SYNTAX $\backslash$

 

        SYNTAX of SIC commands

    The SIC syntax is the following :
        [LANG\]COMM [Arg1 [Arg2 [...]]] [/OPT1 [p1 [...]] [/OPT2 [...]]
    where [] indicates optional fields.

    Language, command and options can be abbreviated.   The  language  field
    (LANG\) is optional but may help resolve ambiguities.

    First, the line is stripped of duplicate separators  (spaces  or  tabs).
    Character  strings  (entities  included  between  double quotes) are not
    affected by this formatting.

    Then  symbols  (entities  included  between  simple  quotes,  plus   the
    language-command  field)  and  tokens (macros parameters 1 2 etc...) are
    translated, even within character strings.

    Finally, the line is analysed for ambiguities and the language,  command
    and  option names are expanded. An option is a word beginning by a slash
    (e.g. /OPT1 is an option in the above example).

    All arguments can be character or mathematical variables or expressions,
    depending on the type required by the program. Character expressions can
    be concatenated with implicit formatting of variables  and  mathematical
    expressions, such as in
        "The real number PI is equal to "'ACOS(-1.0)'
    Variable and expressions are not evaluated during the parsing, but  only
    during  the  execution.  Character  variables  must  be included between
    quotes for translation, e.g.
        DEFINE CHARACTER C*6
        LET C 3.14159
        DEFINE REAL A
        LET A 'C'/PI
        EXAMINE A
        A       =    0.9999705