1.2.1 Description format details

This section describes the format of command syntax and the symbols to be used.

Organization of this subsection

(1) Description format

Command syntaxes are described in the following format. Note that the commands are described in alphabetical order.

Format: Shows the command's input format.
Function: Explains the command's function.
Arguments: Explains the command's arguments and options.
Output format: Shows the command's output format.
Input/output examples: Shows input and output examples of the command.
Return values: Explains the command's return values.
Notes: Provides notes about executing the command.
Reference: Of the items mentioned above, only the required items are described for each command. In addition to the above-mentioned items, the command-specific information is provided for each command.

Command syntax is described by using symbols and syntax elements shown in the following table.

Table 1‒6: Symbols used in the syntax
Symbol	Meaning
`\|`	In syntax explanations, a vertical bar separates multiple items, and has the meaning of OR. For example: `A\|B\|` means `A` or `B`.
`{ }`	In syntax explanations, curly brackets indicate that only one of the enclosed items is to be selected. For example: `{A\|B\|C}` means any one of `A`, or `B`, or `C`.
`[ ]`	In syntax explanations, square brackets indicate that the enclosed item or items are optional. For example: `[A]` means that you can specify `A` or nothing. `[B\|C]` means that you can specify `B`, or `C`, or nothing.
`...`	Indicates that description is omitted. For example: `ABC...` means that there is a description after `ABC`, and that this description is omitted.
`< >`	In syntax explanations, angle brackets indicate that the enclosed item or items specify the corresponding components or files, and display the corresponding components. For example: `<Property>` means that the user enters a property name or a property name is displayed. `<File Name>` means that the user enters a file name.
`...`	In syntax explanations, an ellipsis indicates that the immediately preceding item can be repeated as many times as necessary. For example: `<Property>...` means that you can specify as many properties as necessary.

Table 1‒7: Elements used in syntax
Syntax Element	Definition
Alphabetic character	`A` to `Z`, `a` to `z`
Lower-case alphabetic characters	`a` to `z`
Upper-case alphabetic characters	`A` to `Z`
Numeric characters	`0` to `9`
Alphanumeric characters	`A` to `Z`, `a` to `z`, `0` to `9`
Symbols	`! " # $ % & ' ( ) + , _` `. / : ; < = > @ [ ] ^ - {} ~` tabs spaces

Note: Use all single-byte characters.