SGML Terminal Variables

Copyright © 1996 Harvey Bingham

The terminal variables represent character classes common to all SGML documents. The content of the terminal variables may be changed for an application in its SGML Declaration.

The terminal variables are described in ISO 8879-1986,

Figure 2 Character Classes: Concrete Syntax {9.2.1, 345:0}

A terminal variable appears in the definition right-hand-side of a production as a bold string of capital letters, such as DATACHAR.

Each production in which a terminal variable is used is shown by a triple:

syntactic variable name[production number]{locator}

[production number] is hyperlinked to the definition of that syntactic variable name in the SGML Syntax Summary. The {subclause, page:line} locator refers to the subclause from ISO 8879, repeated in both the Syntax Summary, and in Goldfarb, The SGML Handbook; to which also the page:line refer.

DATACHAR Dedicated data characters (implicit)

SGML character[50]{9.2.1, 345:1}

DELMCHAR Delimiter characters (implicit)

markup character[51]{9.2.1, 345:4}

FUNCHAR Inert Function characters, default none

function character[54]{9.2.2, 346:8}

LCNMCHAR Lower-case name characters, additional, default (ASCII 45 46) "-."

name character[52]{9.2.1, 345:8}

LCNMSTRT Lower-case name start characters, additional, default none

name start character[53]{9.2.1, 346:3}

MSICHAR Markup-scan-in characters, default none

function character[54]{9.2.2, 346:8}

MSOCHAR Markup-scan-out characters, default none

function character[54]{9.2.2, 346:8}

MSSCHAR Markup-scan-suppress characters, default none

function character[54]{9.2.2, 346:8}

NONSGML Non-SGML characters, characters not directly acceptable in SGML entity, though could be represented using character references

character[49]{9.2, 344:5}

RE Record End (ASCII 13) CR "carriage return"

s[5]{6.2.1, 297:23}
function character[54]{9.2.2, 346:8}
reference end[61]{9.4.5, 352:29}
minimum data character[78]{10.1.7, 381:10}

RS Record Start (ASCII 10) LF "linefeed"

s[5]{6.2.1, 297:23}
function character[54]{9.2.2, 346:8}
minimum data character[78]{10.1.7, 381:10}

SEPCHAR Separator characters (ASCII 09) HT "horizontal tab"

s[5]{6.2.1, 297:23}
function character[54]{9.2.2, 346:8}

SPACE Space (ASCII 32) SP

s[5]{6.2.1, 297:23}
name list[39]{7.9.4, 333:25}
name token list[40]{7.9.4, 333:29}
number list[42]{7.9.4, 333:35}
number token list[43]{7.9.4, 334:2}
function character[54]{9.2.2, 346:8}
minimum data character[78]{10.1.7, 381:10}
text identifier[84]{10.2.2, 385:7}

UCNMCHAR Upper-case name characters, additional, default (ASCII 45 46) "-."

name character[52]{9.2.1, 345:8}

UCNMSTRT Upper-case name start characters, additional, default none

name start character[53]{9.2.1, 346:3}

SGML Syntax Summary original 8 June 1988
Corrected 10 January 1992
Expanded and converted to HTML 26 Mar 1996
Updated 28 May 1996
Changed return mail 8 Nov 1996

Copyright restrictions:
This material may be used freely for the purposes of studying SGML and promoting its application. This copyright notice shall be included in any subsequent copies. The author reserves the right to update this material and to determine the primary server on which it is available.