ALIAS command

Syntax: ALIAS
ALIAS name
ALIAS name value
ALIAS\EXPAND name value
Qualifiers: \EXPAND
Defaults: \-EXPAND
Examples: ALIAS XRED SET XAXISCOLOR RED

The ALIAS command allows the user to create new commands by equating a keyword to a command string. The command string must begin with a valid command. For example, it cannot be a file name that is to be used with other commands (use a character variable for that).

If the ALIAS command is entered with no parameters, all the current aliases will be displayed. If the ALIAS command is entered with one parameter, the parameter is assumed to be an alias name, and the command string associated with that name will be displayed. If a name and a value are entered, and if name already exists as an alias, the command string value will be updated to the new value. If name does not exist, a new alias will be created.

Use the DEALIAS command to eliminate an alias.

If the \EXPAND qualifier is used, and if the second parameter is a character variable (or character expression), then the value of the variable (or of the expression) will become the command string. This allows you to construct commands in a script and alias them to single word commands. For example:

     TT = 'GRAPH X '
     VECTOR V 1
     INQUIRE 'Enter a vector >>' V
     ALIAS\EXPAND PLOT TT//VARNAME(V)
 
and you can then just enter the new command PLOT to draw the graph.