This document uses the following syntax conventions.
| Syntax Convention | Meaning |
|---|---|
KEYWORD |
Keyword. Spell exactly as shown. Many environments are case-insensitive. Syntax shows keywords in uppercase unless operating system restrictions require them to be lowercase or mixed-case. |
variable
|
Variable. Replace with actual value. |
number
|
String of one or more digits. Do not use commas in numbers with more than three digits. Example: 10045 |
[ x ] |
x is optional. |
[ x | y ] |
You can specify x, y, or nothing. |
{ x | y }
|
You must specify either x or y. |
x [...] |
You can repeat x, separating occurrences with spaces. Example: x x x See note after table. |
x [,...] |
You can repeat x, separating occurrences with commas. Example: x, x, x See note after table. |
x [delimiter...]
|
You can repeat x, separating occurrences with specified delimiter. Examples:
See note after table. |
( [ x [ [,] y ] ] ) |
Depends on context. See descriptions of syntax elements that use parentheses. |
You can repeat only the immediately preceding item. For example, if the syntax is:
KEYWORD x [...]
You can repeat x. Do not repeat KEYWORD.
If there is no white space between x and the delimiter, the repeatable item is x and the delimiter. For example, if the syntax is:
[ x, [...] ] y
- You can omit x: y
- You can specify x once: x, y
- You can repeat x and the delimiter: x, x, x, y