Flipp: fortran library for interactive persistent programming

The present paper describes a Fortran library FLIPP constituting a run‐time environment that is linked to scientific applications software (such as finite‐element analysis programs) to support programming of interactive program control and use of persistent user‐defined dynamic data structures. The system consists of control and data definition and manipulation subsystems. The FLIPP routines are fully‐portable standard Fortran 77 procedures and the use of FLIPP leads the programmer to information hiding, e.g. as in object‐oriented systems. Program design and maintenance are facilitated to a considerable degree, while at the same time the performance of the programs using the FLIPP system remains fairly good as demonstrated by the examples.