Script
Statements |
The
Script Language is composed of "keywords" and "values."
Keywords are words that have special meaning in the Script Language.
Values are pieces of data in the form of variables, strings, numbers,
or file names. A "statement" has at least one keyword,
and some statements have parameters. A "parameter" is
the object of the statement and may be a keyword, a value, or
a combination of keywords and values. You can sometimes think
of statements as having verbs and objects. For example, in the
statement GET
_author, GET
is the verb and _author is the object (parameter).
The
conventions used to describe the STN Express Script Language are:
Keywords are shown in uppercase
letters, e.g., EXIT.
Strings are shown in lowercase
letters inside double quotation marks. For example, in the
statement SEND "string", SEND is a keyword,
and string is a string value. You may use a variable
wherever you can use a string.
Variables are shown in lowercase
letters with a preceding underscore. For example, in GET _var1,
GET is a keyword and _var1 represents the name
of a variable.
Numbers are denoted by lowercase
letters. For example, in the statement PAUSE n, n represents
a number.
Optional parameters are shown
inside square brackets. For example, PAUSE n [SECONDS] means
the PAUSE statement has a required parameter, n,
and an optional keyword, SECONDS. Do not type the brackets
when you type the parameter or keyword.
When
there is a choice of parameters or values, the choices
are enclosed in braces, and a vertical bar separates the choices.
For example, in the statement CAPTURE {ON | OFF}, the keyword
ON or the keyword OFF follows the CAPTURE
keyword.
File names are shown within
angle brackets. For example, DELETE <file name>. You
may use a variable whose value is a file name wherever you
can use a file name.
Comments are preceded by \*
and continue through the ends of their lines. The script processor
ignores comments.
Example scripts and
statements are shown in a fixed-width font.
Script
output and results are shown in a bold
font.
Note that a block
is either a single statement or a group of statements enclosed
by BEGIN and END.
The statements
in the STN Express Script Language are listed in alphabetical
order.
Make sure
you review the common statements SEND,
WAIT, =>,
:, ECHO, IF,
GOTO, and EXIT. |