scope:

This International Standard defines the programming language APL and the environment in which APL programs are executed. Its purpose is to facilitate interchange and promote portability of APL programs and programming skills. This International Standard specifies the syntax and semantics of APL programs and the characteristics of the environment in which APL programs are executed.

It also specifies requirements for conformance to this International Standard, including the publication of values and characteristics of implementation properties so that conforming implementations can be meaningfully compared.

This International Standard does not specify:

- implementation properties that are likely to vary with the particular equipment or operating system used;

- required values for implementation limits such as APL workspace size or numeric precision;

- the data structures used to represent APL objects;

- the facilities available through shared variables.