The following set of symbols describe the syntax of the parameter and control statements in this book. Never put these symbols in the parameter or control statements.
| SYMBOL | DESCRIPTION | How to read these symbols |
|---|---|---|
| { } | braces | Group related items, such as alternatives. For example: ALPHA=({A|B|C},D) indicates that you must choose one of the items enclosed within the braces. If you choose A, code ALPHA=(A,D). |
| [ ] | brackets | Group related items; however, everything within
the brackets is optional and may be omitted. For example: ALPHA=([A|B|C],D) indicates that you may choose one of the items within the brackets or omit all of them. If you select only D, code ALPHA=(,D). |
| … | ellipses | Indicate that the preceding item or group of items
can be repeated more than once in succession. For example: ALPHA [,BETA] … indicates that ALPHA can appear alone or can be followed by ,BETA any number of times in succession. |
| — | underscore | Indicates a default option. You only need to specify the parameter if you do not want the underscored default option. |
| │ | vertical bar | Represents logical OR, and means that you can
code one or the other of two alternatives. For example: KEYWORD=[ALPHA|BETA] indicates that you can code either ALPHA or BETA as the value for KEYWORD. |