Oriel is a

scripting language A scripting language or script language is a programming language that is used to manipulate, customize, and automate the facilities of an existing system. Scripting languages are usually interpreted at runtime rather than compiled. A scripting ...

released with the ''Power Tools'' series of instructional books written by the LeBlond Group. Described in its documentation as a "graphics-based batch language", it was originally designed for

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

Windows 3.0 Windows 3.0 is the third major release of Microsoft Windows, launched in 1990. It features a new graphical user interface (GUI) where applications are represented as clickable icons, as opposed to the list of file names seen in its predeces ...

and released with the book ''Windows 3 Power Tools'' in 1991.COMPUTE! Issue 134 - http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue134/143_Windows_3_Power_Tool.php However, versions of the language were also bundled with ''Windows 3.1 Power Tools'' in 1992 and ''Windows NT Power Tools'' in 1994. The suggested extension for an Oriel script file was ORL. Oriel was distributed with two executables: ORIEL.EXE, and MKRUNTIM.EXE. The former was the Oriel interpreter, which when invoked would prompt the user to choose a script file for execution. The latter gave the user the ability to create custom executables by bundling a script within a copy of the interpreter. In this way, an Oriel program could be distributed and run in the same way as any other Windows

EXE Exe or EXE may refer to: * .exe, a file extension * exe., abbreviation for executive Places * River Exe, in England * Exe Estuary, in England * Exe Island, in Exeter, England Transportation and vehicles * Exe (locomotive), a British locomotive ...

. The language was named after the oriel style of

bay window A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room. Types Bay window is a generic term for all protruding window constructions, regardless of whether they are curved or angular, or r ...

. A window of that style is depicted in the icon distributed with the runtime.

Examples

The following program displays a modal

dialog box The dialog box (also called dialogue box (non-U.S. English), message box or simply dialog) is a graphical control element in the form of a small window that communicates information to the user and prompts them for a response. Dialog boxes ar ...

containing a hello, world message.

MessageBox(OK, 1, INFORMATION, "Hello, world!", "Oriel Says Hello", responseValue)

An Oriel program will always possess a main window over which a dialog box of this type would appear. The following code gives that window a title, maximizes it, and instructs it to remain open until the user closes it. This code also demonstrates retrieval of window information and use of string variables. A function call of SetWindow(MAXIMIZE) could replace the second and third lines.


UseCaption("Welcome to Oriel")
WinGetActive(windowName$)
WinShow(windowName$, MAXIMIZE, resultValue)
MessageBox(OK, 1, INFORMATION, "Hello, world!", "Oriel Says Hello", responseValue)
WaitInput()

Examples

See also

References

Further reading