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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.