For single- and mixed-language applications, the Language Environment runtime library provides a consistent and predictable condition-handling facility. It does not replace current HLL condition handling, but instead allows each language to respond to its own unique environment as well as to a mixed-language environment.

Language Environment condition management gives you the flexibility to respond directly to conditions by providing callable services to signal conditions and to interrogate information about those conditions. It also provides functions for error diagnosis, reporting, and recovery.

Language Environment condition handling is based on the stack frame, an area of storage that is allocated when a routine runs and that represents the history of execution of that routine. It can contain automatic variables, information on program linkage and condition handling, and other information. Using the stack frame as the model for condition handling allows conditions to be handled in the stack frame in which they occur. This allows you to tailor condition handling according to a specific routine, rather than handle every possible condition that could occur within one global condition handler.

A unique feature of Language Environment condition handling is the condition token. The token is a 12-byte data type that contains an accumulation of information about each condition. The information can be returned to the user as a feedback code when calling Language Environment callable services. It can also be used as a communication vehicle within the runtime environment.

Serviceability is improved with interactive problem control system (IPCS) exits.