Language Terms

Branching :

Changing the sequence of execution in a program. Execution normally proceeds in sequence from the top of a function or procedure to the bottom. When control is transferred to a statement that is not in sequence, execution is said to have branched.

Comment :

Text in a source program that is ignored by the compiler. Usually used to make descriptive comments about the surrounding source code.

Control Structure :

Any program structure that alters the flow of program control. In Clipper language, these include:

. BEGIN SEQUENCE...END

. DO WHILE...ENDDO

. DO CASE...ENDCASE

. FOR...NEXT

. IF...ENDIF

Keyword :

A word that has a special meaning to a compiler or other utility program. Commands, directives, or options are often recognized by examining supplied text to see if it contains keywords.

Metasymbol :

Descriptive symbols used in syntax to represent information that must be supplied as part of a source code statement. A metasymbol is constructed using two information components: a data type prefix and a logical descriptor.

Sequence :

In Clipper language, a series of statements enclosed in a BEGIN SEQUENCE control structure.

See Also: Algorithm, Iteration, Selection

Statement :

In Clipper language, the basic unit of source code. A statement is normally a single line of text. Multiple statements can be placed on the same line by separating them with semicolons. A statement may be continued to another line by placing a semicolon at the end of the line to be continued. If the text of a statement matches a command definition (defined with a preprocessor directive), it is translated into the form specified by the command definition.

See Also : Command

Syntax :

The rules that dictate the form of statements or commands as defined by the implementors of the language. Also, a complete description of the forms that a statement or command can take.