Conventions

UPPERCASE In a syntax statement, commands and keywords are shown in uppercase characters. The characters must be entered in the order shown; however, you can enter the characters in either uppercase or lowercase. For example:

COMMAND

can be entered as any of the follo wing:

command Command COMMAND

It cannot, however, be entered as:

comm com_mand comamnd

italics

In a syntax statement or an example, a w ord in italics represents a

 

 

parameter or argument that you must replace with the actual v alue.

 

 

In the following example, y ou must replace ￿lename with the name

 

 

of the ￿le:

 

 

 

 

COMMAND ￿lename

 

 

punctuation

In a syntax statement, punctuation characters (other than brac kets,

 

 

braces, vertical bars, and ellipses) m ust be entered exactly as sho wn.

 

 

In the following example, the paren theses and colon m ust be entered:

 

 

(￿lename):(￿lename)

underlining

Within an example that con tains interactive dialog, user input and

 

 

user responses to prompts are indicated b y underlining. In the

 

 

following example, y es is the user's response to the prompt:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you want to continue? >> yes

{

}

In a syntax statement, braces enclose required elemen ts. When

 

 

several elements are stacked within braces, y ou must select one. In

 

 

the following example, you must select either ON or OFF :

 

 

ON

 

 

 

 

COMMAND ￿ OFF ￿

 

 

[

]

In a syntax statement, brackets enclose optional elemen ts. In the

 

 

following example, OPTION can be omitted:

 

 

COMMAND ￿lename

 

[OPTION]

 

 

When several elements are stacked within brackets, you can select

 

 

one or none of the elemen ts. In the following example, y ou can select

 

 

OPTION or parameter

or neither. The elements cannot be repeated.

 

 

 

 

 

OPTION

 

 

COMMAND ￿lename

 

￿ parameter ￿

xiv