Editing Control Language (section)

{{Short description|IBM operating system scripting language}}
{{Refimprove|date=October 2017}}
{{Infobox programming language
| name                   = Control Language
| logo                   = 
| paradigm               = [[Imperative programming|imperative]]
| year                   = {{Start date and age|1978}}
| designer               = [[IBM]]
| developer              = [[IBM]]
| latest_release_version = 
| latest_release_date    = 
| latest_test_version    = 
| latest_test_date       = 
| typing                 = 
| implementations        = 
| dialects               = 
| influenced_by          = [[Job Control Language]], [[PL/I]]
| influenced             = [[Windows PowerShell]]
| operating_system       = [[Control Program Facility]], [[IBM i]]
| license                = Proprietary
| website                =
}}

The '''Control Language''' ('''CL''') is a [[scripting language]] originally created by [[IBM]] for the [[System/38]] [[Control Program Facility]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/system38/SC21-7731-5_System_38_Control_Language_Reference_Manual_to_pg_4-708_198209.pdf|title=IBM System/38 Control Language Reference Manual|date=1982-09-10|publisher=IBM|access-date=2021-03-24}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and later used in [[OS/400]] (now known as IBM i). It bears a resemblance to the IBM [[Job Control Language]] and consists of a set of command objects (*CMD) used to invoke traditional programs or get help on what those programs do. CL can also be used to create CL programs (congruent to [[shell script]]s) where there are additional commands that provide program-like functionality (IF/ELSE, [[Declaration (computer science)|variable declaration]], file input, etc.)

Although CL is a scripting language for system administration, it is used mainly to create compiled programs. The use of interpreted CL scripts through the SBMDBJOB command <ref>[http://www.itjungle.com/fhg/fhg030712-story02.html itjungle.com]</ref> is in fact extremely limited.

While thousands of commands were written by IBM developers to perform system-level tasks like compiling programs, backing up data, changing system configurations, displaying system object details, or deleting them, commands are not limited to systems-level concerns and can be drafted for user applications as well.