Delimiters

Delimiters are used to separate data values, keywords, arguments, and specifications.

• A blank is usually used to separate one specification from another, except when another delimiter serves the same purpose or when a comma is required.
• Commas are required to separate arguments to functions. Otherwise, blanks are generally valid substitutes for commas.
• Arithmetic operators (+, –, *, and /) serve as delimiters in expressions.
• Blanks can be used before and after operators or equals signs to improve readability, but commas cannot.
• Special delimiters include parentheses, apostrophes, quotation marks, the slash, and the equals sign. Blanks before and after special delimiters are optional.
• The slash is used primarily to separate subcommands and lists of variables. Although slashes are sometimes optional, it is best to enter them as shown in the syntax diagrams.
• The equals sign is used between a keyword and its specifications, as in STATISTICS=MEAN, and to show equivalence, as in COMPUTE target variable=expression. Equals signs following keywords are frequently optional but are sometimes required. In general, you should follow the format of the syntax charts and examples and always include equals signs wherever they are shown.