Epi Info™ User Guide

Getting Started

Syntax Notations

The following rules apply when reading this document and using syntax:

Syntax Notations Used in this Guide
Syntax	Explanation
ALL CAPITALS	Epi Info 7 commands and reserved words are shown in all capital letters.
<parameter>	Information to be supplied to a command or function. Parameters are enclosed with less-than and greater-than symbols. Each valid parameter is described following the statement of syntax for the command. Parameters are required by the command unless they are enclosed in braces { }. Do not include the < > or { } symbols in the code.
[<variable>]	Brackets [ ] around a parameter indicate the possibility of more than one parameter. Do not include the < > or [ ] symbols in the code.
{<parameter>}	Braces { } around a parameter indicate an optional parameter. Do not include the { } symbols in the code.
\|	The pipe symbol ‘\|’ denotes a choice and is usually used with optional parameters. An example is seen in the LIST command. Choose one of the options or parameters and do not include the \| symbol in the code.
***comment	Classic Analysis Comment *** Three asterisks at the beginning of a line of code in the Classic Analysis Program Editor indicates a comment. Commented lines are skipped when a program is run. Commenting lines of code may be helpful to document the purpose of a program and for troubleshooting.
// comment	Check Code Single Line Comment In Check Code, a // or double slash at the beginning of a line of code in the Form Designer Check Code Editor indicates a single line comment. Everything to the right of the // is ignored when the Check Code runs during data entry. Subsequent lines are not commented unless they begin with //.
/* comment 1 comment 2 … comment n */	Check Code Multi-Line Comment In Check Code, a /* or slash-asterisk indicates the beginning of a multi-line comment and a / or asterisk-slash indicates the end of the multi-line comment. All lines that appear between / and / are skipped when the Check Code runs during data entry. This is helpful to document the purpose of the code and for commenting large portions of Check Code for troubleshooting. Both / and */ must appear at the left margin of the editor.
” “	Quotation marks must surround all text values. Example: DIALOG “Notice: Date of birth is invalid” runs the DIALOG command to display a message with the text shown in quotes.