NET/MASTER Network Control Language (NCL) Reference Manual

Variable Lists Beginning With VARS
Verb Syntax and Variable Access Methods
11–10 106126 Tandem Computers Incorporated
Variable Lists
Beginning With VARS
This subsection discusses variable lists beginning with the VARS keyword, hereafter
called VARS lists. Many verbs use VARS lists. They are used with verbs that insert
information into or extract information from variables. VARS lists allow you to
specify how you want variables to be generated by the verb and how you want data to
be stored in the variables in the list.
The ARGS keyword performs a function that is equivalent to one of the functions of
the VARS keyword. ARGS generates a range of variables and is equivalent to
VARS=&*. It refers to a set of parameters: that is, variables from &1 through & n . The
VARS and ARGS keywords are mutually exclusive. (ARGS is discussed in “Specifying
a Range of Variables With ARGS” later in this section.) Here is the complete syntax of
a VARS list:
VARS [ = ] item
[ RANGE [ = ] ( start2 , end2 ) ] | [ GENERIC ]
or
VARS [ = ] ( item [ , item ] … )
[ RANGE [ = ] ( start2 , end2 ) ] | [ GENERIC ]
item :
ranged-variable-specification
length-variable-specification
* [ ( skip ) ]
( expression )
ranged-variable-specification :
&[ variable ] * [ ( start1 , end1 ) ]
length-variable-specification :
& variable ( length )
The RANGE and GENERIC keywords are mutually exclusive. The RANGE keyword
modifies ranged-variable-specification .
This subsection discusses each of the components of the syntax in turn. It discusses:
How to specify a range of variables
How to specify variable length
How to skip words
How to specify variables as part of an expression
How to specify generic variables