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ABOUT-VARIABLES


 SLIDES allows  one to  save the  current point  (expressed in  absolute
 coordinates) in a stack as well as  in a named variable.  The stack  is
 accessed by the PUSH and POP commands, and named variables may be  used
 wherever a  coordinate  (x,y,z)  is expected.   The  SAVE,  DELETE  and
 DISPLAY commands allow variables to be created, deleted, and displayed.
 For the  DELETE and  DISPLAY commands,  the special  name '*'  (i.e.  a
 single asterisk) represents all variables.   This makes it possible  to
 define graphical objects  in INCLUDE files  which preserve the  current
 point without explicit knowledge of it.

 Variable  names  may  be  any  token  consisting  of  letters,  digits,
 underscore, and dot,  the first  of which must  be alphabetic.   Letter
 case is NOT significant, so the names 'foobar', 'FOOBAR', 'FooBar', and
 'fOObAR' represent the same variable.   There is no length  restriction
 on variable names, and all characters are significant.  Unlike  command
 keywords  and  parameters,  variable  names  may  not  be  abbreviated.
 However, only the first  25 characters will be  displayed by a  DISPLAY
 command).  Examples of legal  variables are:

 foobar         Foo_bar         F1      CP      P.a.b
 A_very_long_variable_name_which_is_tedious_to_type

 Examples of illegal variables are:

 p#1    p-one   (contain illegal  characters)
 _p1    1.3     (do not begin with a letter)