The programming languages REC and convert
Harold V. McIntosh, Gerardo Andrés Cisneros · ACM SIGPLAN Notices · 1990
Two symbol manipulation languages are presented. REC (an acronym for Regular Expression Compiler) is a very compact language possessing a simple control structure. C ONVERT is a pattern matching and substitution language well suited to problems whose solution may conveniently be expressed in terms of transformation rules. REC is useful when conciseness is required. such as for microcomputers with limited memory, interactive programming via the keyboard, and so on. Its present form was carefully chosen to facilitate the compilation of C ONVERT programs while still preserving a universal appearance. In turn, C ONVERT is a natural alternative to consider for an application which is already expressed in terms of transformation rules, as are many compilers, assemblers and symbol manipulation systems. This article primarily describes the appearance of these two languages, but some of the applications which they have been given are mentioned.