Language Elements and Reference:xpplrm
Punctuation marks and special characters Foundation
Punctuation marks and special characters do not execute operations, but direct the compiler or the executable program to perform specific tasks. Some of the special characters are also operators. The compiler determines how the characters are interpreted from the context of the program code.
Special characters in Xbase++
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| # | Preprocessor directive |
| . | Decimal point, end of a macro variable |
| , | Expression separator |
| ; | Line continuation |
| : | Send message to object |
| & | Evaluate macro expression |
| @ | Pass variable by reference |
| -> | Alias reference |
| () | Expression, function or procedure call |
| [] | Array element |
| {} | Literal array |
| {|| } | Literal code block |
| " ' [] | Literal character |
These characters serve primarily to structure program code and in defining values of specific data types. They are described further in the chapters "Data Types and Literals"and "Operators and Operations". When the # character appears first on a program line, it identifies a preprocessor directive. A description of the directives is found in the chapter "The Preprocessor".
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