Introducing Rexx2Nrx:
- the 'classic Rexx' to NetRexx converter.
release 4.00 January 1 ,2003
-- and it's now FREE Software!
During the past decades, REXX has become a very popular language used on various platforms and operating systems. M.F.Cowlishaw, the author of REXX, has now introduced NetRexx, which is a blend of the best principles of Java and REXX.
Unfortunately, Netrexx is not upwards compatible to Rexx. Rexx2Nrx, the 'classic REXX to NetRexx converter' has been developed to fill this gap. Rexx2Nrx takes REXX source code, parses and analyses it, and translates it to NetRexx as far as possible. REXX subroutines/functions are translated to proper NetRexx/Java classes and methods, The format and the datatypes of the generated NetRexx program may be tailored to your needs by a couple of options very similiar to the equivalent NetRexx options.
For those REXX functions not available in NetRexx, a RUN-Time library is provided implementing the missing functions. This library includes simple methods like date(..) and time(..) etc, as well as an implementation of stream I/O (stream, linein,lineout, charin,charout, etc), Stack I/O, execution of System Commands, Bit string handling, etc.
Rexx2Nrx has been originally developped in CMS compiled REXX, and bootstraps itself from REXX to NetRexx. The Java version is available as free Software thru the Internet. Look at www.Rexx2Nrx.com for DOWNLOAD and some more detailed examples and documentation.
Version 4..00 of Rexx2Nrx has been released start of 2003, which will allow you to stepwise translate external REXX function packages/include files to equivalent NetRexx/Java classes and methods. Both a top down approach (with INCLUDED files) and a bottom up approach are supported.
For any comments, problems, or ideas for possible improvements please send a mail to
The design principles of the converter, the REXX parser and the Rexx to NetRexx translator, and the RUN-Time library have been presented at the 2002 Rexx LA meeting. Look at www.RexxLA.org for the abstracts and presentations of this event.
I'm currrently using the news-group 'COMP.LANG.REXX' to collect and deliver any news for this project.
Hence, you may simply access
newsgroup comp.lang.rexx
for all recent news for the Rexx/ObjectRexx/NetRexx/Rexx2Nrx family news,
Enjoy the new vision of running 'classic Rexx' programs in Java!
Vienna, 01.01.2003
Thomas Schneider