Macro Evaluation
When you enter a define statement at your terminal, it is not processed immediately; macro processing occurs when the query buffer is evaluated. The Terminal Monitor commands \go, \list and \eval evaluate the workspace. \go sends the results to the database for execution, \list prints them on your terminal, and \eval puts the result back into the workspace.
The usual process for defining macros requires that you type the following commands:
{define . . . }
\eval
\reset
The \reset command assures that the workspace is emptied before you enter the next query.
You can use the \eval and \list commands to test a macro invocation before executing it explicitly (with the \g). For example, to test the rg macro above, type:
rg e emp
\l
The Terminal Monitor types:
range of e is emp
The range statement is not executed.
Similarly, the \eval (or \v for short) command replaces the macro version with the expanded range statement although the command is not executed. In the case of macro expansion with \eval or \v, to execute the range statement, type:
\g
Last modified date: 08/28/2024