Skip to main content

Symbols Used in Caché MVBasic

A table of characters used in Caché MVBasic as operators, etc.

Table of Symbols

The following are the literal symbols used in Caché MVBasic. (This list does not include symbols indicating format conventions, which are not part of the language.) There is a separate table for symbols used in ObjectScript.

The name of each symbol is followed by its ASCII decimal code value.

Symbol Name and Usage
[space] or [tab] White space (Tab (9) or Space (32)): One or more whitespace characters between keywords, identifiers, and variables.
!

Exclamation Mark (33): Single-line comment indicator.

Logical OR operator.

" Double Quote (34): Used to enclose string literals. You can use "" to specify an empty string.
#

Pound (35): Not Equal To operator (inequality logical operator). For example, 3#4 returns 1 (True).

Command line command specifying that the statement following it be executed as an ObjectScript command. See the Caché MultiValue Commands Reference.

#< Pound, Less than: Greater than or equal to operator (symbols mean not less than).
#> Pound, Greater than: Less than or equal to operator (symbols mean not greater than).
$ Dollar sign (36): Permitted character in variable names.
$* Dollar sign, Asterisk: A single-line comment indicator.
% Percent sign (37): Permitted character in variable names.
& Ampersand (38): Logical AND operator.
' Single Quote (39): Used to enclose string literals. You can use '' to specify an empty string.
( )

Parentheses (40,41): Used to enclose a procedure or function parameter list. For example, SYSTEM(15), or OCONV(12345,”D”).

Used to enclose a command or program option. For example, COMPILE.TERM (VT). When used with a command option, the closing parenthesis is optional; for example, COMPILE.TERM (VT.

Used to nest expressions; nesting overrides the default order of operator precedence.

Used to specify static array subscripts; a subscripted array has to be dimensioned using the DIM command.

In CALL statement, used to specify argument passed by value.

*

Asterisk (42): Multiplication operator.

Single-line comment indicator.

** Double Asterisk: Exponentiation operator.
*= Asterisk, Equal: Multiplication assignment operator.
+ Plus sign (43): Addition operator.
++ Double Plus sign: Increment operator.
+= Plus, Equal: Addition assignment (increment) operator.
,

Comma (44): Used to separate parameters in a function parameter list.

Used to separate subscripts in a static array; a subscripted array has to be dimensioned using the DIM command.

At the end of a line of code, a line continuation indicator.

In DIM statements, used to separate multiple assignments.

In PRINT or CRT statements, inserts a tab between arguments.

Minus sign (45): Unary arithmetic negative operator.

Subtraction operator.

–– Double Minus sign: Decrement operator.
–= Minus, Equal: Subtraction assignment (decrement) operator.
–> Arrow (minus, greater than): Object class indicator.
.

Period (46): Decimal point character.

Permitted character in variable names; cannot be first character.

MV Shell command stack command prefix, followed by the letter A, C, D, L, U, or X, or the ? character. See the Caché MultiValue Commands Reference.

...

Three Periods: MATCH operator pattern match code.

.? Period, Question Mark: MV Shell command stack command to display available commands. See the Caché MultiValue Commands Reference.
/

Slash (47): Division operator.

In COMMON statement, used to enclose a storage area name. For example, /sharedvars/.

// Double Slash: As a prefix to a directory name, allows MultiValue to directly reference the directory. For example, to create the Windows file C:/temp/results.txt:OPEN "//C:/temp" TO DSCB WRITE results ON DSCB,"results.txt"
/= Slash, Equal: Division assignment operator.
:

Colon (58): Label suffix. For example, LabelOne:.

String concatenation operator.

In INPUT statement, a suffix to the variable or length arguments that suppresses a line return.

MV Shell prompt character.

:=

Colon Equals: String concatenation assignment operator.

;

Semicolon (59): MV Shell MVBasic language command prefix. For example, ;print date(). See the Caché MultiValue Commands Reference.

MVBasic statement end indicator. Optional, unless the statement is followed on the same line by another MVBasic statement, or by an in-line comment.

In INSERT and REPLACE functions, an argument separator.

;! Semicolon Exclamation Mark: In-line comment indicator.
;* Semicolon Asterisk: In-line comment indicator.
;/ Semicolon Slash: A command issued from the debug prompt that displays variable values.
< Less than (60): Less than operator.
<= Less than, Equal: Less than or equal to operator.
<>

Less than, Greater than: Not Equal To operator (inequality logical operator). For example, 3<>4 returns 1 (True).

Used to enclose integers specifying the Field, Value, and Subvalue level of a dynamic array element. For example, <1,2,2>.

<< ... >> Double less than, double greater than: an inline prompt, used to interactively request an input value. Inline prompts can be used in MVBasic statements or MultiValue command line commands. Described in the Caché MultiValue Commands Reference.
=

Equal sign (61): Equality operator. For example, 3=4 returns 0 (False).

Assignment operator.

=< Equal, Less than: Less than or equal to operator.
=> Equal, Greater than: Greater than or equal to operator.
> Greater than (62): Greater than operator.
>= Greater than, Equal: Greater than or equal to operator.
@

At sign (64): Prefix for system variable names (for example @RECORD). Prefix for system variables that specify the characters used for dynamic array level delimiters (for example, @FM).

The @ function used with PRINT, CRT, or INPUT to position the cursor on the screen, or control display modes. For example, PRINT @(15):"Over here!” or PRINT @(-5):"Blinking text”

[ ] Square Brackets (91 & 93): Substring extract operator; brackets enclose integers specifying the substring to extract.
[

Left Square Bracket (91): Command line command specifying that the statement following it be executed as an ObjectScript command. See the Caché MultiValue Commands Reference.

In the MultiValue ED editor, an Escape key is displayed as "[". See the Caché MultiValue Commands Reference.

\

Backslash (92): Used to enclose string literals. Cannot be used in MATCH strings. You can use \\ to specify an empty string.

In HEADING or FOOTING, inserts the current time and date.

] Right Square Bracket (93): In HEADING or FOOTING, starts a new line.
^

Caret (94): as a prefix to a variable name, indicates a Caché global variable.

In HEADING or FOOTING, inserts a page number.

_ Underscore (95): In INPUT, a suffix to the length argument that makes a line return mandatory.
{} Curly Braces (123 & 125): CALCULATE operation. For example: totalnums += {num}.

FeedbackOpens in a new tab