Calvin N. Mooers

A description of the TRAC (Text Reckoning And Compiling) language and processing algorithm is given. The TRAC language was developed as the basis of a software package for the reactive typewriter. In the TRAC language, one can write procedures for accepting, naming and storing any character string from the typewriter; for modifying any string in any way; for treating any string at any time as an executable procedure, or as a name, or as text; and for printing out any string. The TRAC language is based upon an extension and generalization to character strings of the programming concept of the “macro.” Through the ability of TRAC to accept and store definitions of procedures, the capabilities of the language can be indefinitely extended. TRAC can handle iterative and recursive procedures, and can deal with character strings, integers and Boolean vector variables.