(m4.info) Manual

 
 Using this manual
 =================
 
    This manual contains a number of examples of `m4' input and output,
 and a simple notation is used to distinguish input, output and error
 messages from `m4'.  Examples are set out from the normal text, and
 shown in a fixed width font, like this
 
      This is an example of an example!
 
    To distinguish input from output, all output from `m4' is prefixed
 by the string `=>', and all error messages by the string `error-->'.
 Thus
 
      Example of input line
      =>Output line from m4
      error-->and an error message
 
    As each of the predefined macros in `m4' is described, a prototype
 call of the macro will be shown, giving descriptive names to the
 arguments, e.g.,
 
      regexp(STRING, REGEXP, opt REPLACEMENT)
 
    All macro arguments in `m4' are strings, but some are given special
 interpretation, e.g., as numbers, filenames, regular expressions, etc.
 
    The `opt' before the third argument shows that this argument is
 optional--if it is left out, it is taken to be the empty string.  An
 ellipsis (`...') last in the argument list indicates that any number of
 arguments may follow.
 
    This document consistently writes and uses "builtin", without an
 hyphen, as if it were an English word.  This is how the `builtin'
 primitive is spelled within `m4'.
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