Editing Clipper (programming language) (section)

{{Short description|Compiler for xBase}}
{{Infobox programming language
| name = Clipper
| logo = 
| logo caption = 
| paradigm = 
| family = [[xBase]]
| designer = 
| developers = [[#History|Nantucket Corporation]]<br/>[[Computer Associates]]
| released = {{Start date and age|1985}}
| latest release version = CA Clipper 5.3b
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|1997|05|20}}
| discontinued = yes
| typing = 
| programming language = 
| operating system = [[DOS]]
| license = [[Proprietary software|proprietary]]
| file ext = 
| website = Last known Website ''{{URL|http://www.grafxsoft.com/clipper.htm}}'' still exists, but relevant content has been removed, even for the main webpage. Looking back in time at this URL in Wayback Machine, real content appears last available on June 16, 2018. This archived content still available at: ''{{URL|https://web.archive.org/web/20180616231447/http://www.grafxsoft.com/clipper.htm}}''. Trying to place an order at the page bottom will fall.
| wikibooks = 
| implementations = 
| dialects = 
| influenced by = [[dBase]]
| influenced = [[Harbour (programming language)|Harbour]]
}}
'''Clipper''' is an [[xBase]] [[compiler]] that implements a variant of the ''xBase'' computer [[programming language]]. It is used to create or extend software programs that originally ran usually on [[DOS]]. Although it is a powerful general-purpose programming language, it was used mainly to create [[database]] business programs.
 
One major [[dBase]] feature not implemented in Clipper is the [[dBase#Interactivity|dot-prompt]] (. prompt) interactive command set,<ref>{{cite book |title=DBASE - From the Dot Prompt: An Introduction to Structured Programming using dBase IV |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0791417808 |isbn=0791417808 |author=Warren M. Littlefield |date=1983}}</ref> which was an important part of the original dBase implementation.

Clipper, from Nantucket Corp and later [[Computer Associates]], started out as a native code compiler for dBase III databases, and later evolved.<ref>{{cite web |title=Clipper |url=https://winworldpc.com/product/clipper |quote=a native code compiler for dBase ... later evolved ...}}</ref>