Hello world and hello Texas from Database

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Install VistA with something like Astronaut. Get to a Mumps prompt: choose item 3 if you are using VistA Commander.

MUMPS>write "hello world"

hello world

MUMPS>write "hello " write $P(^DIC(5,48,0),"^",1)

hello TEXAS

What the above hello TEXAS line does:

  • Invokes the $P[iece] command, which is similar to but not exactly like the substring command in many other languages.
  • The ^ indicates that this is not a local variable; MUMPS will look for a global stored on disk and visible to other users.
  • DIC's subscripts say to look in the data DICtionary in file 5, field 48, item 0.
  • Then $P uses the ^ in this case as a delimiter, and returns the first piece.
  • Since ^DIC(5,48,0)="TEXAS^TX^48^^1^1", MUMPS writes "TEXAS".