexx for Easy Linux Desktop Scripting”  describes Rexx for Linux users.

         “Rexx for Everyone” describes the advantages to free Rexx and gives you a feel for
         what the language is like.

         “Back to the Future with Rexx,” a quick language introduction for Windows users.

         “Whatever Happened to Rexx?” an overview for Windows users.

         “Rexx: A Quick Overview” describes the three Rexx varieties and how they are used--
         classic procedural Rexx, object-oriented Rexx, and Java-compatible NetRexx.

         “REXX Concepts and Applications,” an intro to Rexx for OS/TSO by Bruce Woodworth.

         “Job Streams “to go” Using REXX/VSE,” from Linda Dockstader.

         “All Hail King NetRexx!” is a good overview of NetRexx, and how and why you would
         use it.  It features a nice, short summary of the language.

These resources give you a completely online Rexx language reference --

        Wikipedia’s description and language summary
         Tutorial and full language reference from Kilowatt Software
         Instructions reference from Kilowatt Software
         Functions reference from Kilowatt Software
         Syntax summary quick reference from Kilowatt Software
         Tutorial and full language reference from Kyla Computing Ltd. 
         Language reference summary from Rexx/imc
         Rexx FAQs from Mindspring
         Instructions reference from Elliot Spencer
         Language reference from Elliot Spencer
         Rexx language home page at IBM
         VM Rexx language syntax referencefrom Rick Swain
         Rexx Style Guide for TSO-REXX from Neil Hancock
         TSO Rexx FAQs from Neil Hancock
         REXX/VSE home page from IBM
         Rexx manuals and how-tos for all IBM platforms from The American Programmer
         Rexx versus Clist comparison from The American Programmer
         TSO and ISPF manuals from IBM from The American Programmer
         Index page for mainframe Rexx information from The American Programmer
         Many Rexx resources on the Open Project Directory from DMOZ
         Rexx for CICS home page from IBM
         ANSI 1996 Rexx standard (pre-publication final draft)
         IBM manual “Stream I/O for TSO/E REXX” from IBM
         i5/OS V5R2 Information Center online (includes Rexx topics) from IBM
         AS/400 rexx command parameters from IBM

Direct online access to product reference manuals --

All IBM Rexx manuals here --
     includes OS, VM, VSE, CICS, OS/2, OS Unix services, AS/400, AIX Object Rexx,
     and database interfaces.

Object-oriented Rexx--

         Documentation home page for Open Object Rexx from the Open Object Rexx Project
         IBMs Object Rexx home page from IBM
         roo! -- Kilowatt Software homepage

Direct online access to all Open Object Rexx manuals from Open Object Rexx Project--

Direct online access to roo! documentation from Kilowatt Software --

NetRexx--

        NetRexx home page at IBM
        Creating Java Applications Using NetRexx redbook from IBM
         NetRexxD documentation package download from IBM
         Java and NetRexx under VM home page from IBM