Metalanguage, letter F

FF, fdirectives, ffformat, fieldindex, fieldwidth, filldir, fillmode, fillpattern, filstr, fmask, fncodatom, fncode, fncodp, fncodt, fncodexpr, focusloc, fontavgchar, fontface, fontheight, fontmaxchar, fontsize, fontstyle, formalline, formallist, format, forparameter, fservice, fspec, fstyle, function, functionkey, functionname


FF

Introduced in the 1977 ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents the special character "Form Feed". Since this character is normally not visible in printed text, the representation FF is used in the ANSI M[UMPS] language standard to indicate that this special character is present in a specific location.

Starting from the 1990 ANSI M[UMPS] language standard, this symbol is spelled as FF (underscored).


fdirectives

Approved for inclusion in a future ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents a parameter of the FORMAT library function. This parameter specifies a number of formatting instructions. Typically, the value of this parameter is a list of "keyword = value" combinations, separated by colons.


ffformat

Approved for inclusion in a future ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents a format item that causes a form-feed in a READ or WRITE command. Such a format is written as a number sign (#).


fieldindex

Approved for inclusion in a future ANSI M[UMPS] Language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents the sequence number of a field in a data record that may be manipulated using the intrinsic function $DEXTRACT.


fieldwidth

Approved for inclusion in a future ANSI M[UMPS] Language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents the number of characters in a field in a data record that may be manipulated using the intrinsic function $DEXTRACT.


filldir

Introduced in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] Windowing Application Programmer's Interface standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents a code for the direction in which an area-fill is to be applied. This metalanguage symbol occurs as an expression that evaluates to either "H" (horizontal) or "V" (vertical).


fillmode

Introduced in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] Windowing Application Programmer's Interface standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents a code that indicates how an area-fill is to be applied. This metalanguage symbol occurs as an expression that evaluates to either "OPAQUE" or "TRANSPARENT", or to an implementation-specific value (starts with "Z").


fillpattern

Introduced in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] Windowing Application Programmer's Interface standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents a code for the pattern to be used in an area-fill operation. This metalanguage symbol occurs as an expression that evaluates to either one of "BDIAGONAL", "CROSSHATCH", "DCROSSHATCH", "FDIAGONAL", "HORIZONTAL", "NONE", "SOLID" or "VERTICAL", or to an implementation-specific value (starts with "Z").


filstr

Approved for inclusion in a future ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents the value of one of the directives of the FORMAT library function. The value represented by this metalanguage symbol is the "fill string", a string that is used for a repeating pattern of characters to be used to fill character positions what would be left blank otherwise.


fmask

Approved for inclusion in a future ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents the value of one of the directives of the FORMAT library function. The value represented by this metalanguage symbol is the "fill string", a string that is used for a repeating pattern of characters to be used to fill character positions what would be left blank otherwise.


fncodatom

Introduced in the 1990 ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents one $FNUMBER code atom, a formatting instruction that may occur in the context of a reference to the function $FNUMBER. A $FNUMBER code atom can be P, T, , (comma), + or -.

Modified in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

A $FNUMBER code atom can be P, p, T, t, , (comma), + or -.


fncode

Introduced in the 1990 ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents the formatting instructions that occur in the context of a reference to the function $FNUMBER. An fncode consists of one or more $FNUMBER code atoms (see metalanguage symbol fncodatom).


fncodp

Introduced in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents one of the formatting instructions that may occur in the context of a reference to the function $FNUMBER. This symbol represents either P or p.


fncodt

Introduced in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents one of the formatting instructions that may occur in the context of a reference to the function $FNUMBER. This symbol represents either T or t.


fncodexpr

Introduced in the 1990 ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents the formatting instructions that occur in the context of a reference to the function $FNUMBER. The formatting instructions are specified as an expression that evaluates to a value containing one or more $FNUMBER code atoms (see metalanguage symbol fncodatom).


focusloc

Introduced in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] Windowing Application Programmer's Interface standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents the name of a window or gadget that has, had, or is about to get focus. This metalanguage symbol occurs as an expression that evaluates to either the name of a window, or to the concatenation of the name of a window and the name of a gadget (separated by a comma), or to an empty string.


fontavgchar

Introduced in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] Windowing Application Programmer's Interface standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents a numeric value that indicates the average width of a character in a font.


fontface

Introduced in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] Windowing Application Programmer's Interface standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents a code for the appearance characteristics of text. This metalanguage symbol occurs as an expression that either evaluates to one of "M,DEFAULT", "M,FIXED" or "M,SANS", or to an implementation-specific value that starts with an alphabetic character.


fontheight

Introduced in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] Windowing Application Programmer's Interface standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents a numeric value that indicates the height of a character in a font.


fontmaxchar

Introduced in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] Windowing Application Programmer's Interface standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents a numeric value that indicates the maximum width of a character in a font.


fontsize

Introduced in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] Windowing Application Programmer's Interface standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents a numeric value that identifies the size of displayed text in points. A point is 1/72 inches.


fontstyle

Introduced in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] Windowing Application Programmer's Interface standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents one or more codes that describe the display characteristics of text. This metalanguage symbol occurs as an expression that evaluates to a list of codes (separated by commas). The individual codes can be either one of "NORMAL", "BOLD", "ITALIC" or "ULINE", or to an implementation-specific value (starts with "Z"). The value "NORMAL" cannot be combined with any other value in a list (i.e. must occur alone).


formalline

Introduced in the 1990 ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents a line in a routine that starts with a label that carries a formal parameter list. This type of line may not have level indicator marks (periods) following its line start white space.


formallist

Introduced in the 1990 ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents the formal parameters that are specified following the defining occurrence of the label that starts the subroutine or function to which parameters are passed (formal parameter list: at the label of the invoked subroutine or function; actual parameter list: in the call to that subroutine or function).

A formal parameter list is a list of unsubscripted local variable names (separated by commas), enclosed in parentheses.

Addition in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

No local variable name may occur more than once in a formal parameter list.


format

Introduced in the 1977 ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents special formatting commands that may occur as arguments of both the READ and the WRITE commands.

Formatting specifications may include form feed instructions (number sign (#)), line feed instructions (exclamation mark (!)) and tabulation instructions (question mark (?) followed by column specification).

Examples:

#
!
?5
#!!!!!?25
###
#?5

Note: The format specification itself does not allow for indirection, but a format specification is an argument of a READ or WRITE command, and that argument may be indirected. As a result:

$EXTRACT("!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!",1,WHTSPACE)

is a valid way to create a variable number of line feeds.

Addition in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

Formatting specifications may also include device control functions (see the metalanguage symbol controlmnemonic).

Examples:

WRITE /CUP(20,5),"Header goes here"
WRITE /SGR(1),"This appears in boldface"


forparameter

Introduced in the 1977 ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents a range of values to be assigned to the loop counter of a FOR command. Such a range of values can be:

Examples:

FOR K=1:1:10
FOR K=17:-1:10
FOR K=1,2,3,5,7,11,13
FOR K="ABC","klm","PQR"
FOR K=1:3

In the last example, unless an explicit QUIT command is executed within the scope of the FOR loop, the loop will continue forever.


fservice

Approved for inclusion in a future ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents a property or a method of an object. A reference to such an entity consists of the name of the entity, optionally followed by a parameter list (enclosed in parentheses, separated by commas).


fspec

Approved for inclusion in a future ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents one directive within the list of instructions contained in an fdirectives. Such a directive looks is a "keyword = value" combination. Possible keywords are CS (currency string), DC (decimal separator character), EC (error character), FC (fill string), FM (format mask), SC (separator characters for integer part), SR (separator characters for decimal fraction).


fstyle

Introduced in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] Windowing Application Programmer's Interface standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents one code that describes the display characteristics of text. It is a string-value that is equal to either one of "NORMAL", "BOLD", "ITALIC" or "ULINE", or to an implementation-specific value (starts with "Z").


function

Introduced in the 1977 ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents a reference to a function (dollar sign, function name, parameter list).


functionkey

Approved for inclusion in a future ANSI M[UMPS] Windowing Application Programmer's Interface.

This metalanguage symbol represents the name of a special keyboard key that is used to activate a specific function. This symbol occurs as an expression that evaluates to one of the values "BACKSPC", "BREAK", "CAPSLOCK", "DEL", "DOWN", "END", "ENTER", "ESC", "F1", "F2", "F3", "F4", "F5", "F6", "F7", "F8", "F9", "F10", "F11", "F12", "F13", "F14", "F15", "F16", "F17", "F18", "F19", "F20", "F21", "F22", "F23", "F24", "FIND", "HOME", "INS", "LEFT", "NEXT", "NUM0", "NUM1", "NUM2", "NUM3", "NUM4", "NUM5", "NUM6", "NUM7", "NUM8", "NUM9", "NUMDEC", "NUMDEL", "NUMDIV", "NUMENTER", "NUMLOCK", "NUMMINUS", "NUMMULT", "NUMPLUS", "PAGEDOWN", "PAGEUP", "PAUSE", "PF1", "PF2", "PF3", "PF4", "RET", "RIGHT", "SCRLLOCK", "SEL", "TAB" or "UP".


functionname

Introduced in the 1995 ANSI M[UMPS] language standard.

This metalanguage symbol represents the name of a function (no dollar sign, function name, no parameter list).


This document is © Ed de Moel, 1995-2005.
It is part of a book by Ed de Moel that is published under the title "M[UMPS] by Example" (ISBN 0-918118-42-5).
Printed copies of the book are no longer available.

This document describes the various metalanguage terms starting with the letter "F" that are used throughout the M[UMPS] standards, as well as some other terms that may not be obvious to all readers of the M[UMPS] language standards.

The information in this document is NOT authoritative and subject to be modified at any moment.
Please consult the appropriate (draft) language standard for an authoritative definition.

In this document, information is included that will appear in future standards.
The MDC cannot guarantee that these 'next' standards will indeed appear.