Syntax for defining your symbols - the <!ENTITY> tag
The following shows the syntax of the <!ENTITY> tag you use to define your own symbols in the message table or setup data set:
- <!ENTITY entity-name "replacement text" -- comment -- >
- An ENTITY identifies an entity declaration, which just means it's
how you define a symbol. An entity statement breaks down as follows:
- entity-name
- Specifies the name you select for your symbol. When you specify the entity name in your message table, it will resolve to the replacement text when you generate the message table.
- "replacement text"
- A single string specifying the text that you want your entity
or symbol name to resolve to. Local symbols can use symbols within the replacement text. For example, you could define a symbol as follows:Neat huh? Don't get yourself tied in knots though!
Then in the message table, you code the following sentence:<!ENTITY good2 "&good1; is a good symbol, these are two good symbols">
Will resolve into a complete sentence when the check runs:If &good2; we can use in a message.If &good1; is a good symbol, these are two good symbols we can use in a message. - -- comment -- >
- Specifies a comment within an entity declaration. You can insert
a comment anywhere in an entity declaration between the < > delimiters.
Identify the start and end of the comment with two hyphens (--). The
following example shows a comment in an entity declaration:
<!ENTITY newsym "the symbol resolves to this text" -- this is a comment -->