DECdocument
Using Global Tags


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<COPYRIGHT_PAGE>

Begins a copyright page and enables copyright page tags.

SYNTAX

<COPYRIGHT_PAGE>


ARGUMENTS

None.

related tags

restrictions

Valid only in the front matter of a book.

required terminator

<ENDCOPYRIGHT_PAGE>

DESCRIPTION

The <COPYRIGHT_PAGE> tag begins a copyright page and enables copyright page tags. The following tags are enabled by the <COPYRIGHT_PAGE> tag:

DOCUMENT considers a copyright page to be an online topic. See Producing Online and Printed Documentation for more information about online topics.


Example

The following example shows the order in which you can use the copyright page tags. The output of this example is a separate copyright page containing the print and copyright dates in the front matter of the book.

<FRONT_MATTER>(front)
<COPYRIGHT_PAGE>
<PRINT_DATE>(March 1987) 
<COPYRIGHT_DATE>(1987) 
<ENDCOPYRIGHT_PAGE>
<ENDFRONT_MATTER>
 

To see an example of all the front matter tags in their correct order, see the example in the <FRONT_MATTER> tag description.


<CP>

Marks the continuation of a paragraph that is interrupted by another text element, such as a figure, list, or a table.

SYNTAX

<CP>


ARGUMENTS

None.

related tags

restrictions

Invalid in the context of a <MATH> tag.

DESCRIPTION

The <CP> tag marks the continuation of a paragraph that is interrupted by another text element, such as a figure, list, or a table. The <P> and <CP> tags may have no visible difference in effect. In a doctype in which all new paragraphs begin flush left, the formatted results achieved by a <CP> tag and by a <P> tag are identical. In a doctype in which paragraphs are indented, however, the continued paragraph may still begin flush left.

In some instances, the <CP> tag keeps text that follows a list or monospaced example from being left alone at the top of the following page, which more closely attaches the continued paragraph to the previous text element.


Example

The following example shows how to use the <CP> tag. Assume that the doctype is one in which paragraphs are indented.

<P>Each time you log in, the system automatically executes 
two types of login command procedures: 
<LIST>(UNNUMBERED) 
<LE>A system login command procedure 
<LE>Your personal login command procedure 
<ENDLIST>
<CP>These login procedures are described in the following sections. 

This example produces the following output:

Each time you log in, the system automatically executes two types of login command procedures:

These login procedures are described in the following sections.

<CPAREN>

Supplies a closing parenthesis anywhere in your file. You must use this tag, however, to specify a closing parenthesis within an argument to a tag, so that the closing parenthesis is not interpreted as the closing parenthesis of the tag's argument.

SYNTAX

<CPAREN>


ARGUMENTS

None.

related tags


DESCRIPTION

The <CPAREN> tag supplies a closing parenthesis anywhere in your file. You must use this tag, however, to specify a closing parenthesis within an argument to a tag, so that the closing parenthesis is not interpreted as the closing parenthesis of the tag's argument. This tag is only beneficial (in terms of keystrokes and control of the output), then, as an unmatched closing parenthesis in an argument to a tag.

An unmatched parenthesis in an argument can cause errors when processed, because the parentheses are used to determine the beginning and ending of an argument list. The <CPAREN> tag inserts the closing parenthesis character, but it is not evaluated as a closing parenthesis.


Example

The following example shows how to use the <CPAREN> tag. The <PARENDCHAR> tag in this example simply provides better spacing of the right parenthesis within the parentheses. See the <PARENDCHAR> tag description for more information.

<SUBHEAD1>(Using a Closing Parenthesis 
<PARENDCHAR>(<CPAREN>) in an Argument to a Tag\closing_paren) 

This example produces the following output:

Using a Closing Parenthesis ()) in an Argument to a Tag


<DATE>

Produces either the current system or user-specified date and time.

SYNTAX

<DATE> [(
  • FULL
  • date text
)]


ARGUMENTS

FULL

This is an optional keyword argument. It specifies a full VMS date and time string in the format "dd-mmm-yyyy hh:mm:ss.hh." If you do not specify an argument, only the date may be produced in the format "Month day, year." (The precise format varies in different doctypes.)

date text

This is an optional argument. It specifies text that you provide for the current date. If you do not specify an argument, only the date may be produced in the format "Month day, year." (The precise format varies in different doctypes.)

The following table specifies for all standard doctypes the output format of the <DATE> tag without arguments.
Doctype Fomat Description <DATE> Tag Output
REPORT Day--Month--Year 6--January--1990
MILSPEC Day Month Year 6 January 1990
All others Month Day, Year January 6, 1990

restrictions

Invalid in the context of a <MATH> tag.

DESCRIPTION

The <DATE> tag produces either the current system or user-specified date and time.

Note that even if you specify the <DATE>(FULL) tag multiple times in a source file, it will always produce the same value. You cannot use it, therefore, for timing information.


Examples

The following example shows how to use the <DATE> tag.
#1

<DATE>                            

This example produces the following output: April 15, 1997

The following example shows how to use the <DATE>(FULL) tag.

#2

<DATE>(FULL) 

This example produces the following output: 15-APR-1997 13:25:48.21

The following example shows how to use the <DATE>(date text) tag.

#3

<DATE>(February 26, 1990 A.D.) 

This example produces the following output: February 26, 1990 A.D.


<DEFINE_BOOK_NAME>

Defines the title of a book and associates a user-defined symbol name to the cross-reference file.

SYNTAX

<DEFINE_BOOK_NAME> (symbol name\title)


ARGUMENTS

symbol name

Specifies the symbol that is associated with the title of the book. Symbol names must not exceed 31 characters and must only include alphabetic letters, numbers, or underscores. Do not begin a symbol name with an underscore.

title

Specifies the exact text of the book's title.

related tags

restrictions

If you want to nest a tag in the title argument, you must use the <DELAYED> tag to surround the nested tag. This causes the nested tag to be preserved until it is about to be output using the <REFERENCE> tag.

DESCRIPTION

The <DEFINE_BOOK_NAME> tag defines the title of a book and associates a user-defined symbol name to the cross-reference file. When you subsequently reference the title with the <REFERENCE> tag, supplying the same symbol name as an argument to the <REFERENCE> tag, the book title is retrieved from the cross-reference file and is substituted for the reference. Depending on the doctype, the title may be output with emphasized text (for example, italicized text).

Note that the symbol name argument is the first argument to the tag. In text element tags, the symbol name is always the second argument. Only the <DEFINE_BOOK_NAME> and <DEFINE_SYMBOL> tags take a symbol name as a first argument. Placing the symbol name as the first argument to these tags makes it easy to keep track of your symbol names when you list them in a local definitions file, where they are aligned and easy to find.


Example

The following example shows how to use the <DEFINE_BOOK_NAME> tag for defining the symbol name of the book, Book of Games, Volume 2, as games_book.

<DEFINE_BOOK_NAME>(games_book\Book of Games, Volume 2) 

You can use the<REFERENCE>(games_book) tag anywhere in the document to refer to the book by name. For example, you might say the following:


<P>The authors suggest that you read the <REFERENCE>(games_book) 
before you try any of the more complex games. 

This example produces the following output:

The authors suggest that you read the Book of Games, Volume 2 before you try any of the more complex games.


<DEFINE_SYMBOL>

Associates a string of text with a user-defined symbol, so that you can reference the text by this symbol throughout the document.

SYNTAX

<DEFINE_SYMBOL> (symbol name\text string)


ARGUMENTS

symbol name

Specifies the name assigned to the symbol. Symbol names must not exceed 31 characters and must only include alphabetic letters, numbers, or underscores. Do not begin a symbol name with an underscore.

text string

Specifies the text to be referenced by the symbol name. Throughout the document, you can specify the symbol name in the <REFERENCE> tag, and this text string is then substituted for the symbol name during processing.

related tags

restrictions

If you want to nest a tag in the text string argument, you must use the <DELAYED> tag to surround the nested tag. This causes the nested tag to be preserved until it is about to be output using the <REFERENCE> tag.

DESCRIPTION

The <DEFINE_SYMBOL> tag associates a string of text with a user-defined symbol, so that you can reference the text by this symbol throughout the document. It adds the symbol name and the text to the symbol table. When you subsequently reference this text by using the <REFERENCE> tag and by specifying the same symbol name as its argument, the current value of the symbol name is retrieved from the table and the text is substituted for the reference.

For more information on the use of the symbol table, see Producing Online and Printed Documentation.

Note

The symbol name argument to the <DEFINE_SYMBOL> tag must be on the same line as the tag; spaces and carriage returns are significant and are interpreted as part of the symbol name.

Note that the symbol name argument is the first argument to the tag. In text element tags, the symbol name is always the second argument. Only the <DEFINE_BOOK_NAME> and <DEFINE_SYMBOL> tags take a symbol name as a first argument. Placing the symbol name as the first argument to these tags makes it easy to keep track of your symbol names when you list them in a local definitions file, where they are aligned and easy to find.


Examples

The following example shows how you can define the phrase, "RTL routine Set Logical Name, LIB$SET_LOGICAL," as the symbol name, "set_logical," and then refer to it in text by that symbol name. By using the symbol name in the places you want the phrase to occur, you can save keystrokes and ensure that you never have a typing error in that phrase.
#1

<define_symbol>(set_logical\RTL routine Set Logical Name, LIB$SET_LOGICAL,) 
 
<P>The <REFERENCE>(set_logical) requests the calling process's CLI to 
define or redefine a supervisor-mode logical name. 
 

This example produces the following output:

The RTL routine Set Logical Name, LIB$SET_LOGICAL, requests the calling process's CLI to define or redefine a supervisor-mode logical name.

The following example uses the <DELAYED> tag within the argument to the <DEFINE_SYMBOL> tag, causing the <DELAYED> tag to be evaluated by the tag translator after the <DEFINE_SYMBOL> tag.

The symbol TEMP_CHART_EX is associated with the text string that is enclosed by the <DELAYED> and <ENDDELAYED> tags. None of the enclosed tags will have been evaluated.

#2

<define_symbol>(temp_chart_ex\<delayed> 
<example>(Temperature Chart) 
<code_example> 
      Centigrade   0    Fahrenheit  32 
      Centigrade 100    Fahrenheit 212 
<endcode_example> 
<endexample> 
<enddelayed>) 
 

Subsequently, you can refer to the symbol name with a <REFERENCE> tag, as in the following example:


       <REFERENCE>(temp_chart_ex)

Using this reference results in the following output:

Example n--n: Temperature Chart


________________________________________________________________ 
 
      Centigrade   0    Fahrenheit  32 
      Centigrade 100    Fahrenheit 212 
________________________________________________________________ 


<DEFINITION_LIST>

Begins a definition list, which includes an item followed by its definition.

SYNTAX

<DEFINITION_LIST>


ARGUMENTS

None.

related tags

required terminator

<ENDDEFINITION_LIST>

DESCRIPTION

The <DEFINITION_LIST> tag begins a definition list, which includes an item, introduced by the <DEFLIST_ITEM> tag, followed by its definition, introduced by the <DEFLIST_DEF> tag. The definition list differs from a list created with the <LIST> tag in that the definition list items are not numbered or called out in any way.

You can give the definition list a heading by using the <DEFINITION_LIST_HEAD> tag. Each list can contain one or more items, using the <DEFLIST_ITEM> tag, and each item can have a definition, using the <DEFLIST_DEF> tag.


Example

The following example shows how to use the <DEFINITION_LIST> tag.

<definition_list> 
<deflist_item>(Hargreaves, James\d. 1778.) 
<deflist_def>English inventor. 
<deflist_item>(Harris, Joel Chandler\Born 1848.\Died 1908.) 
<deflist_def>American author. 
<enddefinition_list> 
 
 

This example produces the following output:

Hargreaves, James

d. 1778.

English inventor.

Harris, Joel Chandler

Born 1848.

Died 1908.

American author.

<DEFINITION_LIST_HEAD>

Supplies the heading for a list of defined items you specify with the <DEFINITION_LIST> tag.

SYNTAX

<DEFINITION_LIST_HEAD> (heading text)


ARGUMENTS

heading text

Specifies the text for a heading that precedes the definition list.

related tags

restrictions

Valid only in the context of a <DEFINITION_LIST> tag.

DESCRIPTION

The <DEFINITION_LIST_HEAD> tag supplies the heading for a list of defined items you specify with the <DEFINITION_LIST> tag.

Example

The following example shows how to use the <DEFINITION_LIST_HEAD> tag.

<definition_list> 
<definition_list_head>(Worldwide Associates) 
<deflist_item>(IAAF) 
<deflist_def> 
International Amateur Athletic Federation 
<deflist_item>(IAEA) 
<deflist_def> 
International Atomic Energy Agency 
<enddefinition_list> 
 

This example produces the following output:


WORLDWIDE ASSOCIATES

IAAF

International Amateur Athletic Federation

IAEA

International Atomic Energy Agency

<DEFLIST_DEF>

Introduces an item's definition in a definition list.

SYNTAX

<DEFLIST_DEF>


ARGUMENTS

None.

related tags

restrictions

Valid only in the context of a <DEFINITION_LIST> tag.

DESCRIPTION

The <DEFLIST_DEF> tag introduces an item's definition in a definition list. Specify the item by using the <DEFLIST_ITEM> tag and specify the definition list by using the <DEFINITION_LIST> tag.

Example

See the example in the discussion of the <DEFINITION_LIST> tag.

<DEFLIST_ITEM>

Marks an item you want to define in a definition list.

SYNTAX

<DEFLIST_ITEM> (item-1 [\item-2 ... [\item-7]])


ARGUMENTS

item

Specifies the item you want to define. You can specify up to seven items.

related tags

restrictions

Valid only in the context of a <DEFINITION_LIST> tag.

DESCRIPTION

The <DEFLIST_ITEM> tag marks an item you want to define in a definition list. A definition list contains paired entries, consisting of the item being defined, introduced by the <DEFLIST_ITEM> tag, and the item's definition, introduced by the <DEFLIST_DEF> tag.

Example

See the example in the discussion of the <DEFINITION_LIST> tag.


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