VMS Help Symbol Assign, Examples  *Conan The Librarian (sorry for the slow response - running on an old VAX)

   1.   $ LIST == "DIRECTORY"
        $ TIME == "SHOW TIME"
        $ QP == "SHOW QUEUE/DEVICE"
        $ SS == "SHOW SYMBOL"

   The file  SYNONYM.COM  contains  the  assignment  statements  shown;
   these  are user-defined synonyms for commands.  Execute this command
   procedure as follows:

        $ @SYNONYM

   After the command procedure creates the global  symbol  definitions,
   you   can  use  these  synonyms  (LIST,  TIME,  QP,and  SS)  at  the
   interactive command level.  Note that the  assignments  are  global;
   otherwise,  the  symbol names would have been deleted after the file
   SYNONYM.COM completed execution.

   2.   $ COUNT = 0
        $ LOOP:
        $      COUNT = COUNT + 1
                .
                .
                .

        $      IF COUNT .LT.5 THEN GOTO LOOP

   The symbol COUNT is initially assigned a numeric value of 0;  a loop
   is  established  to  increment the value of COUNT by 1 each time the
   loop is entered.  Note that when the symbol name  COUNT  appears  on
   the  right-hand  side  of  an  arithmetic  assignment statement, the
   command interpreter automatically substitutes its current value.

   The IF command tests the value of COUNT;  if it is less than 5,  the
   procedure  branches to the label LOOP and the statements between the
   label LOOP through the IF command  are  executed  again.   When  the
   value  of the symbol count reaches 5, the loop is not executed again
   and the command following the IF command is executed.

   3.   $ A = 25
        $ CODE = 4 + F$INTEGER("6") - A
        $ SHOW SYMBOL CODE
          CODE = -15   HEX = FFFFFFF1   Octal = 1777761

   This  example  contains  two  assignment  statements.    The   first
   statement  assigns  the  value  25  to  the  symbol  A.   The second
   assignment statement evaluates an expression containing  an  integer
   (4),  a  lexical  function  (F$INTEGER("6")), and the symbol A.  The
   result of the expression, -15, is assigned to the symbol CODE.