3.2 The xasset command

• Setting a scalar variable

  xasset [ variable value

  This form is used to set the majority of variables, which contain a single string without blanks or commas (a numeric value is also stored as a string).

• Setting an array variable

  It is not possible to use xasset to set special variables which are a list of string values separated by commas. In such cases (like for some graphics setting) dedicated programs like xasplot must be used to set the variable

• Setting more than one variable

  xasset FROM [ xfile

  This form can be used to set many variables at once, reading couples "variable value" from the given file. Incidentally this means an environment variable cannot have the name from.

• Querying a value

  xasset [ variable ?

  This form is used to query (show at terminal) the value of a variable (which of course cannot be a single question mark).
  Unix csh users must note that if they are not using the "set noglob" option, they cannot type a single question mark "?", but, to prevent interpretation by the shell they have to escape it "\?"

• Deleting a variable

  The convenience command to delete a variable is

  xasunset [ variable

  The actual way the software uses to delete a variable is to assign to it a blank value. The above convenience command is provided because, since the shell strips any blank value, one could only delete a variable interactively, issuing a xasset variable command, and replying with a carriage return to the prompt for a value.

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