BCL syntax notations
The following syntax notations are used to describe BCL statements.
- Keywords
- Keywords are shown in uppercase.
- Options
- Options are indicated in a format by showing alternative possibilities separated by choice indicators within brackets, or braces.
- Brackets
- Brackets [ ] enclose a portion of a statement to indicate that the syntax element (or one of the alternatives) contained within the brackets can be explicitly specified or that the portion of the format within the brackets can be omitted. No default is implied for the omitted element.
- Braces
- Braces { } enclose a portion of a statement to indicate that the syntax element contained within the braces (or one of the alternatives) contained within the braces) either must be explicitly specified or is implicitly selected. If one of the alternatives contains only optional words, that alternative is the default and is selected unless another alternative is explicitly specified.
- Choice indicators
- Choice indicators are bars | surrounded by braces or by
brackets that enclose a portion of a statement.
- If the choice indicators are enclosed by braces, one or more of the alternatives contained within the choice indicators must be specified, but any single alternative can be specified only once.
- If they are enclosed by brackets, zero or more of the alternatives contained within the choice indicators must be specified; however, any single alternative can be specified only once.
- The alternatives can be specified in any order.
- Ellipses
- The ellipsis ... represents the position at which the user elects repetition of a portion of a format. The portion of the format that may be repeated is enclosed in brackets, braces, or parentheses.
- User-specified string
- User strings are shown in lowercase letters in italics.