Sethworks Mooseum Annex Exhibit: EGS Standard - Statement Specifications

STATEMENT SPECIFICATIONS

The primary meaning unit in EGS is the statement or phrase. Within an ITEM group these statements may themselves be related to one another.  To provide some method of identifying statements or phrases, each is expressed using a specific protocol.  This protocol allows for the explicit identification of a single statement by both the reader and EGS specific software.  It also forms the basis for a referencing and indirection protocol as outlined in section on referencing below.

All EGS statements occur in the following format in the order presented:.

- a single dash.

This character is required at the start of all EGS ITEM statements.  It identifies the beginning of the statement and what depth level the statement is at.

- optional; a relaitive partial identifier character.

This character is used to as part of the EGS referening protocol for the statement or phrase.  This character can be any number or letter; thus there are 36 possible characters can be assigned to any statement.  The character can be assigned in any order but must be used only once within any given branch.  Note that the case is not conserved in the identifier.  Where the identifier is used a single right parentices is required as the next character after the idnetifier.  Where more than 36 statements appear within a branch, fixed references are used instead.

- optional; fixed identifier character set.

This Set is the EGS method of specifying fixed references to statements.  A fixed statement identifier is used where a single statement needs to be referred to frequently, where there are too many statements within one branch for relative specification, or where a statement needs to be referred to in a non relativistic manner [ie where there are more than 36 statement in a branch].

The first character of the set is the left square bracket followed by any number of alpha numeric characters as are necessary to make a unique identifier.  this identifier needs to be unique only with respect to the ITEM group where the statement is made.  The set terminates with a right square bracket.  The fixed reference and the relative reference may be used together in one statement.

- a single space.

This space is required.

- Optional; any statement type codes.

These codes (see statement code definitions above) are used to specify what kind of statement is being made.  More than one code may be used and the ordering of the codes is not important.  Where any statement type codes are used a single semicolon and a single space are required as the next characters respectively.

- the text of the phrase or statement.

Refer to the sub_section "usual forms of statement phrasing" below for details.

- Optional; terminator puncuatuion.

The terminator puncuation indicates where a phrase is being continued within other nearby phrases or statements or has some special emphasis. These characters are the "!", "?", ":", ";", or "|". Only one terminator character is used at a time for any one phrase.

The "!" exclamation terminator indicates emphasis of the phrase in a similar manner as in conventional text.

The "?" question terminator indicates that the preceding statement was a queation. Note that any statement of this type of terminator will always have the "?" type code.

The ";" semicolin terminator indicates that the a single statement or phrase is to follow at the same level for continuation.

The ":" colon terminator indicates that multiple completion phrases are to follow as child statements for completion.

The "|" bar terminator indicates that the phrase was part of an expanded vector. the bar is used only where the parent statement ends with the ":" terminator and the statement following the parent statement is "%" coded. Refer to the section on "Context Specifications" below for details of its usage.

- a single period.

This character is required for marking the end of the statement.  Note that no space occurs between the last word of the phrase, the optional terminator and the final peroid.

    - Statement phrase.

    -a)[one] E; Statement phrase!.

A large number of statements in EGS text occur with the initial use of three word types; "that", "where" or "when", and "as".  These words are commonly used and have special significance.

Statements which begin with "that" are almost always declarations. These are known facts, empierical observations of the way things are, or a result of some proof.  These types of statement are the direct expressive results of using EGS and are usually important.

The word "where" or "when" at the beginning of a EGS statement or phrase indicates a conditional or context for some declaration.  These phrases act as "limiting conditions" under which a given "that" declaration is true or the "background" under which a given statement is made.  The "where" term is more common as a specific indicator of some "space" or "subspace" where a "that" statement is made or is true.  The "when" term is used only where there is an explicit reference to time.

The "as" word in the beginning of a phrase indicates that the following statement is a "restatement in different terms" of some other declaration or conditional.  Sometimes the "as" term markes a statement that gives a "reason" that some other statement is true.  Its use is less frequent than the "where" and "that" terms.

Words in phrases that are to be empahasised can be marked by placing an "emaphasis character" of both sides of the word.  The defined emphasis characters are as follows.

"_" underlines words or phrases.

Where applied to phrases the underscore appears between all words where spaces would appear normally.

"*" asterisk indicates bold type words or phrases.

Where applied to phrases the asterisk appears at the beginning and end only.

"\" backslash character is for italics.

Where applied to phrases the backslash appears at the beginning and end only. Note; Do not confuse this character with the vectoring notation which uses the foward slash only. The backskash appears as an italic and in filenames and URLs only.

"!" for Extreme emphasis.

Where applied to single words only and then very sparingly.

"?" for questionable termonology.

Where applied to single words only.

From here, you can:

Return to the EGS Introduction.

Return to the EGS Definition Beginning.

Return to the part on Grouping and Modularization

Return to the part on Statement Type Codes

Return to the Top of this part (Statement Specifications)

Move to the next part on Context Specifications

Jump ahead to the part on Referencing Statements

Jump ahead to the part on Bracketing Terms

Jump ahead to the part on Control of Special Characters

Return to the entrance of The Sethworks Mooseum Annex.

Return to The Sethworks Mooseum.

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