HP NonStop G-Series - Manual (Page 235)

Ordinal-Range Parameter
Range Summary
5–32 058061 Tandem Computers Incorporated
Ordinal-Range
Parameter
The ordinal-range parameter describes the ordinal position of a line in an
EDIT file.
The ordinal position of a line in an EDIT file refers strictly to the order of
that line in the file. For example, if you specify 5 as the line number, EDIT
will locate the fifth line of your file, regardless of the actual numbering
sequence currently in effect in your file. EDIT views the file in terms of
ordinal numbering (first, second, tenth, and so on); for other range
parameters, EDIT uses the literal line numbering (line number 1, 3.01, 13.6,
and so on).
With one exception (see Note, following), EDIT commands that accept the
ordinal-range parameter use it as an option of the string-range parameter to
reference one or more occurrences of a string in a file. EDIT locates the lines
of the file that contain string, thus ordering them in an ordinal sequence,
and is then able to locate string by ordinal position of the line or lines
specified in the ordinal-range parameter.
For example, the command LIST “A” NUM 5 asks EDIT to locate the fifth
line containing string A. The ordinal-range parameter is always preceded
by the keyword NUM.
Syntax of the Ordinal-
Range Parameter
ordinal-range: is
ordinal-position [ / ordinal position ]
ordinal-position
is the position in the file, indicated as one of the following.
{ number }
{ FIRST }
{ LAST }
number
is an integer that refers to the position of a line in an EDIT file.