Parameters specify parallel lists of arguments for a statement: i.e. the statement (with its option settings) operates for the first item in each list, then the second, and so on. The number of times that this happens is determined by the length of the parameter list that is first in the prescribed order for the directive or procedure concerned. Subsequent lists are recycled if they are shorter than the first list.
Parameter name
is a system word that identifies which parameter is being set. It may be abbreviated to the minimum number of characters required to distinguish it from the parameters that precede it in the prescribed order for the directive or procedure concerned; for directives, four characters are always sufficient.
Parameter sequence
is a series of parameter settings separated by semi-colons (;).
Parameter setting
has the form
parameter-name = list, expression or formula
“parameter-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 parameter, and for subsequent settings if the previous setting was for the parameter immediately before the current one in the prescribed order. For directives or procedures with only a single parameter, no parameter name is defined.