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Generated from C.60.01 /SYS/PUB/CICAT last modified on Thu Jan 11 09:18:52 2001

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         WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LEAVE THINGS OUT OF A COMMAND LINE?

By choosing to leave out an [optional] part of a command you are really
telling the computer to search its memory for a stored word or number to
put in place of the parameter you left out.  Remember the deli owner?
Using our example:

                   makeit barn;SIZEOF=75 , , ,red

We left out "width" and "depth".  Because we LEFT IN the commas for
them, the computer knows that leaving out "width" and "height" was not a
mistake on our part.

Knowing that, the computer automatically assigns "default" values for
the optional parameters we left out. "Default" values are words or
numbers that the computer has been instructed to use if you decide to
leave out optional parameters. We left them out, so "by default" the
choice is left to the computer.

But how do I know what the computer will choose?  It might pick
something completely useless to me.
                                                ...Please press 
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