Book excerpt: Covering the basics of Control Language (CL) programming as well as the latest CL features--including new structured-programming capabilities, file-processing enhancements, and the Integrated Language Environment--this resource is geared towards students learning CL. The book guides readers towards a professional grasp of CL techniques, introducing complex processes and concepts through review questions, hands-on exercises, and programming assignments that reinforce each chapter's contents. In addition to 25 chapters that cover CL from start to finish, a comprehensive appendix with condensed references to the most commonly used CL commands is also included along with two additional appendixes that cover the essentials of programming tools and debugging.