Each graphic syntax diagram in this book is followed by a link to a text description of the graphic. The text descriptions are a simple variant of Backus-Naur Form (BNF) syntax that includes the symbols and conventions explained in Table B-1.
Table B-1 Symbols and Conventions for Backus-Naur Form Syntax
Symbol or Convention | Meaning |
---|---|
[ ] | Brackets enclose one or more optional items. |
{ } | Braces enclose two or more items, one of which is required. |
| | A vertical bar separates alternatives within brackets or braces. |
... | Ellipsis points show that the preceding syntactic element can be repeated. |
delimiters | Delimiters other than brackets, braces, vertical bars, and ellipses must be entered as shown. |
boldface | Words appearing in boldface are keywords. They must be typed as shown. (Keywords are case-sensitive in some, but not all, operating systems.) Words that are not in boldface are placeholders for which you must substitute a name or value. |