F. M. Longstaff
Ferranti Electronic
November 1963
CONSOLIDATION PROGRAM (CNSL)
{Same function was provided to Fortran/Algol compilers by CSLA module.}
The current version of CNSL is operating with paper tape input/output only.
Since GPL is not complete, the copy of GPL is omitted as described in 4. 6.
F. M. Longstaff
November 15, 1963
Program 106 page 1
Issue 1 November 1963
Consolidation Program (CNSL)
1. General Description
1.1This program accepts the output from FORTRAN or AUTOCODER
(or ALGOL ?) and prepares it for input by GPL.
1.2The output of the above compilers is assumed to be divided into
segments with a leader associated with each. If only one output device is
used by the compiler, each leader (in spite of its name) follows the segment
which it describes. If two output devices are used, the segments and the
leaders may be separated.
Only the leaders are used as data by CNSL although object program
segments may be copied.
CNSL prepares a request slip for use by EXECUTIVE and a
consolidated leader for use by GPL.
2. Structure of Object Program Segments
2.1All information handled by CNSL is divided into blocks each consisting
of up to 80 characters.
The first character of each block defines the type of block.
2.2CNSL recognizes 8 types of blocks on input.
margin-left:0ex; vertical-align:top;
These are:-
First character (octal) Type
| First character | (octal) | Type |
| 0 | (00) | object program binary block |
| 3 | (03) | object program title block |
| 4 | (04) | object program terminating block |
| ( | (30) | priority and name block |
| + | (33) | leader title block |
| , | (34) | leader terminating block |
| / | (37) | leader cue block |
| ; | (13) | pause block |
2.3An object program segment consists of:-
1) An object program title block
2) A number of object program binary blocks
3) An object program terminating block
2.4A leader consists of:-
1) A leader title block
2) A priority and name block (optional)
3) A number of leader cue blocks
4) A leader terminating block
2.5Data, after the first character, consists of fields which may be either
octal or alphanumeric fields. Other information, following the fields listed below,
is not examined by CNSL although it will be copied to output if the whole block is
output.
2.6An object program title block consists of:-
1) An octal field giving type of segment
2) An alphanumeric field giving the name of the segment
Only one bit of the octal field is used. This is the ninth bit counting from
The least significant end and is used to indicate “force in”. The segment name is
matched against a cue list held by CNSL to determine whether to accept or reject
the segment. Acceptance or rejection of a segment may also be controlled by an
overall segment copy switch, If the overall copy switch is on, the segment is accepted
if:-
| 1) There are no cues in the list | |
| or | 2) The name matches a blank cue |
| or | 3) The name does not match any cue and the force in bit is a one |
If the title block is accepted, it and the following binary
blocks and the terminating block are copied to output without further
processing. Otherwise they are ignored.
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Issue 1 November 1963
2.7Object program binary blocks and terminating blocks are not
processed by CNSL. See the description of GPL for their
content, The terminating block is identical to the leader terminating
block except for the first character.
2.8A leader title block is identical, except for the first character,
to an object program title block and is accepted or rejected in the same
way except that the overall copy switch is not examined. If the title
block is accepted it and the following leader blocks are copied to output
and also used as data. Otherwise they are ignored.
2.9A priority and name block consists of:-
1) A 4 digit octal number giving priority
2) An alphanumeric field giving program name
Either field may be omitted (or both for that matter) and replaced by spaces.
If a priority, other than zero, is given and if no priority has
been given in any previous accepted block, the priority is used to establish
the priority for EXECUTIVE. The octal number is considered as 2 characters.
If no priority is given by any block, CNSL set priority to 50 (octal 500).
If a name is given and if no name has been given in any previously
accepted block, the first 4 characters of the name are used as the name for
EXECUTIVE. If no name is given in any block, CNSL sets the name to XCOP
(unknown compiler object program).
The priority and name block is optional and need not appear in a
leader. Furthermore it may appear anywhere among the cue blocks.
Program 106 Page 4
Issue 1 November 1963
2.10A leader cue block consists of:-
1) An octal field giving type and value
2) An alphanumeric field giving the name of the cue
The octal field is treated as a 24 bit word interpreted as follows:
| Bit 0 | = 1 if the cue represents a storage area into which data must be loaded |
| = 0 otherwise | |
| Bit 1 | = 1 if the cue represents a storage area which must lie below 4096. |
| = 0 otherwise | |
| Bit 2 | spare |
| Bits 3, 4 and 5 give the type of cue as follows:- | |
| 0 - blank cue - whole octal field must be zero | |
| 1 - program cue | |
| 2 - entry point cue | |
| 3 - area cue (for common areas) | |
| 4 - peripheral cue | |
| 5-7 - spare | |
| Bits 6, 7 and 8 - Spare | |
| Bits 9 to 23 - Value | |
Cues in accepted leaders are consolidated with the stored cue list as
described in section 3.
2.11A leader terminating block consists of ten octal fields giving the
private space requirements of the segment in each of ten categories. These
are added to ten totals held by CNSL.
After the leader terminating block is processed, the cue list is
examined to determine if any blank cues remain. If none remain, the "END"
procedure is entered, otherwise reading continues.
2.12A pause block contains no data, used by CNSL, other than the first
character.
The cue list is scanned and the name of one (the first) blank cue
is selected. CNSL then types CNSL NEEDS 'name' on the console typewriter
and is suspended.
The operator may then type GO if it is desired to continue
reading or GO at 10 if it is desired to enter the "END" procedure with
an incomplete program.
Program 106 Page 5
Issue 1 November 1963
3. Consolidation of cues
3.1Types of cues, as defined by the first 2 octal digits of type and
value are as follows:
| 00 - blank cue - entire octal field must be zero |
| 41 - program cue - value = length of program segment in wards. |
| 02 - entry cue - value = distance, in words, of the entry point from the start of the segment |
| 03 - area cue for upper, non preset area - value = size of area in words |
| 23 - area cue for lower non preset area |
| 43 - area cue for upper preset area |
| 63 - area cue for lower preset area |
| 04 - peripheral cue - last two octal digits of value give peripheral type and unit number respectively. |
3.2Blank cues are used when a segment refers to another segment or entry
point or peripheral device without defining such segment, entry or device,
3.3Program cues are used to define the length of a program segment.
Normally one and only one program cue appears in each leader.
3.4Entry cues are used to define entry points other than the start of
the segment.
3.5Area cues are used to establish areas of storage which may be referred
to by more than one segment.
3.6Peripheral cues are used to associate names with peripheral devices.
3.7Consolidation of cues is the process of consolidating one read cue
into a list of cues held by CNSL. It proceeds as follows:-
| 1) | if no cue of a similar name appears in the list. the read cue is added to the list | |
| otherwise | 2) | if the read cue is blank it is ignored |
| otherwise | 3) | if the list cue is blank it is replaced by the read cue |
| otherwise | 4) | if the read cue is an area cue a new cue is formed in which the top 9 bits are an "or" of the two cues and the value is the maximum of the two values |
| otherwise | 5) | the read cue is ignored |
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4. The 'END" procedure
4.1The END procedure is entered when the list contains no blank
cues and therefore describes a complete program. Alternatively END may be
entered by operator action with blank cues in the list. If any blank cues
remain they are given value = octal 70077 which is likely to give illegal
results if any instruction, altered by such a cue, is obeyed.
4.2CNSL now allocated storage to the complete program in 15 groups,
starting at location 30 in the following order
1) Space in category 1 {lower work}
2) Space in category 2 {lower variables}
3) Space in category 3
4) All lower non-preset areas
5) Space in category 4 {constants}
6) Space in category 5 {literals}
7) Space in category 6
8) All lower preset areas
9) All program segments
10) Space in category 7 {upper preset}
11) Space in category 8
12) All upper preset areas
13) Space in category 9 {upper work}
14) Space in category 10
15) All upper non preset areas
4.3A value of "offset" is calculated,
offset = length of GPL + length of cue list - length of groups 1 to 4
offset = 0 if the above is negative
Offset is used by GPL to load all preset areas above their final location
and to move them into position after loading is complete.
4.4A value of waste space is calculated.
waste = offset - length of groups 13 to 15
if waste is positive it is added to group 15.
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4.5A release instruction is calculated.
release instruction = 151 order if no peripheral input devices
of the type required by the loader are required otherwise release
instruction = 000 0 0
4.6CNSL now outputs:
1) Blank tape in the case of paper tape
2) A pause block
3) More blank tape
4) A request slip for EXECUTIVE
5) A copy of GPL (to be read by EXECUTIVE)
6) A consolidated leader
4.7CNSL is now suspended (157 order ) ready to deal with another
program. From this point (or following the initial loading of CNSL)
| GO | will cause a further program to be consolidated with the overall copy switch unchanged (on after initial load) |
| GO | at 11 will turn on the copy switch before consolidating |
| GO | at 12 will turn off the copy switch before consolidating |
4.8The consolidated leader consists of:-
| 1 | A relativizer block - first character = | = (octal 15) |
| 2 | A parameter block - first character = | > (octal 16) |
| 3 | A number of consolidated cue blocks - first character = | ? (octal 17) |
| 4 | A terminating block - first character = | < (octal 14) |
The relativizer block contains 10 octal fields giving the initial
settings of the relativizers for GPL.
The parameter block contains 2 octal fields giving the offset
and release instruction.
The consolidated cue blocks contain an octal field giving type and
value, and an alphanumeric field giving name. The value of cues, except peripheral
cues, at this stage represent starting addresses rather than lengths.
The terminating block consists only of the first character.
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5. Detailed description of fields
5.1An octal field
1) May have any number of leading spaces
2) May then have any number of leading zeros
3) May then have from none to eight significant octal digits
4) is terminated by any character other than an octal digit -
the terminating character is considered to be part of the
following field. Space may be used as a terminator only
if there has been at least one leading zero or octal digit.
End of block will also serve as a terminator.
5.2An alphanumeric field
1) May have any number of leading spaces
2) May have from one to forty characters other than space
3) Must be terminated by space or end of block
5.3Octal fields produced by CNSL will have:-
1) No leading spaces or zeros
2) From one to eight significant digits - single zero if number is zero
3) One space as a terminator
5.4Alphanumeric fields produced by CNSL will have:-
1) No leading spaces
2) Characters of name
3) One space as a terminator