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symbols.
You can use standard symbols in all kinds of text.
7.5 Text Symbols All symbols that do not correspond to one of the three types of symbol described above are text
symbols. You define the value of a text symbol yourself in the text module.
There are two ways of doing this: · In the text editor, choose Include Symbols Text. All the text symbols contained either in the current text or in a form assigned to the text are
displayed. You can assign a value of up to 60 characters to a text symbol. Enter this value
in the same form as it is to appear in the output.
The effect of assigning a value is temporary, since the values assigned are not stored with
the text but are lost as soon as you leave the editor. You use this kind of value assignment
if you had a ready-made text containing symbols that you want to print with specific values
in place of the symbols, and you want to do this only once without storing the `changed' text.
· In the text, use the control command DEFINE. Since control commands are stored with the text module, any value you assign in this way
is preserved when you save the text. You can change the value assigned to a symbol in the
text at any time simply by issuing another DEFINE command.
Remember always to use the ' (inverted comma) character to delimit a value. The maximal
length for these values is also 60 characters.
A text in the editor contains the following DEFINE commands:
/: DEFINE &mysymbol& = 'xxx xxx xxxxx xxxx'
&mysymbol&
/: DEFINE &mysymbol& = 'yyyyy yyy yyyy'
/ &mysymbol&
The printed text appears like this:
xxx xxx xxxxx xxxx
yyyyy yyy yyyy
7.6 Formatting Options The value of a symbol is normally printed using its full length, although trailing spaces are
removed. An exception are program symbols of these data types: CURR, DEC, QUAN, INT1
INT2, INT4, PREC, and FLTP. These are formatted right-justified with an output length as
specified in the Dictionary.
You can adapt the standard formatting to your own requirements by using one of the additional
formatting options available. You supply the parameters for these options together with the
symbol itself. Many of these options are abbreviated to a single letter, which has to be given as
a capital letter. You can combine two or more options on a single symbol, as long as the result
still makes sense.
7.6.1 Offset Specifying an offset has the effect that a certain number of bytes of the symbol value, starting
with the first byte on the left, will not be displayed. If the offset specified is greater than the
length of the value, nothing is printed.
Syntax
&symbol+offset&
If < symbol> has the value 123456789, the following will be displayed:
&symbol& -> 123456789
&symbol+3& -> 456789
&symbol+7& -> 89
&symbol+12& ->
&symbol+0& -> 123456789