Running Command Syntax

  1. Highlight the commands that you want to run in the syntax window.
  2. Click the Run button (the right-pointing triangle) on the Syntax Editor toolbar. It runs the selected commands or the command where the cursor is located if there is no selection.

    or

  3. Choose one of the items from the Run menu.
  • All. Runs all commands in the syntax window, honoring any breakpoints.
  • Selection. Runs the currently selected commands, honoring any breakpoints. This includes any partially highlighted commands. If there is no selection, the command where the cursor is positioned is run.
  • To End. Runs all commands starting from the first command in the current selection to the last command in the syntax window, honoring any breakpoints. If nothing is selected, the run starts from the command where the cursor is positioned.
  • Step Through. Runs the command syntax one command at a time starting from the first command in the syntax window (Step Through From Start) or from the command where the cursor is positioned (Step Through From Current). If there is selected text, the run starts from the first command in the selection. After a given command has run, the cursor advances to the next command and you continue the step through sequence by choosing Continue.

    LOOP-END LOOP, DO IF-END IF, DO REPEAT-END REPEAT, INPUT PROGRAM-END INPUT PROGRAM, and MATRIX-END MATRIX blocks are treated as single commands when using Step Through. You can not step into one of these blocks.

  • Continue. Continues a run stopped by a breakpoint or Step Through.

Progress Indicator

The progress of a given syntax run is indicated with a downward pointing arrow in the gutter, spanning the last set of commands run. For instance, you choose to run all commands in a syntax window that contains breakpoints. At the first breakpoint, the arrow will span the region from the first command in the window to the command prior to the one containing the breakpoint. At the second breakpoint, the arrow will stretch from the command containing the first breakpoint to the command prior to the one containing the second breakpoint.

Run-time Behavior with Breakpoints

  • When running command syntax containing breakpoints, execution stops at each breakpoint. Specifically, the block of command syntax from a given breakpoint (or beginning of the run) to the next breakpoint (or end of the run) is submitted for execution exactly as if you had selected that syntax and chosen Run > Selection.
  • You can work with multiple syntax windows, each with its own set of breakpoints, but there is only one queue for executing command syntax. Once a block of command syntax has been submitted--such as the block of command syntax up to the first breakpoint--no other block of command syntax will be executed until the previous block has completed, regardless of whether the blocks are in the same or different syntax windows.
  • With execution stopped at a breakpoint, you can run command syntax in other syntax windows, and inspect Data Editor or Viewer windows. However, modifying the contents of the syntax window containing the breakpoint or changing the cursor position in that window will cancel the run.