Options specify arguments that are global within a Genstat statement: i.e. they apply to all the items in the parameter list(s). Often, but not always, options have default values and so need not be specified.
Option name
is a system word that identifies a particular option setting. It can be abbreviated to the minimum number of characters required to distinguish it from the options that precede it in the prescribed order for the directive or procedure concerned; for directives, four characters are always sufficient.
Option sequence
is a series of option settings separated by semi-colons (;
).
Option setting
has the form
option-name =
list, expression or formula
“option-name =
” can be omitted if the settings are given in the prescribed order for the directive or procedure concerned: i.e. the name may be omitted for the first setting if this is for the first prescribed option, and for subsequent settings if the previous setting was for the option immediately before the current one in the prescribed order.