Defining a Function

A function is composed of a function name, with the list of arguments, and the expression that forms its definition. You start a function by its name, followed by an opening parenthesis, the arguments for the function separated by commas, and finally a closing parenthesis. The following rules apply for function and argument names:

• The first character of a function name must be a letter, and subsequent characters can only contain letters or numbers. For example, sin100 is a valid function name, although 100sin is not.
• The first character of an argument must be a dollar sign ( $ ), the second character must be a letter, and subsequent characters can only contain letters or numbers. For example, $arg1 is a valid argument name, although $1 and arg3 are not.
• Function names and arguments are case sensitive, meaning that lowercase and uppercase make a difference.

The function name and its definition are separated by a colon ( : ). The definition itself can be any valid expression, except that channel names are not accepted since user-defined expressions are not related to any particular setup. In the definition, the arguments can appear, complete with the dollar sign preceding it. Finally, the definition must end with a semicolon (;) and it can span several lines.

Note: Errors in the functions file will be reported when it is first read. This file is read every time that an unknown function is used in an expression.