The name PILOT is an acronym, and stands for Programmed Instruction, Learning, Or Teaching. Like its younger sibling LOGO, it was an early foray into the technology of computer assisted instruction (CAI). It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Backronym and Apronym (Discuss) Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations, such as NATO, laser, and ABC, written as the initial letter or letters of words, and pronounced on the basis of this abbreviated written form. ... Logo turtle graphic The Logo programming language is a functional programming language. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Language syntax

A line of PILOT code contains (from left to right) the following syntax elements: For other uses, see Syntax (disambiguation). ...

• an optional label
• a command letter
• an optional Y (for yes) or N (for no)
• an optional conditional expression in parentheses
• a colon (":")
• an operand, or multiple operands delimited by commas.

A label can also be alone in a line, not followed by other code. The syntax for a label is an asterisk followed by an identifier (alphanumeric string with alphabetic initial character). In mathematics, an operand is one of the inputs (arguments) of an operator. ... Delimited data uses specific characters (delimiters) to separate its values. ...

Command letters

The following commands are used in "core PILOT".

A:

Accept input into "accept buffer". The term input has a variety of uses in different fields. ... In computing, a buffer is a region of memory used to temporarily hold output or input data, comparable to buffers in telecommunication. ...

Examples:

  R:Next line of input replaces current contents of accept buffer A:  

  R:Next line of input replaces accept buffer, and string variable 'FREE' A:$FREE  

  R:Next 3 lines of input assigned to string variables 'X', 'Y' and 'Z' A:$X,$Y,$Z  

  R:Numeric input assigned to numeric variable "Q" A:#Q  

C: In computer programming and formal language theory, (and other branches of mathematics), a string is an ordered sequence of symbols. ... In computer science and mathematics, a variable (IPA pronunciation: ) (sometimes called a pronumeral) is a symbolic representation denoting a quantity or expression. ...

Compute and assign numeric value.

Example:

  R:Assign arithmetic mean of #X and #Y to #AM C:#AM=(#X+#Y)/2  

Most PILOT implementations have only integer arithmetic, and no arrays. In mathematics and statistics, the arithmetic mean (or simply the mean) of a list of numbers is the sum of all the members of the list divided by the number of items in the list. ... In computer science, the term integer is used to refer to any data type which can represent some subset of the mathematical integers. ... Arithmetic tables for children, Lausanne, 1835 Arithmetic or arithmetics (from the Greek word αριθμός = number) is the oldest and most elementary branch of mathematics, used by almost everyone, for tasks ranging from simple daily counting to advanced science and business calculations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

D:

Dimension an array, on some implementations.

E:

End (return from) subroutine or (if outside of a subroutine) abort program. Always used without any operand. In computer science, a subroutine (function, method, procedure, or subprogram) is a portion of code within a larger program, which performs a specific task and is relatively independent of the remaining code. ...

J:

Jump to label.

Example:

  J:*RESTART  

M:

Match the accept buffer against string variables or string literals. A string literal is the representation of a string value within the source code of a computer program. ...

Example:

  R:Search accept buffer for "TRUTH", the value of $MEXICO and "YOUTH", in that order M:TRUTH,$MEXICO,YOUTH  

The first match string (if any) that is a substring of the accept buffer is assigned to the special variable $MATCH. The buffer characters left of the first match are assigned to $LEFT, and the characters on the right are assigned to $RIGHT.

The match flag is set to 'yes' or 'no', depending on whether a match is made. Any statement that has a Y following the command letter is processed only if the match flag is set. Statements with N are processed only if the flag is not set.

N:

Equivalent to TN: (type if last match unsuccessful)

R:

The operand of R: is a comment, and therefore not processed. Look up Comment on Wiktionary, the free dictionary In computer programming, comments are parts of the source code which, together with its layout, are used to explain the code. ...

T:

'Type' operand as output.

Examples:

  R:Output a literal string T:Thank you for your support.  

  R:Output a variable expression T:Thank you, $NAME.  

U:

Use (call) a subroutine. A subroutine starts with a label and ends with E:

Example:

  R:Call subroutine starting at label *INITIALIZE U:*INITIALIZE  

Y:

Equivalent to TY: (type if last match successful)

Parentheses:

If there is parenthesized expression in a statement, it is a test expression, and the statement is processed only if the test has a value of 'true'.

Example:

  R:Type message if x>y+z T(#X>#Y+#Z):Condition met  

Extension features

Extensions to core pilot include arrays and floating point numbers in Apple PILOT, and implementation of LOGO-inspired turtle graphics in Atari PILOT. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A floating-point number is a digital representation for a number in a certain subset of the rational numbers, and is often used to approximate an arbitrary real number on a computer. ... The 1977 Apple II, complete with integrated keyboard, color graphics, sound, a plastic case and eight expansion slots. ... Logo turtle graphic The Logo programming language is a functional programming language. ... The Logo programming language is an adaptation by Wally Feurzeig and Seymour Papert of the Lisp programming language that is easier to read. ...

Derivatives

Versions of PILOT overlaid on the BASIC interpreters of early microcomputers were not unknown in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and Byte Magazine at one point published a non-Turing complete derivative of PILOT known as Waduzitdo as a way of demonstrating what a computer was capable of. Screenshot of Atari BASIC, an early BASIC language for small computers. ... The front cover of the April 1981 issue of BYTE (Vol 6. ... In computability theory a programming language or any other logical system is called Turing-complete if it has a computational power equivalent to a universal Turing machine. ...

In 1991 the IEEE [1] agreed a standard for Pilot "IEEE Std 1154-1991 IEEE Standard for Programmed Inquiry, Learning, or Teaching (PILOT) " see [2]

There is an open source implementation of Pilot, RPilot [3].