9.1.3 Extended script command description format

The description format for extended script commands is as follows:

0command-name1attribute-value [...1attribute-value] [1-attribute-name1attribute-value [...1-attribute-name1attribute-value]]

• The command name of an extended script command always begins with #-adsh_.

• The command name is followed first by a list of attribute values and then by a list of pairs of an attribute name and an attribute value (-attribute-name attribute-value).

• The list of attribute values cannot be omitted, and they must be specified in a predetermined order. The list of -attribute-name attribute-value pairs can be specified in any order and their specification is optional.

• If you specify for an attribute value a character string beginning with a hyphen (-), it will be interpreted as a specification of an attribute name. To begin an attribute value with a hyphen (-), the hyphen must be escaped with a \, ", or '.

• A hash mark (#) at the beginning of an extended script command does not indicate a comment. You must specify two hash marks in succession (##) to set a comment in an extended script command.

• The double quotation ("), single quotation ('), and escape (\) characters can all be used.

  However, in an extended script command, any \ within a character string enclosed in double quotation marks will be interpreted as an escape character, regardless of what the following character is. To specify a \ within a character string enclosed in double quotation marks, you must specify it as \\.

• Uppercase and lowercase characters are distinguished in command-name, attribute-name, and attribute-value (in the case of reserved words).

• You can specify the name of an environment variable for attribute-value, and the environment variable's value will be set for the attribute value before the script starts. The name of the environment variable must be enclosed in curly brackets ({ }). The name of an environment variable must not exceed 255 bytes and must be specified in the <environment variable name> format shown below in (2) Character set definitions.

• Start the specification of an extended script command at the beginning of the line. Between the command name and the linefeed code, use the space as the delimiter between items. A parsing error will result if any non-space character is used as a delimiter.

• A parsing error will result if you specify more than one extended script command on a line (you cannot use a command delimiter to separate multiple commands on the same line).

• A parsing error will result if you specify an extended script command within a function.

• A pre-execution syntax error will result if you specify an extended script command within the block of a for, while, or until statement or within a function definition.

• You cannot specify an extended script command within an external script called with a dot (.). If you do, the extended script command will be treated as a comment.

When you specify an extended script command that spans multiple lines, the second and subsequent lines must be specified in the following format:

#-adsh1continuing-specification

• You can specify a continuation line only at the location of a delimiter following the command name or an attribute. A continuation line cannot be specified in the middle of the command name, an attribute name, or an attribute value.

• If a syntax error is detected in a continuation line, the line number displayed in the error message will be for the first line of the extended script command.

Organization of this subsection

• (1) Limitations

• (2) Character set definitions