LIBHELP procedure

Provides help information about library procedures (R.W. Payne).

Option

PRINT = strings

Indicates what information is required about each procedure (index, description, options, parameters, method, restrict, calls, similar, authors, references, module, history, errors); default desc

Parameter

PROCEDURE = texts

Single-valued texts indicating the procedures about which the information is required; if this is not set, information is given about LIBHELP itself

Description

LIBHELP provides information about procedures in the GenStat Procedure Library. It has a parameter, called PROCEDURE, which you use to indicate the procedures for which you want information; if PROCEDURE is not specified, information is given about LIBHELP itself. The names of the procedures should be given in quotes: for example

LIBHELP 'LIBINFORM'

will obtain information about the procedure LIBINFORM (you can use LIBINFORM to find out what procedures and modules are in the Library).

LIBHELP has a single option, called PRINT, with which you specify a list of strings to indicate what information you want about each procedure. The possible values, with explanations in brackets, are as follows: index (one-line description), description (full description), options (syntax of the options), parameters (syntax of the parameters), method (description of the method used), restrict (action when arguments are restricted), calls (list of procedures called by this procedure), similar (procedures with similar facilities), authors (list of authors), references (relevant publications), module (the Library module to which the procedure belongs), history (when accepted, modified &c.), errors (details of any reported errors).

The information is stored in a backing-store file whose name is defined by Library procedure LIBFILENAME; there must be a free backing-store to which the file can be attached. A second file can also be defined to supply information about procedures in a local library, and LIBHELP will then look there first so that any local details are taken in preference to those of the main library. The file can be formed using procedure FLIBHELP.

Option: PRINT. Parameter: PROCEDURE.

Method

The description of LIBHELP is held within LIBHELP itself, and is printed as a caption. Other information is obtained from a backing-store file, whose name is supplied by procedure LIBFILENAME. This file is opened on the first available backing-store channel; if all the channels are in use, the procedures stops with a diagnostic. Within the Help file, the information about each procedure is stored in a subfile whose identifier is the same as the name of the procedure. The sections of information are stored in separate text structures each with the suffixed identifier Help['section name']. After printing the requested sections, the file is closed.