3.2 File Structure

Every file starts with a header that lists the filename, copyright, a short description of the file contents and the original authors of this file.

This is followed by a revision entry:

Revision.file_suf :=
    "@(#)$Id: C003S002.htm,v 1.10 2000/03/03 15:23:22 gapchron Exp $";
where file.suf is the file name. The revision control system used for the development will automatically append text to the string ``Id: '' which indicates the version number. The reason for these revision entries is to give the possibility to check from within GAP for revision numbers of a file. (Do not mistake these revision numbers for the version number of GAP itself.)

Global comments usually are indented by two hash marks and two blanks. If a section of such a comment is introduced by a line containing a hash mark and a number it will be used for the manual (stripped of the hash marks and leading two blanks).

Every declaration or method or function installation which is not only of local scope is introduced by a function header of the following type.

#############################################################################
##
#X  ExampleFunction(<A>,<B>)
##
##  This function does nothing.
The initial letter (X in the example) has the same meaning as at the end of a declaration line in the Reference Manual (see Manual Conventions in the Tutorial), it indicates whether the object declared will be a category, representation and so forth. Additionally M is used in .gi files for method installations. The line then gives a sample usage of the function. This is followed by a comment which describes the identifier. This description will automatically be used by the process to build the Reference Manual source.

Indentation in functions and the use of decorative spaces in the code are left to the decision of the authors of each file.

The file ends with an

#E
comment section that may be used to store formatting descriptions for an editor.

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GAP 4 manual
February 2000